First thing you need to make sure is that the place you're planning to run the device has good ventilation. Exhaust filtration on a laser cutter is nice, but it can emit some toxic gasses that filtration won't remove and people have died trying to run them indoors.

Obviously any unit that's lacking basic safety features like a full enclosure with door interlocks etc should be avoided.

Air assist can be a really nice feature to have, as it will help clear the smoke around the beam path so that it doesn't obscure the laser and mess up the cut.

Getting a unit with a built-in camera can be really useful for positioning the cut path on the material.

For just 2mm acrylic you should be able to get away with a pretty cheap unit, it won't require that much power to cut through (depending on the exact material of course, cuttability can be highly variable between different colors and types of acrylic). I don't have any specific model recommendations though.

They should have you write the manuals! Thank you for the information; I've been wondering about this.

for clear acrylic, I think a Co2 Laser cutter might be best, or even a cheap desktop CNC.
The common 5.5w blue laser cutters/engravers pas right through clear acrylics (and even some colored ones.)

Firstly, acrylic requires a CO2 laser, the blue-laser-diode ones just don't work.

A cheapie "K40" style laser can handle 12" x 8" sheets, especially if you get an air assist nozzle. They're a bit big (mine is small-coffee-table sized).

The specific one I bought isn't available anymore but the basic design is super common so if you get one that looks kinda like it it'll be close enough that most if not all of the info online can work with it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B.....UTF8&psc=1 (honestly just search "k40 laser" and get the cheapest one with okay reviews)

The default lens and holder... work. I'd suggest replacing them because the holder doesn't do air assist (but hold on to them as a backup).

Here's the holder I bought with air assist: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B.....UTF8&psc=1
It doesn't work with the smaller lens the K40s typically come with so I bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B.....UTF8&psc=1

For the actual air pump anything works really but I bought one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B.....UTF8&psc=1

I would suggest getting a power strip to run all the extra stuff off of. The K40 includes a couple of electrical sockets for the extras but the wiring is mediocre and tends to starve the laser if you have too much running off it. I tend to stick with just the fan and water pump.

The laser REQUIRES water cooling. Mine came with a cheapo aquarium pump that does well enough. I'd recommend getting a couple buckets at the Home Depot (because I work at one) and when you fill them with water add a splash of bleach to keep stuff from growing in it. When you run it you can add ice to the bucket, but I would recommend getting a water chiller to keep the water a consistent temperature. There have been a few things I've etched that were quite obvious when I added ice to the bucket. Most of the cheaper chillers don't come with pumps or tubing so you'll also probably need to pick up some adapters and tubing at the Depot when you get your buckets.

The default work piece tray sucks. I don't have any recommendations for a replacement as I still need to get one, but at least with the tray you can remove that holding bracket thing in the middle so it's flat(ish).

The K40 also comes with a really shitty exhaust fan that only kinda fits. It's terrible, but once you plug up the holes it works okayish. Replacing that with something custom made is common, but due to the weird shape of the exhaust it's kinda tricky.

To control it, you'll want the Inkscape SVG program, and a program called "K40 Whisperer" that is way better than the suspect software they give you (honestly I just threw the USB stick they gave with it in the trash).

Before you run it you'll want to align the mirrors: https://k40.se/lens-mirrors/k40-mir.....for-k40-laser/

You'll probably also want to adjust the tension on the drive belts. This is kind of a pain in the ass and I don't have a nice guide on it. You want them tight or they'll skip, but not too tight or they won't be able to run well.

Here's an awesome beginner's guide that basically goes over what I posted above plus more: https://www.reddit.com/r/lasercutting/wiki/k40

This is really helpful, thank you so much! :D Is it possible to set them to work a deep object and not just flat sheets? I'm essentially wanting to work on pre-made acrylic boxes ranging in 2" square to 4" square; currently I drill them all by hand but my thought is that if a laser engraver could take over that process, then it would be *well* worth the investment >_>

Unfortunately cutting deep into an object will not work out too well. The laser would need to be a set distance away from the acrylic sheet for optimal cutting (the focal point of the lens). As you move away from that focal point, the beam starts to widen and become less powerful. For most laser cutters that I have worked with, I wouldn’t go past 1/2 inch material. And I consider that pushing it.
Since you are Trying to make boxes, I suggest looking into something called finger joints, this is probably the easiest way to assemble acrylic boxes.
One more warning, the k40, while cheap, is very much a DIY project. Working with it can be difficult if you have little experience modding machinary and playing with CNC programs. Also I suggest picking up a pair of CO2 laser goggles to protect your eyes while cutting/tuning the machine.

Focal Depth. The laser is like an hourglass in focal depth. Once you set the focus for the tightest / smallest beam, it is consistent at that level. If the object is higher or lower than that focal point, then it starts getting fuzzy and wider. You have to set the depth manually to the focal length. There are tools for this that you can 3D print or do it by eye.

Some units have a Z axis table to help accommodate this with a powered lift. Some do automatic focus like mine, but it's a different class there. There are aftermarket Z axis powered tables for the K40. Laserbits.com used to be my go to location for mirrors, motor drivers, stepper drivers, etc, but they are gone now. Searching online for K40 parts will get you to a supplier.

