Our Story

Hi! I'm Crystal Oliver. I'm the owner/operator here at Light Cut Lasers. I'm also the creative, marketing, financial, social media/online presence, innovation, maintenance, and communication departments. That probably sounds way more impressive than it actually is. 

I've been living in Princeton, British Columbia since 2010, after leaving my home town of Fraser Lake, British Columbia. My husband and I moved here seeking a change in scenery and job opportunities. I'm still working full time, so between that, our family, and this little business, I keep pretty busy! 

In 2020, right in the middle of my first ever pandemic, I started to get into 3D printing. It was fascinating to watch a roll of plastic filament, or resin in the case of the UV 3D printer, turn into figures, or practical pieces right in front of my eyes. Mostly not practical pieces, though. Definitely a lot of questionable pieces. Feel free to ask if you're curious, but be warned they're definitely NSFW! 

I ran into a couple issues with the printers, so I started watching YouTube videos to troubleshoot. In doing that, I learned that there are small, desktop machines that will act as a 3D printer, CNC router and a laser engraver. I was intrigued by this. I considered buying one, but figured that while it does all three, it probably doesn't do any of them particularly well. I started doing some research on diode lasers. They're small, portable, and relatively inexpensive. All selling points when it came to trying out a new hobby to see if I enjoyed it.

I ended up purchasing an Atomstack A5 Pro. It had 5.5w of output power. I started engraving cutting boards, tiles, making small signs, and it was perfect! And sloooowwww. It would take hours to get a decent engraving on those cutting boards and tiles. And it wouldn't cut very well. That was painfully slow. Within a couple months, I felt I'd outgrown this little laser and started researching something bigger with more power.

That eventually brought me to TTP Laser. I placed an order for a MUCH larger, MUCH more powerful machine. And then I told my husband that I'd be taking up significantly more space in the garage. He's been incredibly supportive, so he helped me clear out that significant amount of space to prepare for the delivery.

 That brings us to now. At the time of writing this (June 2023), I've been at this for two years now. It's been a wild ride, but I'm enjoying it! I can't wait to see where this goes in the future!

Thank you for all your support. 

Crystal