DAJA A6 Pro 20W — LightBurn Material & Layer Reference

How reliable are these numbers? Read this first

⭐ Folder added — your entire ~/Desktop/Parametrers/ is decoded and indexed (section 04d), including CO₂/fiber tables from other machines (04b) and laser-type/safety notes (04c).

⭐ Your tested data first — the settings you verified on your own machine (Materials Reference.xlsx → Sheet 2) are the ground truth and are marked "(tested)" throughout. Every chart value is a backup, not an override.

✓ Verified — machine specs & LightBurn structure (layers 0–30, T1/T2 tool layers, Tabs) from DAJA's official spec page and LightBurn's official docs.

✓ Cross-checked — every layer value retuned against 173 community-tested settings from the xTool D1 Pro 20W database (same 20W-output blue diode class), plus Twotrees, MetalEraser, Diode Laser Wiki & OMTech baselines.

⚠ Machine-specific — cut speeds vary 2–3× between "20W" machines because real output power differs by brand. These are set mid-range: if DAJA's 20W is genuine output you can push faster; if a cut stalls, slow to ~⅓ speed and add a pass. The test grid (section 03) settles it for your unit in 20 minutes.

01Layer Reference — Layers 0–30

LightBurn's color palette has 31 output layers (0–30) plus two Tool Layers (T1, T2). Each layer below is assigned one material + job so you can build a file by just switching colors. Line mode = cut (follows vector paths), Scan mode = engrave (fills shapes with lines), Image mode = photos. Speed is in mm/min, power in %, line interval in mm.

