Is Laser Engraving Blurry? Maybe It's Because You Didn't Adjust These Three Parameters

The cause of blurry laser marking is usually a result of improperly set parameters.It provides practical adjustment techniques for the three key parameters of focal distance, power, and speed, helping users quickly resolve the problem of blurry marks, and increasing the precision and efficiency of processing.

Why is your laser marking always blurry?

Many friends who use laser marking machines always have the problem of the edges of the patterns being fuzzy or the text being double imaged. Even though the equipment is fine and the materials are correct, the results are not quite up to snuff.In fact, most of the time, the problem is in the settings. If you get these three settings right, you can double the clarity of your marking.

Parameter 1: The focus is off.

Why is the focal length so important?

The laser beam is focused onto the surface of the material, similar to using a magnifying glass to focus the sun's light.If the focal length is off by more than 1 millimeter, the beam will disperse into a "blurry image," and when it strikes the material, it will simply spread out in a broad patch.

A method for quickly adjusting the focus.

1. Find the equipment's standard height setting (usually marked on the machine or in the user's manual).

2. Measure the distance between the laser head and the surface of the material with a metal ruler.

3. While adjusting the height, tap test points and stop as soon as you see the smallest, brightest dot.

Tip: Don't be lazy and use the same height for all workpieces. You have to refocus for different material thicknesses.

Second parameter: Power and speed are not matched.

How should this "golden duo" be balanced?

Too much power and too slow a speed means the material will be burnt away, but too little power and too fast a speed means the engraving will be too shallow.I suggest you first fix the speed, and then begin testing from 50 % power.

Metal materials: Power 70 %-90 % + mid-to-low speed (1200 mm / s).

A lazy person's method.

They would directly mark five squares with different parameters along the edge of the material, and then choose the combination of parameters that gave the sharpest lines.

The third parameter is frequency, which is set to "atmosphere group.

What is the frequency used for?

Frequency controls the density of the pulses.When cutting metal, the higher frequencies (20-80kHz) allow for a denser dot matrix, but when used on acrylics, the heat can build up and cause melting and blurring.

Different materials have different reference frequencies.

Stainless steel / aluminum alloy: 50-80 kHz.

Plastics: 5-20 kHz.

- Aluminum oxide black label: 100-120kHz (requires Q-switch).

**Note** When the mark appears white on a dark material, try reducing the frequency by 20 %.

Don't forget to do this after adjusting the parameters.

After each adjustment, be sure to clean the objective lens. Even the best settings will be compromised if the lens is dirty.If you use a cotton swab dipped in alcohol to gently wipe the lens, and then let it dry completely before turning it on, the clarity of the image will be improved.

Finally, it should be noted that the specifications of different brands of equipment vary, so the key thing is to conduct comparative tests.If you adjust the three parameters we discussed today as carefully as you would adjust your cell phone camera, you can be sure that your marking machine will produce high-definition, big-screen-quality results.