While laser cutters are available to individuals (such as the famous K40 laser cutter), they are not without their faults. One of the biggest challenges is getting the machines correctly configured which often requires improved extraction, refinement of mirrors, active water cooling, and correct beam focusing. To avoid many of these challenges, more expensive machines can be used, but the increased cost can be too much for those who might use the cutter for a handful of projects.
Ponoko provides laser cutting services that remove all of these headaches by stocking a wide range of carefully chosen materials, having multiple laser cutting machines of varying technologies, and trained operators who are able to ensure that each part produced falls within a set of tight tolerances.
Not only does Ponoko offer high precision capabilities and fast delivery options, but they also allow for quantities from 1 to 10,000 meaning that projects can quickly be prototyped and then scaled as needed.  The machines used by Ponoko are far higher in power than those available to individual users which makes Ponoko services considerably faster when dealing with volume orders.