Layer	Job	Mode	Speed mm/min	Power %	Max Pwr %	Passes	Interval mm	Tabs	Notes
CUTS — Line mode · 100% Max Power · air assist on for plastics
0	3 mm birch / basswood plywood — cut	Line	500	100	100	2	—	Auto 8 mm / 40 mm	Best all-round material. Community spread 300–1000 mm/min depending on real output — start 500, slow down if edges stay welded.
1	6 mm plywood — cut	Line	600	100	100	3–4	—	Auto 8 / 35	Multiple passes at full power beat one slow pass — less char, cleaner edge.
2	3 mm MDF — cut	Line	300	100	100	2–3	—	Auto 8 / 35	Sootier edge than ply; the glue wears the lens faster — clean lens after MDF sessions.
3	3 mm basswood sheet — cut	Line	400	100	100	1–2	—	Auto 8 / 50	Soft, fast, clean. Thin balsa: use layer 8.
4	3 mm acrylic — cut dark cast only	Line	250	100	100	2–3	—	Auto 6 / 30	Cast, dark/opaque acrylic only. Clear & extruded acrylic reject 455 nm blue — it passes straight through. Keep protective film on; air assist mandatory.
5	2 mm cardboard — cut	Line	1000	60	100	1	—	—	Cheap prototyping material. High speed + low power = no flame-up.
6	2–3 mm leather — cut	Line	600	80	100	1–2	—	—	Genuine leather only (veg-tan best). Faux/PU melts and stinks. Tape edges flat to stop curling into the lens.
7	3 mm cork — cut	Line	800	60	100	1–2	—	—	Coasters, bulletin boards. Low power keeps the tan edge instead of black.
8	1.5 mm balsa — cut	Line	3000	70	100	1	—	—	Model aircraft wood. Cuts like butter — don't over-power.
9	Paper / cardstock — cut	Line	4000	30	100	1	—	—	Cardstock 300gsm: 6000–8000 @ 30–35%. Fire risk — keep power low and never leave it running.
10	10 mm plywood — multi-pass cut	Line	400	100	100	6–8	—	Auto 10 / 30	The 20 W diode's practical ceiling on wood. Check pass 4–5: re-zero height if the head drifts (tape shims work).
11	3 mm hardboard — cut	Line	250	100	100	2–3	—	Auto 8 / 30	Dense, slow. Ventilate — hardboard glue fumes are nasty.
12	3 mm EVA foam — cut	Line	4000	60	100	1–2	—	—	Closed-cell foam only. Ventilate well — melting foam smoke is toxic. Open-cell foam burns, don't cut it. 6mm: 4500 @ 45%.
ENGRAVES — Scan / Image mode · Max Power = Power (constant power) · interval ≈ line spacing
13	Wood — light engrave scan	Scan	5000	30	30	1	0.10	—	Light golden text/logos on plywood & basswood.
14	Wood — dark engrave scan	Scan	3000	55	55	1	0.08	—	Deep chocolate-brown marks. Drop to 0.06 interval for near-black.
15	Photo on wood image	Image	4000	40	40	1	0.07	—	Grayscale image, dither Jarvis or Atkinson. Birch ply gives the best tonal range; avoid knotty wood.
16	Slate / stone — engrave scan	Scan	2000	80	80	1–2	0.08	—	White frosted mark on slate — classic coaster look. Clear-coat after to make it pop. Wipe dust off after; don't touch while hot.
17	Ceramic tile — engrave scan	Scan	1000	75	75	1–2	0.08	—	Glossy tiles mark better than matte. Test one corner first — glaze varies by brand.
18	Anodized aluminium — mark scan	Scan	2500	80	80	1	0.06	—	The blue diode's party trick: blasts the anodize layer off → white mark. Community range 1500–4000 @ 65–100%. Black anodize = best contrast.
19	Stainless steel — mark (spray) scan	Scan	500	95	95	2–3	0.05	—	Requires marking spray / paste (e.g. Enduramark, DryMoly). Bare metal: the 455 nm beam bounces off. Several passes build a dark etch.
20	Glass — engrave (coated) scan	Scan	1200	55	55	2–3	0.06	—	Bare glass won't mark — cover with black paint or DAJA's color sheet first (their official method), or the wet-paper-towel technique. Frosted look, not deep etch.
21	Leather — engrave scan	Scan	2500	35	35	1	0.08	—	Branding, wallet flaps. Wipe surface with damp cloth first — even moisture = even burn.
22	Acrylic — engrave (white core) scan	Scan	3500	40	40	1	0.08	—	Cast acrylic only → frosty white engrave. Keep film ON while engraving for a cleaner edge.
23	Bamboo — engrave scan	Scan	5000	35	35	1	0.09	—	Cuts okay too (same layer as ply at slower speed). Stripey grain makes photos muddy — keep to text/shapes.
24	Cardboard — engrave scan	Scan	6000	25	25	1	0.10	—	Corrugated boxes, prototypes. Keep it fast & cool to avoid flame.
25	Cork — engrave scan	Scan	3500	40	40	1	0.10	—	Soft texture swallows fine detail — use bold shapes.
26	Wood — deep contrast / inlay pockets image	Image	3000	50	50	1	0.06	—	Deep burns for inlay pockets or very dark artwork. Test depth before committing.
27	Denim / fabric — mark scan	Scan	5000	30	30	1	0.10	—	Marks great at 5000 @ 30%. Cutting works too (3500–4000 @ 70%) — edges fray, accept it. Pin flat, ventilate.
28	Brick — engrave scan	Scan	2000	65	65	1	0.08	—	House-number bricks, signs. Rough surface = chunky result, that's normal.
29	Coconut / walnut shell — engrave scan	Scan	2500	50	50	1	0.08	—	Jewelry/keychain blanks. Use the rotary roller (RT5) for round shells.
30	YOUR TEST GRID LAYER custom	Scan	—	—	—	—	0.08	—	Reserved for calibration grids (see Test Grid section). When you find a new material's sweet spot, save it here first.

How to use this in LightBurn

Draw/import your design. Select the objects you want to cut — click the matching layer color at the bottom of the palette (or in the Cuts/Layers window, Ctrl/Cmd+L).
In the Cuts/Layers window, set the mode per layer: Line for cuts (Layer 0–12), Scan for filled engraves (13–29), Image for photos (15, 26).
Type in the speed / power / passes / interval values from the table. "Max Power" = same value as Power unless you want dynamic (variable) shading.
For cut layers, click the Add Tabs button (scissors icon) — see the Tabs section for widths.
Frame the job (F), eyeball the path, then start. Keep the lid closed — the A6 Pro's lid-open stop is there for a reason.

02Material Suitability — What the 20W Blue Diode Can & Can't Do

✓✓ excellent · ✓ works with caveats · ✗ don't. Blue 455 nm is absorbed by dark/pigmented materials and passes straight through clear ones — that one fact explains most of this table.

