Today, we’re testing the largest laser engraver I’ve ever reviewed—the Sculpfun S70 Max. This well-built, 70W diode laser cutter features a huge engraving area. In this article, I’ll highlight its key features, assess its build quality, and evaluate its performance by running my standard engraving and cutting tests and comparing the results to other laser engravers I’ve previously tested.
If you prefer watching a video review, be sure to check out my YouTube video review below! In it, I walk you through the Sculpfun S70 Max in real-life, showing its massive 830x800mm engraving area and demonstrating all the key tests featured in this article. You’ll get a better feel for how the machine handles different materials, see the engraving and cutting results up close, and get a true sense of the S70 Max’s power and precision in action.
*The links on this website can be affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. When you buy through these links you will support this website, which helps me to run this website(which cost money and a TON of time) and provide all these extensive reviews and information to you for free, without any paid membership.
Overview of the Sculpfun S70 Max
The machine arrived in three large boxes: one containing the engraver itself, another with the protective enclosure for light shielding and smoke extraction, and a third package with the smoke filtration system.
Assembly was quick, and at first glance, the Sculpfun S70 Max appears to be a high-quality, well-engineered laser engraver just like the Sculpfun SF-A9 that I tested previously. The control panel includes all essential connections, an emergency stop button, a key lock, and an autofocus button. Additionally, the machine supports wireless connectivity and features an offline controller, allowing engraving jobs to run directly from an SD card without requiring a computer or tablet.
The Sculpfun S70 Max also comes with a powerful air assist pump capable of delivering 50 liters per minute—twice as much as previous machines I’ve tested. As a result, it features a larger diameter air hose. The external power supply is substantial, providing up to 350 watts to power this high-performance engraver.
12-diode 70W Laser Module Is a BEAST!
At the heart of the Sculpfun S70 Max is its impressive 70W, 12-diode laser module. This large, well-constructed module includes an autofocusing touch probe, a fire sensor, and a sizable inlet for the air assist hose. It also projects a red crosshair onto the material for easier positioning.
Autofocus
The Z-axis can be manually adjusted using a focusing knob on top of the gantry. Beneath it, a stepper motor enables the autofocusing procedure, where the laser module lowers until the autofocus probe touches the surface before moving to the correct focal position.
All axes feature steel rollers for maximum precision, and cables are neatly routed through cable chains to prevent interference—a crucial feature for a machine of this size. The stepper motors are also larger than usual, allowing engraving speeds of up to 36,000mm/min.
Sculpfun S70 Max has the largest frame size!
The frame is enormous, making it impossible to fit on a standard desk. With a working area of 830 x 800mm(32.6*31.5″), the frame is impressively sturdy, providing greater engraving precision, which we will test later in the article.
Working area of the Sculpfun S70 Max is truly impressive. Here is how it compares to the Sculpfun S9 which has working area around 40*40cm (15.7″*15.7″).
Sculpfun B70 enclosure
A powerful laser cutter like the Sculpfun S70 Max produces a lot of smoke when laser cutting and laser engraving. If you don’t want to fill the whole room with smoke, it is highly recommended to use an enclosure for capturing and extracting the smoke outside. The Sculpfun B70 enclosure is also quite large, measuring 117 x 130cm (46*51″)—too big for a standard workbench. It is constructed from aluminum profiles and thick acrylic protective sheets. While assembly takes some time, the design is well thought out. The top features a large sliding door for easy access, and the front panel can fold down for even greater accessibility. A bottom flap opens to accommodate larger boards. At the back, a large fan provides efficient fume extraction, while cable passthrough holes are located on the side.
Sculpfun SP1 smoke purifier
The Sculpfun SP1 smoke purifier is also available for use with the enclosure, and I highly recommend it. This standard air purifier, offers excellent performance for its price and has great availability of spare filters. It features three filtration stages: a coarse filter for large particles, a HEPA filter for fine particles, and a heavy activated carbon filter that absorbs fumes and odors. This system removes 95% of smoke and odors, significantly improving the working environment—especially since a powerful laser like the Sculpfun S70 Max generates substantial smoke and fumes.
