I've just looked through the online Argos.co.uk catalogue of microwaves since they and Brother printers have the kind of aesthetic and user experience that I want to emulate. Microwaves especially are good sources of inspiration, especially since they also use glass plates in air-filled enclosures. 

The market research was mainly to determine what kind of outer depth dimension I could target. It seems that microwaves start at 33cm, are usually in the 34 - 35cm range and can go up to 40cm.  

The main reason is because I'm still greatly on the fence with the 20W laser module, mainly because I'd have to redesign almost everything should I even want to test it out. I'd much rather model in something that is unused.

It seems that a solution with the laser module would actually achieve a solution in range with typical microwaves. However, it also seems that it would make it too thick to stow in a suitcase, which is one of those nice-to-have features:

It might be a lost cause anyway since I still want to target a print volume of H21.5, W42.5, D21.5cm. I know that boxy kitchen appliances usually have a limit of W60cm, which is my maximum limit.