Material	Notes	Engrave	Cut
Birch / basswood plywood	The sweet spot for this machine. Clean edges, great contrast.	✓✓	✓✓
Balsa	Soft, cuts instantly. Watch fire on thin stock.	✓✓	✓✓
MDF	Sooty edges, lens-fogging glue. Ventilate.	✓✓	✓
Hardwood (oak / walnut / cherry)	Oily/resinous species cut badly on blue diodes. Engraving is beautiful though.	✓✓	✗
Bamboo	Engraves fine; cuts with passes.	✓✓	✓
Acrylic — cast, dark/opaque	White-core frosting on engrave; clean cuts. MUST be cast, MUST be dark.	✓✓	✓
Acrylic — clear / transparent	455 nm beam sails through — burns nothing (or melts the edge if tinted). A CO2 laser's job, not a diode's.	✗	✗
Leather (genuine)	Veg-tan best. Lovely tan cut edges.	✓✓	✓
Faux leather / PU	Engraves OK at high speed; cuts melt & fuse edges. Genuine preferred.	✓	✗
Cotton / denim fabric	Cut works at 3500–4000 @ 70% — edges fray, accept it or mark only. Pin flat, ventilate.	✓✓	✓
Powder-coated steel	Coating marks white/brown — keychains, tools. Bare steel still needs spray.	✓✓	✗
Silicone	Wristbands, cases — slow + hot for a frosted white mark.	✓	✗
Photopolymer stamp blanks	Real rubber stamps: engrave recessed text at ~500 DPI.	✓	✗
Mirror / mirrored acrylic	Engrave the painted BACK side only — reflections can kill the diode.	✓	✗
Soapstone / granite	Soft stones mark white like slate; polished dark granite best.	✓	✗
Cardboard / corrugated	Cheap test material. Keep power low, speed high.	✓✓	✓✓
Paper / cardstock	Fire risk above ~30%. Never unattended.	✓✓	✓
Cork	Soft, forgiving. Great beginner material.	✓✓	✓✓
Denim / fabric	Mark only, never cut.	✓	✗
EVA foam (closed-cell)	Cosplay, inserts. Fumes — ventilate hard.	✓	✓
Slate	White frosted marks, zero cleanup. Coasters/signs.	✓✓	✗
Ceramic tile / stone / brick	Glaze quality varies — always test first.	✓	✗
Glass	Needs a coating (black paint / color sheet / wet towel) per DAJA's own specs.	✓	✗
Anodized aluminium	Instant white marks at high speed. Best metal for this machine.	✓✓	✗
Stainless steel	Only with marking spray/paste. Multiple passes.	✓	✗
Raw aluminium / brass / copper	Beam reflects. Needs spray or the 1 W IR head.	✗	✗
Natural rubber	Stamps! Synthetic rubber stinks and melts.	✓	✗
Coconut / walnut shell	Keychains, jewelry. Rotary roller helps.	✓	✗

Banned on the A6 Pro — never load these

PVC & PVC-based vinyl — chlorine gas destroys your lungs and corrodes the machine's optics & frame. Check HTV SDS sheets: PU-based heat-transfer vinyl is laser-safe at low power (cut 9000 @ 16%), PVC-based is not.
ABS, polycarbonate, styrene — melts into a mess and smokes toxic fumes (ABS releases cyanide gas).
Chrome-tanned leather — hexavalent chromium (Chromium VI), a carcinogen. Vegetable-tanned only.
Treated / pressure-treated wood — toxic fumes incl. arsenic compounds. Untreated wood only.
Fiberglass, carbon fiber, epoxy laminates — toxic resin smoke + microfibers in the air.
Anything unknown — if you don't know what it is, don't laser it. Test on a corner first, ventilated.

01bYour Tested Settings — Materials Reference Sheet 2 ground truth for YOUR machine

These are the settings you burned and verified on your own A6 Pro — they beat every chart in this document, including mine. Trust these first. They're also saved as an importable LightBurn library: ~/Desktop/DAJA-A6Pro-20W.clb → in LightBurn open Cuts/Layers (Ctrl+L) → Material Library → Import → pick a material → it applies speed/power/passes to the current layer.

