Are you already using a CO2 laser machine for engraving or cutting and want to push its limits?
Here are fifteen essential laser engraving tips to optimise each step of your projects. From engraving precision to cutting quality, including personalised settings adapted to your needs, both in the field of object manufacturing and signage.
1. CUTTING THE INTERIOR SHAPE
To ensure a quality finish, start by cutting the interior shapes before moving on to the exterior shapes, especially when using a pegboard. This will prevent your pieces from moving or deforming. With Gravostyle™, you can set up a colour code to indicate the cutting order, making the process more efficient. This is one of the most important laser cutting tips.
2. OPTIMISE AIRFLOW
And to ensure very precise cutting, especially on materials such as wood or rubber, you can optimise the airflow of your CO2 laser machine by integrating a laser nozzle. Not only for protecting the lens from dust, but you also guarantee a clean cut.
Please note: the use of a laser nozzle allows for better evacuation of smoke and material residues during cutting. This prevents these residues from being reheated by the laser and sticking to the edge, making its surface slightly irregular and less aesthetic.
3. ADJUST THE DPI
To obtain perfectly controlled edge renderings, you can adjust the DPI (dots per inch) settings in Gravostyle™, depending on the materials. For example, for wooden objects, choose a setting between 300 and 500 DPI vector to avoid burnt or blackened edges. Also, you can cut through masking paper to eliminate burn marks and keep a clean piece, without dust residue. And for working with acrylic, you can use a setting higher than 1000 DPI vector to achieve smooth edges that mimic the appearance of “flame-polished” surfaces. A setting that ensures a clean cut and a neat finish, ideal for high-quality objects.
4. DEFOCUSING
Another type of laser cutting tips is to consider thick materials. To achieve a straight cut on materials thicker than 3 mm, it is essential to defocus by one third of the material thickness. Defocusing a material consists of shifting the value set by the autofocus so that the laser focus point is located inside the material and not on the surface.
For example, for 10 mm wood, plan on a defocus of 3 mm. This may seem technical, but every millimeter counts for maximum precision! Our advice is to switch to a 4" CO2 laser engraver lens for cutting thick materials and discover our complete guide to learn more about using laser lenses!
5. ENGRAVING FRONT TO BACK
Engraving fumes and dust are exhausted through the rear of the machine. Thus, by engraving from the front to the back of the table, you prevent dust from settling in the newly made engraving, which could compromise its finish.
6. MULTI AUTOFOCUS FOR DIFFERENT FLATNESS
You also need to work to ensure the consistency of the engraving. If your material has variations in flatness, use the Gravostyle™ multi-autofocus function to make several focal length adjustments during the engraving, thus ensuring a flawless final result.
7. PRECISE POSITIONING
Thanks to the Point & Shoot functionality and the red pointer of your CO2 laser engraver, position your engravings or cuts precisely, even on small objects, and considerably simplify the preparation of your projects.
8. A BALANCE BETWEEN PRECISION AND SPEED
Speed mode on Gravostyle™ is ideal for performing quick tests before final engraving or cutting; a mode particularly useful for projects where extreme precision is not essential.
9. REDUCING THE RESOLUTION
Lowering the DPI to around 200-300 will allow you to engrave faster, but keep in mind that lowering the resolution may result in less sharp details (it's up to you to find the right balance between speed and quality).
10. VECTOR ENGRAVING FOR POSITIONNING
By engraving at very low power, you can make vector engravings almost invisible to the eye and create fine marks that do not harm the aesthetics of your creation. This is particularly useful for laminating one shape onto another without having to prepare a setting block. Ideal for saving time in projects requiring assembly of cut materials.
11. WOOD CONTRASTING
To obtain a black and well-contrasted engraving on wooden items or plywood sheets, consider reducing the DPI to around 400 DPI Raster and defocusing by 2 mm. This allows you to better mark the wood without digging into it.
12. WOOD FOLDING
It is possible to bend wood with a laser. For example, you can create elegant hinges using cut dotted lines, ideal for projects such as boxes or miniature models.
Discover our Laser Wood13. ACRYLIC CUTTING
For acrylic cutting, the choice of your cutting table can influence the quality of the rendering.
14. ACRYLIC BENDING
For acrylic, you can heat the material without engraving it by defocusing the laser several millimeters upwards. This will allow you to soften acrylic on a specific line to make it easier to fold.
For example, for a 3 mm plate, make a raster line with a thickness of 1 mm, with a defocus of 40 mm and a slow speed of 15% on an LS100 CO2 laser engraver. Set the power to about 40 W and use a resolution of 2400 DPI.
15. GLASS ENGRAVING
For glass, to prevent cracks due to overheating, engrave through wet paper or activate Gravostyle™ raster mode to avoid engraving too much. This helps to moderate the heat applied to the material and prevent cracks or even breakage in some cases.
Learn more about glass engraving
You now have all the laser engraving tips you need to take full advantage of the possibilities of your CO2 laser machine. At Gravotech, we believe in the importance of training to maximise the potential of our users. That's why we offer tailor-made or group training to help you optimise your use of the CO2 laser engraver.
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