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In this guide
The MCore is built for that gap. It puts a 400W fiber laser and an 80W CO₂ laser in a single desktop machine — so you can cut metal and non-metal in the same workflow, at the same workstation, without a second machine or a larger footprint.
This guide explains how that works, what the machine is actually designed to do, where it fits in the GWEIKE lineup, and which users it's built for.
Why one machine needs two different lasers
Fiber and CO₂ lasers use different wavelengths, and those wavelengths interact with materials in fundamentally different ways. This isn't a compromise — it's the reason the combination makes sense.
⚡ Fiber laser — 1064nm
Absorbed efficiently by metals — stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, brass, titanium. The beam couples into the metal surface and delivers the energy needed to melt, cut, or engrave. On transparent or organic materials like clear acrylic, the 1064nm beam passes through without significant interaction. A fiber laser alone can't cut acrylic cleanly.
🌿 CO₂ laser — 10,600nm
Absorbed efficiently by organic and non-metallic materials — acrylic, wood, leather, MDF, fabric, rubber. The 10,600nm wavelength is strongly absorbed by these materials, producing clean cuts and engraving. On bare metal, the CO₂ beam reflects rather than being absorbed, which is why CO₂ machines require marking compounds to work on stainless steel.
The two wavelengths are physically complementary: each handles the material category the other can't. Putting both in one machine means the same desktop footprint covers the full range — without moving workpieces to different stations.
In practice, this means a sign shop can cut an acrylic face panel and a stainless steel mounting frame in the same job, switching laser sources in software without changing the machine or repositioning the material.
What the 400W fiber laser handles
The MCore's fiber laser is rated to cut up to 5mm metal in a single pass. That covers the material thickness used in the large majority of small-batch metal production: custom metal lettering, nameplate blanks, architectural hardware, decorative panels, and thin-section structural parts.
Metal cutting materials
- Stainless steel (up to 5mm)
- Carbon steel (up to 5mm)
- Aluminum (up to 5mm)
- Brass and copper
- Titanium alloy
400W vs desktop fiber markers
At 400W, the MCore's fiber source is in a different category from the 20–50W fiber lasers in machines like the G2 series. Those are optimized for engraving — marking surfaces, deep-struck text, fine detail. The MCore's fiber laser is optimized for cutting through material.
A 30W fiber laser is built for surface engraving and marking. MCore's 400W fiber source is officially rated for thin-sheet metal cutting, including up to 5mm metal in one pass depending on material, assist gas, and cutting parameters.
What the 80W CO₂ laser handles
The MCore's CO₂ laser covers the non-metal material range that the fiber laser can't address. At 80W, it's a capable cutting source — not an entry-level CO₂, but a machine in the range of professional desktop CO₂ systems.
According to official specifications, the 80W CO₂ laser is rated to cut up to 20mm acrylic in a single pass. For context, most 50W desktop CO₂ lasers handle 10–12mm acrylic at practical production speeds. The 80W source extends that range meaningfully.
Non-metal cutting materials
- Acrylic (clear, colored, cast, extruded)
- Wood (plywood, hardwood, MDF)
- Leather
- Fabric
- Rubber
- Paper and cardboard
CO₂-specific applications
The 80W CO₂ source handles applications a fiber laser can't address cleanly — glass etching (with appropriate parameters), wood engraving with natural grain contrast, and leather marking without heat damage.
Metal Rotary Axis: cutting metal tubes on a desktop machine
The most distinctive hardware capability of the MCore
The dedicated Metal Rotary Axis is specifically engineered for cutting and engraving metal tubes, pipes, and cylindrical metal stock — The dedicated Metal Rotary Axis is one of MCore's most distinctive capabilities: it brings metal tube cutting and engraving into a desktop laser workflow, a task that usually requires outsourcing or a separate tube-cutting setup.
Rotary attachments for CO₂ lasers are designed for glass tumblers and wine bottles. What's different here is the material: the MCore's Metal Rotary Axis is built for metal tube, which requires the sustained cutting power of a 400W fiber source and a rotary mechanism designed for the mass and rigidity of metal stock.
Decorative metalwork
Custom stainless steel rod and tube components for display fixtures, furniture hardware, and architectural details. Shops that currently outsource tube cutting can bring it in-house.
Product components
Aluminum tube blanks for lighting fixtures, custom pipe hardware, cylindrical structural components for small-batch product manufacturing.
Custom markers & handles
Titanium rod engraving for tool handles, custom marking on cylindrical metal parts for identification or branding.
For many small shops, this type of tube work would normally be outsourced or handled on a separate tube-cutting setup. MCore brings that workflow closer to a desktop laser environment— a piece of equipment with a significantly different footprint, cost, and skill requirement. On the MCore, it's a rotary attachment at the same workstation.
MCore vs M Series: what's different and who each is for
The GWEIKE M Series is an existing product — a multi-process CNC laser workstation with a 54×36 inch working area, 5kW single-phase 220V power, and a CNC gantry system designed for production-scale metal processing. It's a legitimate production tool for shops with volume output requirements.