Layer	Job	Mode	Speed mm/min	Power	Passes	Notes
L00	6mm plywood — cut	Line	200	100%	1
L01	3mm bamboo — cut	Line	240	60%	1
L02	3mm plywood — cut	Line	300	100%	1	sometimes 235 mm/min
L03	6mm cardboard — cut	Line	450	100%	1
L04	3mm MDF — cut	Line	500	100%	3
L05	filtering paper — cut	Line	700	100%	1
L06	toilet paper — cut	Line	750	100%	1
L07	3mm cardboard / 5mm foam — cut	Line	1000	100%	1
L08	white card paper / 300g yuanhao — cut	Line	1500	100%	1
L09	plywood — vector engrave	Line	2000	100%	1
L10	card paper — cut	Line	2500	100%	1
L11	A4 paper — cut	Line	3000	100%	1
L12	A4 paper — vector engrave	Line	4000	100%	1
L13	cardboard — vector engrave	Line	5000	100%	1
L14	plywood — deep text engrave	Scan	8000	100%	1
L15	plywood — text fill / image	Scan	15000	100%	1
L16	6mm bamboo dowel — cut	Line	150	100%	1
L17	350g white card paper — cut	Line	900	80%	1
Image L00	plywood — light etch	Image	2000	100%	1
Image L01	plywood — medium engrave	Image	3500	100%	1
Image L02	plywood — deep engrave	Image	5000	100%	1
Image L03	plywood — photo	Image	7500	100%	1	interval 0.100
Image L04	A4 paper — photo	Image	8000	100%	1
Image L05	leaf — photo	Image	10000	100%	1
—	6mm bamboo wood — cut	Line	100	80%	1
—	2mm airplane (balsa) wood — cut	Line	1200	50%	1

What your data tells us about your machine

Your cuts run slower than the community chart — 3mm ply at 300 vs the xTool D1 Pro's 300–1000 range. Your unit sits on the conservative side of the 20W class; that's normal, and it's exactly why machine-tested values win.
You engrave at 100% power and control tone with speed (2000→15000 mm/min) — a valid, proven approach. The chart's low-power/high-speed engraves are an alternative that uses less diode stress; both work.
Your MDF cut (500 @ 100% × 3 passes) is faster than the chart's (400 × 2) — 3 passes at higher speed gives you cleaner edges. Nice find.
Layer numbers match your LightBurn palette order (L00…L17 + Image layers) — so your file colors and this table line up directly.

02bMaterial Encyclopedia — 90+ Materials

Community-tested settings from 173 entries on the xTool D1 Pro 20W (the closest comparable 20W-output blue diode to your A6 Pro), plus curated extras. Speeds in mm/min, power in %; ranges mean multiple users reported success. These are starting points — your test grid (section 03) picks the exact cell.

