I actually went down the laser route but I'm mostly interested in synthetic fabrics. To address the TFA's concerns: - You don't need a whole lot of power for t

I actually went down the laser route but I'm mostly interested in synthetic fabrics. To address the TFA's concerns: - You don't need a whole lot of power for the kinds of synthetic fabrics you'd want to wear. I use a 20W laser from AliExpress that outputs ~7.5W of actual energy. - Safety is definitely a big concern. The biggest problem is that a lot of synthetic fabrics produce lethally toxic gases when cut with a laser. However if you build an enclosure, you can filter the exhaust to ensure that it's safe. - Don't know why liability is a problem, not American. - It won't scorch most synthetic fabrics, it will melt them. However this is often a good thing, as it seals the edges so that they won't fray. They also have a huge advantage: they're cheap and easy. My 1000x1000mm laser cutter cost me ~$120 from AliExpress. Just had to screw it together and it worked out of the box. At the very least, you can use it to cut out paper patterns for you or put cut marks onto the fabric.