Ideal values for cutting various materials are dependent on the material and the scope and scale of the art. These settings are just a starting point. Always complete a test-cutting series.
The laser power range is from 11% to 87%. Anything below 11% will not fire the laser (and you’ll still be billed for it).
The maximum speed the laser head can travel is 700mm/sec – If you ask for anything faster, you’ll just get 700mm/sec.
Contents
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Settings as of 2/6/22
| Material | Cut
Speed/Power/Corner Power |
Faux Cut/Score
Speed/Power/Corner Power |
Etch/Engrave
Speed/Scan Gap/Power |
| Acrylic, 3mm, translucent grey, masked | 30/20/18 | 60/11/11 | |
| Acrylic, 2.5mm, translucent green, orange, blue, masked | 20/55/51 | 55/16/14 | 600/.1/24 (depth) Light etch |
| Wood, birch plywood, 3mm, small artwork | 30/25/20 | 55/12/12 | 600/.1/40 (approx. .5 mm depth) |
| Rubber Polymer, for laser, low odor, grey | 15/90/87 | 150/.1/80 (depth = 2 mm approx) | |
| Craft paper, 90lb cardstock | 80/14/12 | 800/.1/12 | |
| Wood, Solid Maple, 1/16”, 1.8mm, masked | 30/36/32 | ||
| Wood, Solid Bloodwood, 1/16”, 1.8mm, masked | 30/40/32 | ||
| Wood, Solid Walnut, 1/16”, 1.8mm, masked | 30/40/38 | ||
| Wood, Solid Cherry, 1/8”, 3mm, masked | 30/25/20 | ||
| Wood, Solid Cherry, 1/16”, 1.8mm, masked | 30/40/38 | ||
| Wood, Solid Cherry, 1/32”, 1mm, masked | 50/25/21 | ||
| Maple multiply, prefinished, ⅜” 9.5mm | 30/60/55 | 55/12/12 | 800/.1/40 (depth – 1mm) |
| EVA Foam (craft foam, floor matt), .5” must cut pattern side up to avoid flames | 50/30/20 | ||
| Wood, Solid Bloodwood, 3/16” | 15/80/78 | 800/.1/35 (depth = .5 mm) |
Tips and History
- We have a 100 Watt CO2 laser. Google “100 Watt CO2 Laser + Your Material” for possible settings recommendations.
- Max speed of the laser is 700mm/s
- Minimum power is 11% – if you set power to anything below 11%, you won’t get an error, but the laser will not fire. We will also charge you for that time 🙂
- Maximum power is 87% – if you set power to anything above 87%, the laser will just output 87%.
- Please note these settings will be dependent on lens configuration. Check #laser to find out the current configuration.
- The laser has been calibrated not to fire below 11% power. If you need lighter lines one option is to use this minimum power setting with a faster speed, but that technique may not work for small-scale delicate art.