Material	Engrave / Mark	Cut	DPI
2mm basswood plywood	6000 @ 50%	100 @ 100% · pass
3mm baltic birch plywood	2000 @ 45%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
3mm basswood plywood	3000 @ 55%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
3mm black acrylic	2000–4000 @ 45–50%	95–100 @ 95–100% · 2 pass
3mm clear acrylic	—	100 @ 100% · 3 pass
3mm clear acrylic cast	2200–4500	—
3mm coloured acrylic	—	90 @ 90% · 2 pass
3mm maple plywood	1200–3200	—
3mm mdf	2500 @ 60%	100 @ 100% · 3 pass
3mm mirrored acrylic	2000–4200	—
3mm tinted acrylic	3000 @ 70%	100 @ 100% · 3 pass
3mm walnut plywood	2500 @ 50%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
5mm plywood	4000 @ 65%	100 @ 100% · 4 pass
9mm birch plywood	3500 @ 70%	—
acrylic	3000 @ 35%	100 @ 100% · 3 pass
acrylic felt	8000 @ 25%	50 @ 50% · pass
alder	3000 @ 50%	80 @ 80% · 2 pass
alder 3mm	5500 @ 58%	88 @ 88% · 2 pass
anodized aluminum	1500–4000 @ 65–100%	—
bamboo	5000 @ 30%	50 @ 50% · 2 pass
bamboo 3mm	5500–6000 @ 35–55%	82–85 @ 82–85% · 2–3 pass
bamboo cutting board	—	65–100 @ 65–100% · 2 pass
basswood	4000 @ 70%	100 @ 100% · 4 pass
cardboard	—	45–80 @ 45–80% · pass
cardboard 3mm	—	80 @ 80% · pass
cardboard corrugated 3 4mm	30	90 @ 90% · pass
cardstock	5000 @ 12%	35 @ 35% · pass
cardstock 300gsm	8000–9000 @ 15%	30–35 @ 30–35% · pass
cardstock 80 110 lb 220 300 gsm	15	45 @ 45% · pass
cedar	2500 @ 45%	75 @ 75% · 2 pass
cedar 3mm	5500 @ 55%	85 @ 85% · 2 pass
ceramic tile	500–2000 @ 70–100%	—
cherry	3000 @ 55%	85 @ 85% · 2 pass
cherry 3mm	5500 @ 60%	90 @ 90% · 2 pass
chipboard 2mm	6500 @ 40%	65–85 @ 65–85% · 2 pass
coated powder coated steel	2500 @ 80%	—
copy paper 80gsm	8000 @ 15%	25 @ 25% · pass
cork	4000 @ 30–45%	50–85 @ 50–85% · 2 pass
cork 3mm	3000 @ 40%	45 @ 45% · pass
cork sheet 3mm	6000 @ 40%	75 @ 75% · 2 pass
corrugated cardboard	8000 @ 20%	48 @ 48% · 2 pass
cotton fabric	7000 @ 22–35%	70–78 @ 70–78% · pass
craft felt 3mm	2000–6500 @ 30–35%	70–80 @ 70–80% · pass
denim fabric	5000–5500 @ 25–45%	45–72 @ 45–72% · 2 pass
eva foam 3mm	2000–7000 @ 30%	65–70 @ 65–70% · pass
eva foam 6mm	8000 @ 20%	45 @ 45% · pass
faux leather	8000 @ 25%	58 @ 58% · pass
felt	2000 @ 25%	55 @ 55% · pass
foam	2000 @ 15%	35 @ 35% · pass
foam board 5mm	—	42–60 @ 42–60% · 2 pass
genuine leather	1500 @ 35%	80 @ 80% · 2 pass
genuine leather veg tan 3mm	6000 @ 70%	95 @ 95% · 2 pass
glass	1000–2000 @ 35–55%	—
hardboard	3000 @ 65%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
htv vinyl	8000 @ 15%	16 @ 16% · pass
kraft paper	7500 @ 15%	22 @ 22% · pass
leather	3500 @ 28%	80 @ 80% · 2 pass
maple	3000 @ 55%	85 @ 85% · 2 pass
marble tile	1500–2200 @ 85%	—
mdf	3000 @ 60%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
mylar stencil 7 5mil	8000 @ 15%	25 @ 25% · pass
oak	2500 @ 65%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
oak 3mm	5500 @ 65%	95 @ 95% · 3 pass
paper	5000 @ 15%	30 @ 30% · pass
photopolymer stamp blank	2000 @ 65%	—
pine	3000 @ 45%	75 @ 75% · 2 pass
pine 3mm	5000 @ 60%	90 @ 90% · 2 pass
plywood	3000–3500 @ 55–65%	100 @ 100% · 2–3 pass
powder coated steel	2500 @ 80%	—
rubber	3000 @ 70%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
rubber stamp blank	2800 @ 82%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
slate	2000 @ 75%	—
slate coaster	1800–5000 @ 80–90%	—
spray painted metal	2800 @ 75%	—
stainless steel	400–3000 @ 70–100%	—
walnut	2500 @ 70%	100 @ 100% · 2 pass
washi tape	2500 @ 15%	20 @ 20% · pass
Soapstone	1500–2500 @ 60–80%	—
Granite (dark, polished)	1500–2500 @ 70–80% · 2–3 passes	—
Mirror (glass)	back side @ 1000–1500 @ 50–60%	—
Silicone band	800–1200 @ 80–90% · 2–3 passes	—
Eggshell	3000–4000 @ 10–15%	—
Magnetic sheet	2000–3000 @ 40–50%	—
Gourd / dried shell	2000–3000 @ 50–60%	—
Corian / solid surface	3000–4000 @ 30–40%	250 @ 100% · 3–4 passes
Wood veneer (0.6mm)	like wood	3000–5000 @ 40–50% · 1 pass
Suede	4000 @ 25–30%	—
Rawhide	2500 @ 30–35%	—
Titanium (coated)	2000–3000 @ 70–80%	—
Brass / copper	300–500 @ 100% · 3–5 passes (spray)	—
Photopolymer stamp blank	2000 @ 65% · 500 DPI	—
PCB board (green mask)	2000 @ 60%	—	Atezr 20W: engraves the mask — electronics labels. Copper shows through.
HD foam board	3000 @ 15%	3000 @ 30% · 1 pass	Atezr 20W: the 8mm display-board foam. Ventilate.
Biscuits / cookies (food)	1500–2500 @ 15–20%	—	Mark only, light brown. Laser residue on food is debated — do at your own risk, never on packaging.
Sealing wax	1000–2000 @ 30–40%	—	Melts & marks — wax stamps for letters. Low power, ventilate.
Bone / antler	2000–3000 @ 50–60%	—	Smoky & smells awful — ventilate hard. Marks cream/brown on dark pieces.
Melamine	weak marks	—	Thunder charts list it for CO₂ only. Diode: dark melamine marks faintly; don't expect much.
Mother of pearl	—	—	CO₂ recommended (Thunder Laser wiki); diode not recommended — brittle shell, poor absorption.