Now it’s time to put the Sculpfun S70 Max to the test and see how it compares to other diode laser engravers.
Plywood Engraving Test Pattern
I started with my standard plywood engraving test pattern, which includes:
- Power Scale Test, which evaluates engraving performance at different speeds and power levels.
- Interval Test which assesses engraving performance in both horizontal and vertical orientations at various interval settings.
- And the Photo Engraving Test which determines how well the laser performs at engraving detailed images.
The results show that the Sculpfun S70 Max produces high-contrast engravings. The power scale test demonstrates excellent engraving performance across all speed and power settings. The interval pattern is symmetrical in both orientations, indicating a perfectly square laser spot which is awesome! The photo engraving test proves the S70 Max can produce highly detailed engravings.
Compared to the 70W Atomstack A70 Pro, we can see that the Sculpfun performs significantly better in this test. It also surpasses 40-watt laser engravers, although it’s important to note that 40W machines use half the speed for making the same engraving patterns.
You can download our test patterns HERE if you would like to test your machine too. The download also contains files we use for testing diode laser engravers and galvo fiber lasers. You will also get subscribed to our newsletter which will notify you when we publish new articles (1-2 times a month max).
Anodized Aluminum Engraving Test Pattern
Anodized aluminum provides crisp engravings and is ideal for testing mechanical stability. My test includes:
- Small Text Engraving which tests the machines precision
- Three Squares which are engraved at speeds ranging from 100 to 10000mm/min and will show us the mechanical stability
- And the Interval Test for measuring laser spot size and shape in both orientations
The power from the Sculpfun S70 Max is evident, as lower interval settings caused slight yellowing, which could be easily avoided with reduced power. Even at first glance, it outperforms the 70W Atomstack A70 Pro.
Under a microscope, slight mechanical vibrations are visible which is a reasonable expectation for such a large frame. Impressively, the Sculpfun S70 Max engraved 1mm-tall text with near-perfect precision, surpassing many smaller laser engravers. The high-speed square engravings also show excellent mechanical stability at higher speeds. Note that there the inner square at 10000mm/min is smaller due to a mistake in the design and not due to the machines lack of precision.
Looking at the interval test we can see that the laser spot of the S70 Max is a perfect square, measuring approximately 0.15mm in both orientations.
Focus Distance Test
The focus distance test measures how much the laser spot size increases beyond the optimal focus. Thanks to the Sculpfun’s motorized Z-axis, the entire pattern was engraved in one go, as the machine automatically adjusted the laser height mid engraving. The results show that the Sculpfun S70 Max maintains focus exceptionally well.
While the laser spot appears slightly larger than the Atomstack A70 Pro, this could be due to the Sculpfun’s more powerful beam marking a thicker line. It also performs well compared to lower-powered engravers. This test is a good predictor for thick material cutting performance.
Plywood Cutting Test Pattern
Then I went to engrave my standard plywood cutting test pattern. This test revealed the true power of the Sculpfun S70 Max. When cutting plywood, it generated so much heat that the metal plate beneath the honeycomb started to warp. The plate is pretty thick(around 0.5mm thick), and the laser beam has melted its surface and almost burned through it, despite it being far away from optimal focus.
For laser cutting, I would highly recommend to use the Sculpfun honeycomb bed. Then I repeated the cutting test on 3mm and 6mm thick poplar plywood using a much thicker steel plate underneath.
Compared to the 70W Atomstack A70 Pro, the S70 Max cuts more efficiently and nearly matches the performance of the best 55-watt CO2 laser cutters I’ve tested. It also significantly outperforms 40-watt diode lasers which is expected.
You can download our test patterns HERE if you would like to test your machine too. The download also contains files we use for testing diode laser engravers and galvo fiber lasers. You will also get subscribed to our newsletter which will notify you when we publish new articles (1-2 times a month max).
