“Make important machine-purchase decisions before they become expensive machine problems.”

The Laser Machine Buyer’s Due Diligence Checklist

A practical working toolkit for manufacturers, engineers, and project teams evaluating a new laser machine.

Buying a laser machine is about much more than comparing laser power, work envelope, and price.

The real questions are:

• Will the machine reliably produce the parts you need?
• Has the process been properly validated?
• Are cycle time and quality expectations clearly defined?
• Can your maintenance team support the machine after installation?
• What software, documentation, backups, and training will you actually receive?
• How will performance be proven during FAT and SAT?
• And most importantly: Are important vendor promises documented before the purchase order is signed?

The Laser Machine Buyer’s Due Diligence Checklist was created by Manufacturing With Light (MWL) as a practical tool to help buyers ask better questions, compare vendors, document decisions, and reduce surprises after the machine arrives.

What’s Included

The toolkit contains three working formats so you can use it at your desk, in vendor meetings, or collaboratively with your project team:

Fillable PDF Workbook

A 15-page buyer’s guide and checklist designed for reviewing requirements, recording vendor responses, and documenting purchase decisions.

Excel Workbook

An interactive working version with status tracking, vendor comparison, FAT/SAT records, decision logs, and a PO-readiness dashboard.

Google Sheets Version

A collaborative version for engineering, manufacturing, purchasing, maintenance, and management teams working together on the same machine purchase.

48 Due-Diligence Items Covering

• Process and application requirements
• Laser source selection
• Beam delivery and processing head
• Motion system and part presentation
• Tooling and fixturing
• Controls architecture
• Machine safety
• Utilities and facility requirements
• Assist and shielding gases
• Process monitoring and data collection
• Maintainability and serviceability
• Software ownership and backups
• Documentation and training
• Spare parts and vendor support
• Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT)
• Site Acceptance Testing (SAT)
• Final purchase and acceptance decisions

Each checklist item includes a simple explanation of why it matters, practical questions to ask the machine builder or integrator, and space to record vendor responses, supporting evidence, and your final decision.

More Than a Checklist

This toolkit is designed to become part of the machine’s purchase record.

Use it to document:

• What the vendor promised
• What requirements were accepted
• What issues remain open
• Why specific options were selected
• What must be demonstrated during FAT
• What software and documentation must be delivered
• What must be completed before final acceptance

The goal is simple:

Make important machine-purchase decisions before they become expensive machine problems.

Created by Manufacturing With Light (MWL) for people involved in laser cutting, welding, additive manufacturing, automation, and laser system integration.

This toolkit is intended as a practical purchasing and project-planning aid. It does not replace engineering review, laser safety assessment, applicable codes and standards, contractual review, or vendor-specific application testing.