You finally bought that piece of oak. Real oak. The kind that costs more than expected because good wood is never cheap. Your customer sent you a family portrait, and this job matters. You load the file, place the wood, and start the engraving.
Halfway through, you already know something is wrong. The engraving is too light. The laser power and speed settings are not correct. A second pass would fix it, but there is no time. The deadline is today. The material is already marked, and the result cannot be undone.
This situation is common, especially for beginners. It usually happens because laser power and speed settings were copied from somewhere else and did not match the actual laser or material.
Laser engraving and cutting do not fail because of bad machines. They fail because laser power and speed are not universal. Every laser, material, and task combination behaves differently.
This article explains why laser power and speed settings do not transfer and how to avoid costly mistakes. If you want a safer starting point instead of guessing, a laser power and speed calculator can help estimate suitable values based on your laser and material.
Many beginners look online for laser power and speed settings and expect them to work on their own machine. In reality, these values often fail. The result is poor engraving quality, incomplete cuts, or burned material.
The main reason is that laser power and speed depend on many variables. This article explains why laser settings cannot be copied directly and how to choose better starting values for engraving and cutting.
Why Laser Power and Speed Are Not Universal
Laser power and speed control how much energy reaches the material over time. Even when two users engrave the same material, results can differ. This happens because laser systems vary in design and output.
Laser type affects laser power and speed results
Diode lasers and CO2 lasers use different light wavelengths. Materials absorb these wavelengths differently. Because of this, the same laser power and speed values will not produce the same result across laser types.
This difference is based on physics, not machine quality or user error.
Power percentage is not real laser power
Laser software often displays power as a percentage. This value alone is not meaningful. For example, 70% power on one laser may represent very different real output compared to 70% on another machine.
Laser cutting and engraving depend on actual power in watts combined with speed, not percentage alone.
Speed depends on focus and beam quality
Laser beam focus and spot size affect how laser power is delivered. A smaller focal spot concentrates energy more effectively. A larger spot spreads energy over a wider area.
This means laser engraving speed and power must be adjusted based on beam characteristics, even when wattage appears similar.
Material variation changes laser power and speed needs
Materials are not identical. Wood density, glue layers, moisture, and surface finish all affect how much laser power and speed are required.
Settings shared online are usually based on one specific sample. Your material may respond differently.
Why Copying Laser Power and Speed Settings Often Fails
Most shared laser settings are incomplete. They often miss important details that directly affect laser power and speed behavior.
- Actual laser power in watts
- Laser type and beam quality
- Material thickness and structure
- Engraving or cutting purpose
When these factors differ, laser power and speed must also change.
A Better Approach: Calculate Laser Power and Speed
Instead of copying fixed numbers, it is more reliable to calculate laser power and speed based on your own setup. This provides a realistic starting point for testing.
You can use a laser power and speed calculator to estimate settings based on:
- Laser type
- Laser power in watts
- Material selection
- Engraving or cutting task
This method accounts for real differences between machines and materials.
How to Test Laser Power and Speed Safely
Calculated laser power and speed values are starting points, not final answers. Always test before production.
- Start with the calculated laser power and speed
- Test on scrap material
- Change only one value at a time
- Save working settings for future use
For engraving, reduce power or increase speed if details burn. For cutting, reduce speed or increase passes if the cut is incomplete.
Using tools like the MakerMyths laser settings calculator helps reduce guesswork and material waste.
Key Takeaways
- Laser power and speed settings do not transfer reliably
- Power percentage alone is misleading
- Laser type, focus, and material all affect results
- Calculated laser power and speed are safer than copied values
- Testing is always required for accurate results
Understanding laser power and speed fundamentals leads to more consistent engraving and cutting results.