The MCore is a different class of product:
| MCore | M Series | |
|---|---|---|
| Working area | 711×411mm (28"×16") | 1370×915mm (54"×36") |
| Power supply | 110V/220V single-phase (standard outlet) | 220V, 5kW dedicated circuit |
| Laser sources | 400W Fiber + 80W CO₂ | 1000–1500W Fiber (interchangeable heads) |
| Software | Mlaser (consumer-grade, camera-assisted) | CNC controller |
| Footprint | Desktop | Floor-standing workstation |
| Target user | Small studio, maker, small business | Production workshop, fabricator |
The M Series isn't the right comparison for most MCore buyers — it's a different product for a different operating context. The relevant comparison is between the MCore and a two-machine setup: a separate desktop CO₂ machine plus a fiber cutting machine. The MCore consolidates both into one.
MCore vs G3 MOPA: cutting vs marking
The G3 MOPA uses a 30W or 60W MOPA fiber laser source alongside a diode laser, optimized for metal surface work: color marking on stainless steel and titanium, anodized aluminum blackening, precision jewelry engraving, and similar applications where fine surface detail matters.
The distinction is fundamental:
G3 MOPA — marks and engraves surfaces
Color marking on stainless steel and titanium. Anodized aluminum blackening. Precision jewelry engraving. Tumbler personalization.
Right for: stainless steel tumblers with color gradients, titanium pendants with color marking, anodized aluminum cards.
400W cutting power is irrelevant here — what matters is pulse width control and frequency range for color accuracy.
MCore — cuts through material
Metal letters, cut-out signs, metal components, tube work, mixed metal-and-acrylic products.
Right for: cutting metal to shape — 5mm stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, brass.
MOPA color capability is irrelevant here — what matters is the power to cut cleanly through material thickness.
Some shops will eventually want both. They're not competing products.
Who MCore is actually for
Shops currently running a CO₂ laser that want to add metal cutting
This is the most common profile. You have established workflows for acrylic and wood. Clients have started asking for metal components or metal-and-acrylic mixed products. The MCore adds the metal capability without requiring a dedicated metal cutting setup.
Custom metal signage and lettering shops
Metal letter fabrication — stainless steel, aluminum, brass — is a high-value, high-demand product category that most desktop laser shops currently outsource. The MCore's 400W fiber source and 5mm metal cutting capability puts this work within reach at desktop scale.
Small-batch metal product manufacturers
Custom hardware, product components, decorative metal panels, prototyping — applications where order quantities don't justify industrial CNC equipment but material requirements exceed what entry-level fiber markers can do.
Makers and studios working with metal tube
The Metal Rotary Axis opens up a category of work — cylindrical metal cutting — that has no equivalent on any other desktop machine currently available.
Users who want one machine for both material families
For shops or studios that don't want to manage two separate machines, two separate software environments, and two separate maintenance workflows, the MCore's single-platform approach is the operating model that makes sense.
Specs at a glance
| Specification | MCore |
|---|---|
| Fiber laser power | 400W |
| CO₂ laser power | 80W |
| Working area | 711×411mm (27.99"×16.18") |
| Maximum speed | 1,200 mm/s |
| Metal cutting capacity | Up to 5mm — stainless steel, carbon steel, aluminum, brass, titanium |
| Non-metal cutting capacity | Up to 20mm acrylic; wood, leather, MDF, fabric |
| Rotary support | Metal Rotary Axis (tube/pipe); standard rotary |
| Air assist (optional) | All-in-One Air Supply System, 1.2MPa / 174 PSI |
| Camera | 16MP panoramic for positioning and alignment |
| Software | Mlaser |
| Power supply | 110V 60Hz (US) / 220V 50Hz (EU) single-phase |
| Price | $4,999 |
Specifications reflect official GWEIKE product page at time of writing. Verify current specifications and availability on the MCore product page.
What MCore doesn't do
A complete picture requires saying what it's not designed for.
- Not a replacement for an industrial fiber laser cutting table. At 5mm maximum rated metal cutting depth, the MCore is optimized for sheet metal and thin-section work — not structural steel plate, tool steel, or the material thicknesses used in heavy fabrication. For regular production cutting of 8mm+ metal, the M Series or a dedicated industrial fiber laser cutter is the appropriate platform.
- Desktop working area only. The MCore's 711×411mm footprint is designed for smaller workpieces. For large-format work — full-sheet acrylic panels, large signage panels, or oversized metal sheets — the M Series' 54×36 inch bed is the relevant specification.
- Not a MOPA color marking replacement. If color engraving on stainless steel is your primary application, the G6 MOPA or G3 MOPA remains the right machine — they're built specifically for that process in a way the MCore's standard fiber source is not.
Availability
MCore — Pre-order now, ships July 2026
The MCore is currently available for pre-order at $4,999. Deposit customers receive an extended two-year warranty (standard warranty is one year).
For current availability, configuration options, and order information:
View the MCore product page →