Sources: bonnycreations.com xTool D1 Pro community database (78 materials, multiple reports each) + curated values from Diode Laser Wiki / MetalEraser / OMTech for materials without D1 Pro data. See section 06 for full source list.

04bOther Machines — CO2 & Fiber References NOT for your A6 Pro

From your folder & sheets: settings for CO2 (40–150W) and fiber (50W) machines — school DT lab / future machines. Speeds are mm/s for CO2/fiber (different controllers), power in %. Useful to understand what a CO2 can do that your diode can't (clear acrylic, thick cuts, metal marking).

CO2 150W — common materials (CO2-Laser-Cutter_Engraver-Settings-for-Common-Materials-150-W-2.pdf)

Material	Engrave	Cut	Cut thickness
Acrylic	15% · 350	65% · 20	¼"
Anodized aluminum	15% · 325	—	—
Balsa wood	15% · 350	40% · 25	⅛"
Bass wood	20% · 350	40% · 25	⅛"
Birch wood	20% · 350	65% · 20	¼"
Birch plywood	20% · 350	70% · 20	¼"
Cardboard	15% · 350	50% · 15	¼"
Ceramic	27% · 350	—	—
Glass	20% · 325	—	—
Granite	18% · 275	—	—
Leather	15% · 350	70% · 15	⅛"
Powder-coated metal	15% · 325	—	—
Mirror (back side)	15% · 325	—	—
Paper	—	15% · 30	1/100"
Romark (multi-colour)	15% · 350	—	—
Rubber	15% · 350	70% · 15	⅛"
Foam	—	40% · 25	¼"

Engrave interval 0.065 mm for most. Source: your folder PDF + Sheet1.

CO2 40 / 60 / 80W — detailed (Sheet1 + speedsfeeds_RL.pdf) — speed mm/s · scan gap / DPI noted

