Hey everyone, I’m working on dialing in my 44W laser (using the Vectric laser module), and could use some input from those with more experience.
Here’s what I’ve done so far:
First test: 10% power, 0.006" crosshatch, 100 IPM, with an outline pass. I learned real fast that pausing a laser job mid-run doesn’t turn off the beam — rookie mistake and now I’ve got a burn mark to prove it.
Second test: 4% power, same stepover and speed. It burned too deep for my liking.
Third test: 1% power, single-direction hatch, 150 IPM. In some spots it barely marked the surface.
All tests were run with air assist on. Now I’m wondering was that a mistake? Could the air be making it harder to get that dark burn I’m after?
Goal: I want a rich, dark black engraving without carving deep into the wood. Any advice on power/speed/stepover combinations that have worked for you? Is there a better approach to get clean black results without overburn?
Appreciate any help, still learning the ropes here.
Air assist helps get consistent results. The laser beam can be disrupted if it has to go through the smoke caused by material burn. It will be lower in power and less focused after going through the smoke.
I hate to say it but dump vectrics laser module and go to lightburn. vectrics laser package is horrible. i went through the same thing with my 14watt went to light burn and works great.
I think you may find it difficult to get what you’re looking for with the 44W. It is really meant for cutting. I have both the 7W+ and the 24W Quad Pro and even with the 24 I sometimes find it difficult to dial it in for engraving vs. cutting, depending on the material.
I would reach out to JTech for support, and also there are tons of YT vids on Lightburn, which is very affordable software.
To expand on what Mike mentions here, the limitations of a laser addon for a CNC in particular the Onefinity (due to the mass/acceleration) does create some issues creating dark/shallow depth carving (along with a few other things). A lower power module will allow you to get the shallow engraving at lower speeds.
Check the overscan distance (not sure where this is in Vetric), due to the relatively slow acceleration of the Onefinity machines (compared to a dedicated laser or other cnc’s) the overscan needs to be quite high to get the head up to the target speed prior to starting the laser.
To add to what has been said here, first off, I agree that the 44w is not a fantastic option for engraving- that said, my best settings that I have found is slightly deeper than I prefer (mostly on corners) but they work decently for me.
Here they are- power 2.5% - speed 175ipm - stepover 0.004 - 45deg angle (most of the time)
I also do the single vector at a time and that seems to help get a somewhat consistent engraving depth. Hope this helps someone
