We are the proud owners of Mad Hatter Designs, a family-owned business offering custom engraving services which operates in Saint Cloud, MN.
Our business started off like several others—by watching a YouTube video. I came across a video of a CNC laser engraving several materials and decided to get my own cheap little laser.
After a few months and several projects for the family and friends, we decided to start our own business. Just like that Mad Hatter Designs was born. We decided on “Mad Hatter Designs” because we wanted to stay true to ourselves.
In November I realized we needed an upgrade. Our little laser was doing a good job, but it was limited in its capabilities and reliability. We did some shopping around and decided we couldn’t justify spending $20,000+ for a commercial laser. So, I decided to do the next best thing and design my own laser to use for our engraving services.
Why do this? First off, it's much cheaper initially and in the long run. Since we designed and built the laser, we are able to maintain and fix it without having a technician come out. We also designed the machine with off-the-shelf components. There is no proprietary equipment or software in our machine so we can order parts easily and quickly if needed.
It came together after some research, head scratches, more research, and a little persuasion with a hammer. We successfully built a 90-watt CO2 laser that’s capable of engraving a 3x4ft space at one time. With this laser, we are able to offer engraving services for materials such as wood, slate, granite, glass, acrylic, rubber, silicone, and leather.
Our plan in the long run is to be able to work from home. We have a 2-year-old and it would be nice to spend more time with him. Working from home running Mad Hatters laser engraving services would allow me to enjoy more of the little moments in life. We plan on going full-time with the business this year and continuing to grow our client base. This will allow us to build up our local community in multiple ways.
With a background working for the Stearns County Sheriff’s Office as a Correctional Officer, I have built up several connections over the years and I would like to continue building upon those connections to hopefully make a difference in our community by creating art, fundraisers, and helping charities.
And remember...it’s okay to be a little mad!
Megan and I love to create. Laser engraving gives us the option to leave a permanent mark on a material or project which can be enjoyed by others for years to come. Also, watching the laser do it’s thing is so satisfying.
Thank you so much for checking us out and seeing what we are able to do!
Laser engraving machines are built to do the same task or job multiple times. Depending on the project and/or materials we need to create jigs, calibrate the laser, create one or more sample pieces, and complete design work on the computer. We price our products/services to match the general time needed for specific types of orders. We have and will complete “one-off” orders if requested. Please send us an email for a quote.
Generally, if we have the material on hand it’s around 1 week. If we need to order the materials then it’s 2 sometimes 3 weeks. Of course, some variables can change this turnaround time such as a large bulk order, or needing specialized material but overall, we aim for 1-2 weeks total. In most cases, the longer time quotes are due to shipping times for us to receive the materials.
Yes, you can. We recommend bringing an extra unit or two for testing purposes. We take pride in our work and want to create the best engraving for your project. We may need to test different speeds, power levels, and laser focal distances to give you the best end product.
Depending on the project, yes. Both lasers use software that works in grayscale colors. The design time varies between projects and can/will be quoted if you would like us to design artwork for you.
Most files work with our software including PDF, JPEG, and PNG. We recommend an SVG (also known as a vector file) if possible as it works best for detail work. The software we use will convert your files into an SVG file. Color artwork or logos are also okay. It will be converted to black and white for the lasers to work properly.