Black Acrylic Cutting Test
I also tested how well the Sculpfun S70 Max performs at cutting black acrylic. It was able to cut through 3mm (1/8″) thick black acrylic in only one pass at 600mm/min. The cut looks nice and smooth.
It also cut 10mm-thick acrylic in just four passes, matching the Atomstack A70 Pro. The results were excellent, but keep in mind that diode lasers cannot cut transparent or white acrylic.
Stainless Steel Engraving Test
Then I went to engrave on stainless steel with a very slow speed just to see how much it can do. The Sculpfun S70 Max produced a lighter engraving than the Atomstack, but it melted the surface slightly, giving it an edge. Of course if you reduce the power, you can get the same good looking engravings like with the lower powered machines. I perform this test with the same speed on all machines, regardless of them being 5W or 70W, just to be able to compare the power output. This test is not meant to seek settings for optimal quality.
Cutting 18mm-thick Spruce Wood
The Sculpfun S70 Max was able to cut through an 18mm thick spruce board in just over three passes at 600mm/min.
A powerful laser cutter like this will produce a lot of smoke when cutting, and this test demonstrated the B70 enclosure’s ability to contain and extract the smoke effectively. Without the enclosure, the entire room would have filled with a cloud of smoke.
I also tested cutting out two letters at different speeds, one at 600 and the other at 1200mm/min to see how the speed affects the appearance of the cut edge. Both cuts had minimal charring on the edges—it was even able to cut through a wood knot effortlessly.
Pepakura Paper Craft Using Sculpfun S70 Max Laser Engraver
The major selling point of the Sculpfun S70 Max is its large working area. To test this, I made a large paper craft project of a cute goose. The A1 sized paper sheet looks small when put underneath the machine.
The laser is highly effective for paper crafts, as it can not only cut out shapes, but it can also just lightly mark the numbers for gluing and score the bending lines. Just don’t forget to add tabs to the design so the powerful fan on the laser module will not blow the pieces away when cutting, and ruin the job like it happened to me on my first try. When I added tabs, everything was stable and it cut out the shapes nicely.
Scored bends make it very easy to bend the paper into the correct shapes. It took a while to glue everything together, but the process was easy thanks to having all the joints marked in advance.
The end result looks amazing. I bought this papercraft design for around two dollars on Etsy.com. I think it would be interesting to make this out of wood or acrylic too.
Using The Touchscreen Offline Controller
The Sculpfun S70 Max can also be operated using its offline controller, which connects to the machine via the same cable used for computer connection. The controller’s display includes all essential functions, such as manual positioning of the laser head and the homing feature. However, its primary purpose is to run G-code files exported from LightBurn or other software via an SD card.
This functionality is especially useful when you want to use the machine outdoors or in a location without needing to connect it to a computer.
Conclusion
It is a great tool to have if you plan to make large projects. Its impressive cutting power will allow you to cut large pieces of plywood for making custom furniture or arts. It is also ideal for making RC model aircraft, cardboard boxes and paper craft.
Buying this Sculpfun engraver through this link will support our site at no extra cost to you and enable me to provide you valuable reviews of various laser engravers and cutters for free!
As a thank you I have provided you with discount coupons:
– JT30 (B70/SP1/H4 single purchase discount) $30/€30 OFF
– JT60 (S70 machine single purchase discount) $60/€60 OFF
– JT120 (S70 machine + B70 bundle discount) $120/€120 OFF
– JT150 (S70 machine + B70+SP1+H4 discount) $150/€150 OFF
The bottom three can be applied to bundles only, not for combinations when you add accessories separately.
Thank you for reading this article and subscribe to our newsletter to get informed when we release a new review article (approximately 1-2 articles per month max).
*The links on this website can be affiliate links. I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. When you buy through these links you will support this website, which helps me to run this website(which cost money and a TON of time) and provide all these extensive reviews and information to you for free, without any paid membership.
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