As Insperatus said, it's not exactly possible to do that. You could in theory remove the work tray and prop the boxes up so the place you're trying to cut holes in is in the lens's focal point but that doesn't solve the very real problem that once the laser is through, it'll keep going to the other side of the box (though spread out so it'll just kinda melt the area it hits). I've lost a couple charms I've cut because they fell through the tray and ended up under the laser path of the next charm.

One nice thing about the laser though is it makes it possible to not just make your own boxes, but also etch designs into them :3 so you can take a flat sheet, etch a pattern in, then have it cut the holes out, then cut the sides out so you can just stick them together to make a box yourself.

Also I forgot an important safety tip: don't ever run the actual laser with the work door open. By default they don't include any safety measures to keep that from happening. It's super tempting to hit that "test" button when aligning the mirrors without closing the door, but it's not worth the potential burn spots on the walls or on you.

I found out the hard way that lasers burn skin quite effectively when you tap the TEST button and your hand is in the path. Felt like a quick stab with a pushpin. Oops. No permanent damage, but yeah, you learn that lesson quick!

Most stuff was already said.

When you plan on cutting transparent material, be advised that you'll need a infrared ( CO² )or UV laser.
The latter are dangerous and very expensive.
Not that IR lasers of the needed wattage ( 10W at the bare minimum, and then you're going to slowly grind your path through the material with multiple passes ) are cheap either.
Also, remember that laser systems tend to wear out.
Depending on usage you may have to plan a replacement laser diode every 6 months ( continued usage ) to 2 years ( 4h/day ).

CO2 tubes do go bad even when not being used. For my commercial unit, it is rated at 35000 hours, but if you don't use it, it's about 4 years. It cost approx $1200 to get recharged. K40's are lot cheaper, but also shorter life too.

Then the CO² lasers actually do last longer than I expected!
Then again, last time I worked with such is over 15 years past.

As mentioned, the lasers may work out very expensive, given the material you're trying to cut. Wy, would suggest if the laser is a bit too rich, consider making a jig out of some MDF so you can position consistantly with a vertical drill mount. Given you're on the US side of things, Harbor freight maybe your best bet.

Depending on your budget you could go straight to a cutter, which imho are more versatile than engravers. Trotec is expensive (think car prices) but worth it, if you want that capability. I would suggest getting the highest power you can afford (40 watts or so), and CO2 is adequate for acrylic but won’t cut metal. Fibre is not worth the doubling in price unless you must have metal cutting. The speedy 100 has a capacity of 12x24x5.5”.

Btw if you're just putting holes in things and don't need a really fine kerf (width of cut) you might be better off getting a desktop CNC rather than messing around with lasers. Basically the same style of motion system, just with a rotating cutter instead of a pew-pew laser. With a good quality bit and the right feeds and speeds you can get very high quality cuts.

K40's (cheap Ebay units) have gotten a LOT better over the years. My first laser was an early gen K40 I bought for $500 and spent another grand in replacing the electronics, power supply, water pump, software, etc to rebuild it into something useful. They have largely now incorporated the mods I had done to mine at the time to make a usable system.

They ARE hobby lasers. They may say CO2 40 watts, but that means it can do 40 watts at a very low duty cycle. This means you may have to make multiple passes to get through your material. This is not unusual with smaller units. You go higher in wattage or duty cycle (there's a difference) and you pay a LOT more.

Cast acrylic is what you want if you're engraving. Extruded stuff is more difficult to engrave or cut and tends to be more brittle. Also with Covid, you're going to have trouble finding any clear acrylic right now due to the need for this same material for breath shields at stores.

Colored acrylic, is about $10 for a 12x12 in square. You're going to waste a bunch learning. Just a fact you have to accept. TAP plastics is my choice there. They often have a scrap bin where you can buy leftovers for $2/pound which is great for testing with.

I finally gave in and went commercial. 40 watt Universal Laser Systems unit. Cost as much as my car at $14K, but geez, the difference is night and day. Full 100% duty cycle means single pass cuts, highly focused beyond what the K40 can do, lots of OEM support, and a larger 12x24 cutting bed. Oh, and powered Z axis (up and down). It's a commercial production unit, requires powered ventilation outdoors, etc. But I'm doing wood model structure kits for model railroading as well as furry stuff, so my needs are more commercial.

Glowforge is a good compromise between those two. They are also not cheap, but have good support, and can do quite a bit on the hobby side.

In short, if you want to tinker with hardware, settings, and hobby fun, learn with a K40.

If you want fire and forget at hobby level, Glowforge is ideal.

If you want to go all in, then it's commercial with Universal Laser Systems, Epilog, etc.

Youtube is very good for going over different models and what you can do with them. You're trading time and effort for results, so don't forget to factor in your time in your financial equations.

I happen to have one that fits your requirements. The laser and motors are in great shape, it’s 1500 watts. The mirrors are corroded and need replaced. The work area is I think 9x18 but I can check.

I’m a CNC guy, didn’t like the laser cutter.