Silvertail A0 Laser Cutter/Cutting Parameters

these areas might need many re-runs to finally cut through and are messy

Really, the settings on the cutter change often enough that it's always best to re-test your material.

The power goes from 15-100, and speed is mm/second. Below 15 either the "laser doesn't fire", or its effects are not perceptible. (I will add a photo of that test thing I did)

If you're trying to cut through something, just put power at maximum and adjust the speed.

20mm/s is a moderate speed. 10 is on the slow end and 5 is irritatingly slow. With paper or card, you can easily go at 100mm/s and over, but you have to remember that the head of the lasercutter has to speed up and slow down. This is "corner power" and is a noticeably robust system.

With plywood, you'll find that some tiny areas do not cut. In fact they seem heat-proof. You might need to re-cut them many times. In the lasercutter software you can cut a spline/line, and then isolate just the areas of the drawing you want to re-cut, saving tons of time. Those areas will likely look (and smell!) very burned, which might be a problem if you're trying to do something beautiful.

Material	Colour	Thickness	Speed	Power	Comment
Material	Colour	Thickness	Speed	Power	Comment
Perspex	Clear	3	15	55 (100)	oct 2020
Perspex	Clear	5	10	55
Perspex	Black	3	20	55
Perspex	Clear	-	450	12 - 22	Engrave - see sample
Ply	Birch	3	15-20	50
Ply	Birch	6	8	50
Ply	Birch	-	300	22-30	Engrave - see sample
Mount board	Black	-	20	50	cut
Mount board			400	25	engrave
Slate	Black	-	400	25	engrave
Cotton	White	-	80	18
HIPS	White	1	25	20
HIPS	White	1	400	18	score - not quite right
HIPS	White	2	12	25
Card	Blue	-	250	20	Engrave
Card	Blue	-	600	15	Engrave
Corrugated card	Beige	3	60	20	Cut
Nylon - Taffeta	Black	-	100	20
Balsa	White	3	40	30	Cut
Balsa	White	3	500	12	Engrave
Polypropylene	Clear	-	450	16	Engrave
Acetate	Clear	<1	100	10	Cut
Example	Example	Example	Example	Example	Example

Reduce power for Corner setting by ~10%