Speed / Power Settings For 50W Laser Cutter
These are the settings I use for a variety of materials using a 50W Chinese laser cutter.
If you're just starting out these values should provide you a good starting point to experiment from and see what works best for you. These are the values which work best for me on a 50W cheap Chinese laser cutter.
I have already established by making power measurements that my true maximum power is 36W with the power set 80%. So if you know the true output power of your machine then scale accordingly.
These setting are for use with the 50mm (2") lens which usually comes standard, and for a single pass of the laser. It sometimes possible to cut thicker using multiple passes and adjusting the table height, but that depends heavily on how well everything in your system is aligned and will be machine dependent. You need to experiment with that yourself.
Engrave Vector is when engraving with vectors, i.e. line work.
Engrave Raster is when raster engraving, such as doing a bitmap. These setting are optimum for around 150-300dpi. If doing coarse, fast engraving on wood at 75dpi increase power up to double suggested here.
| Material | Engrave Vector (speed/power) | Engrave Raster (speed/power) | Cut (speed/power) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic Clear 3mm | 200/70% | 200/40% | 10/80% |
| Acrylic Clear 4.5mm | " | " | 8/80% |
| Acrylic Clear 6mm | " | " | 5/80% |
| Acrylic Clear 8-10mm | " | " | 3/80% |
| Acrylic Opaque 3mm | " | " | 8/80% |
| Acrylic Opaque 4.5mm | " | " | 5/80% |
| Softer Wood 6mm (pine, light hardwoods1) | 200/40% | 200/20% | 5/80% |
| Harder Wood 6mm (dense hardwoods2) | 200/60% | 200/50% | 3/80% |
| Cork3 | 200/10% | 200/15% | - |
| Leather Thin (kangaroo) | 200/15% | 200/15% | 20/50% | Leather Thick (cow) | 200/15% | 200/15% | 10/60% |
| Felt | 200/7% | - | 100/50% |
| Cardboard Thin (to 300gsm) | 200/30% | 200/20% | 100/50% |
| Cardboard Medium (300 to 600gsm) | " | " | 40/50% |
| Cardboard Thick (600+gsm) | 200/40% | 200/30% | 40/80% |
| Corrugated Carboard ~2mm | 200/30% | 200/20% | 35/70% |
| 3D Print (PLA/ABS) | 150/30% | 200/30% | - |
| Anodised Aluminium4 | 200/10% | 200/10% | - |
1 Timbers I use under the "light hardwoods" label: Victorian Ash, Tasmanian Oak, Fiji Mahogany, Blackbutt, European Beech, Cherry
2 Timbers I use under the "dense hardwoods" label: Spotted Gum, Jarrah, Blue Gum, Walnut, US Maple, Blackwood
3 Cork will cut easy enough, but edges burn very easily at the lower speed you need on these lower power cutters.
4 For engraving very fast, low power works best. Changing the lens to 38mm for a sharper focus also improves engraving.