Hello,

I am building a 3x2 meters plotter to cut textile (not thick, think of dress shirt fabric). Initially I planned to use ~60W CO2 laser, but I then stumbled upon solid state laser modules, which seem to be used for cutting/engraving. E.g.:

https://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/las...-kit-v2-0.html
Focusable Adjustable 2.4W 2400mW 808nm/810nm IR Infrared Laser Diode Module LD-in Laser Equipment Parts from Industry & Business on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group
3 2W 808nm 810nm Infrared IR Laser Diode Module Cutting | eBay

In my non-competent opinion, these seems to be superior over CO2 for my use case, because:
- Cheaper - not money for watt, but total investment for required function (cut textile).
- Easier to install - no need for precisely aligned optical components, no huge cooling setup, no high voltage, etc. Less components in general.
- Less risk of getting broken while shipping.

Am I missing something, or is it really a better option over CO2? If so, what minimal output power would you recommend to cut "ordinary" textile?

Key issue: at this point budget it very tight as this is kind of temporary setup. I am choosing each component to be minimal but still viable. If proof of concept of this projects succeeds, then I will upgrade to more efficient parts. But if it fails, I want to keep lost expenses minimal.

Thanks a lot in advance!