I need help chosing a laser engraver cutter

[rolljordan]

Pretty simple I need the machine to cut foam inserts. An example will be the Pellican cases foam inserts.

Material: Foam


Min. Size to cut:
16" x 12" approx 400mm x 300mm

Max height of foam:
6" approx 150mm if this is not possible the minimum required is 3" approx 75mm
(Note has to be able to cut different thickness, in a few words adjustable height)

My question is what wattage should the laser be?
Machine has to be precise but due to the nature of what I will be using it, it really needs to have relative accuracy. Also a desktop model is preferred.

As usual budget is very low. So the cheapest the best. I am a newbie so any help well be appreciated. I was looking to spend around 1000$ not including shipping. But seems quite low budget. Even a used machine will work, if spare parts and assistance are available for it.

As for shipping I can buy in the US only if it can be shipped using USPS via Airmail, or otherwise the machine has to be delivered to Italy. That is why I was looking at China as a source. My only concern is that every time I write them I get an answer that is not related to my question. Or they just reply yes machine does it. Not making me feel very comfortable in trusting them.

As said any help will be appreciated

Thank you,
Chris

[FijiJohn]

Although some of the Chinese lasers work quite well, support is rare and can often be a major problem. A good place to ask your question is the engravers forum at sawmillcreek.org, which is mostly for laser engravers. However, in my experience, you will have a LOT of trouble trying to cut anything that thick. The laser depth of focus is too shallow. Great for thin materials but not thick. You can cut 10mm acrylic like butter with a 45 watt laser.