How Much Power Is Enough?

After testing different materials with the laser engraver, it will provide suggestions for power settings and a depth chart.The machine includes reference data for materials such as wood, acrylic, and metal, which helps users quickly find the correct power setting and avoid the problems of too shallow or too deep cutting.

Why is it so important to set the power level?

The biggest headache we had when using the laser engraver was adjusting the power.If the power is too low, the engravings will not be clear. If it is too high, the material will be burned.Last week a friend was carving words into a piece of sandalwood. When he turned the power up to 80 %, the wood started to burn.

The actual performance of three common types of materials.

We brought in a 30 mm thick test plate, and did a set of comparison tests using the same 60W CO2 laser machine.Before starting, make sure to do a test etch on a small area. Don't skip this step!

Wooden materials.

With softwoods like pine and basswood, a depth of 0.3 mm can be achieved at 40-50 percent power.Hardwoods like black walnut may go as high as 55-65 %, but it is important to control the speed, for if it is too fast, there will be a rough edge.There's a little trick: spraying a water mist on the wood while carving reduces carbonization.

Acrylic boards.

For 3mm thick acrylic, 30 % power and high speed mode is just right, and the cut surface is as clear as glass.If you want to get a matte effect, you can raise the power to 35 % and lower the speed to 0.2m / s. We tested this out and it worked.Don't go over 40 % power, or the edges will melt into a wavy shape.

Metal plating.

The power of the laser can be increased to over 85 % when marking anodized aluminum.There's a pitfall here: The thickness of the coating can vary greatly among manufacturers. It is recommended that you ask the supplier for the parameters.We tested a certain brand of stainless steel name plate, and three passes at 70 % power produced a finer result than one pass at 100 % power.

Practical parameters for comparison.

For your reference, we have compiled a table of the results of our testing (using a 60W CO2 laser engraver):

Pine wood bookmark: 45 % power / 0.8m / s → 0.25mm depth.

- Acrylic key chain: 32 % power / 1.2 m / sec → fully transparent.

Aluminum alloy: 88 % power / 0.5 m / s → 0.15 mm oxidation penetration.

Handling emergencies.

If you smell something burning, stop immediately, cool the lens with a damp cloth, and check the lens for damage.If you encounter uneven carving, don't immediately adjust the power. It might just be that the rails need some oil.Remember that there may be differences between batches of material, and that you should always test a small sample of a piece before carving the whole.