Material	Process	40W	60W	80W	Notes
Glass	Engrave	20% · 350	18% · 350	12% · 350	0.055 gap · 462 DPI · keep cold: wet paper / cold air
Wood	Engrave	20% · 350	18% · 350	14% · 350	0.085 · 300 DPI · masking tape stops sap haze
Bass wood	Cut ⅛"	80% · 15	65% · 15	50% · 15	lowest power that cuts, highest speed
Balsa	Cut ⅛"	80% · 45	65% · 45	50% · 45	fastest of the woods
Birch plate	Cut ⅛"	85% · 12	68% · 12	52% · 12	—
Birch plywood	Cut 3/16"	85% · 5	85% · 7	70% · 10	—
RC aircraft ply	Cut 3/16"	80% · 12	65% · 35	50% · 45	quality depends on density, glue, humidity
Acrylic	Cut ¼"	85% · 12	70% · 12	55% · 12	don't crawl — sag/fire risk
Acrylic	Engrave	85% · 300	70% · 300	55% · 300	0.065 · 391 DPI · hard/brittle acrylic engraves best
Mirrored acrylic	Cut ⅛"	75% · 10	60% · 12	40% · 15	2 passes; high air assist; heat boils mirror backing
Granite Romark	Engrave	85% · 101	85% · 120	85% · 150	0.085 · 299 DPI · rub paint into cracks to POP
Plexi-glass	Engrave	18% · 350	15% · 325	12% · 325	0.1 gap · 254 DPI — thick gap stops plastic globs
Styrofoam closed-cell	Cut	85% · 7	70% · 10	50% · 12	cut fast & hard; evacuate fumes
Styrofoam open-cell	Cut	15% · 45	15% · 45	12% · 45	long focal lens; lots of air; thin layers
Brick	Cut	18% · 25	15% · 25	12% · 25	long focal lens; heavy air assist
Mirror (back)	Engrave	85% · 10	80% · 25	70% · 35	slightly out of focus; minimal air
Leather	Engrave	60% · 325	50% · 325	45% · 325	0.085 · 299 DPI
Anodized aluminum	Cut 1/16"	85% · 7	85% · 10	70% · 12	CO2 only — your diode can't cut metal
Powder-coated metal	Engrave	35% · 325	30% · 325	25% · 325	0.065 · 391 DPI · power varies by colour
Cermark	Engrave	60% · 300	55% · 300	50% · 300	0.07 · 362 DPI · 1+ pass; material must be warm; too hot destroys the Cermark

Acrylic cut speed vs CO2 wattage (laser cutting recommended parameters.pdf) — mm/s, max (optimal)

Thickness	40W	60W	80W	100W	130W	150W
3 mm	15 (10)	20 (15)	25 (20)	30 (25)	35 (30)	40 (35)
5 mm	8 (5)	10 (7)	12 (8)	15 (10)	17 (12)	21 (15)
8 mm	4 (2)	5 (3)	9 (5)	10 (6)	12 (8)	15 (10)

Air assist: small airflow on top (side-blown) for smooth edges, airflow below the material to prevent fire.

Fiber 50W — metal marking (Sheet1 + Parameters for Fiber Laser.pdf · Thunder Aurora 8-50W)

Fiber lasers mark (not cut) metals — your blue diode can't do bare metal. Table: speed mm/s · power % · freq kHz.

Material	Result	Speed	Power	kHz	Notes
Titanium	White	1200	25	75	interval 0.03
Titanium	Black	100	12	80	10 passes, interval 0.03
Titanium	Light blue	100	17.5	100	defocus 1 mm
Titanium	Dark blue	100	21.7	100	defocus 1 mm
Titanium	Purple	1200 + 100	25 + 16	75 + 100	two superimposed passes for purple
Titanium	Golden yellow	100	17	100	defocus 1 mm
Titanium	Silver	500	15	80	5 passes · mirror-like finish
304 stainless	Black	200	10	100	bi-directional
304 stainless	White	1000	20	60	bi-directional
304 stainless	Black	100	10	50	cross-hatch fill
Carbon steel	White (≈gray)	900	20	60	bi-directional
Carbon steel	Black	100	30	50	bi-directional
Brass	White	500	20	50	bi-directional
Aluminium sheet	White	900	20	60	no black result on aluminium
ABS	Black	500	10	50	no white on white ABS
Mirror stainless	Black	100	20	90	bi-directional

Quick CO2 + fiber sheet (laser-cutter-material-settings-Sheet1.pdf)

Material	Laser	Process	Power	Speed	PPI	Passes	Offset
½" plywood	CO2	Engrave	100	80	auto	1	0
½" plywood	CO2	Cut	60	0.2	auto	4	−0.1
¼" plywood / MDF	CO2	Cut	60	0.4	auto	1	−0.12
⅛" plywood	CO2	Cut	48	0.45	auto	1	−0.05
¼" acrylic	CO2	Cut	42	0.3	auto	2	−0.1
⅛" acrylic	CO2	Cut	42	0.3	auto	1	−0.05
Cardboard	CO2	Cut	40	1	auto	1	0
Foamcore 3/16–¼"	CO2	Cut	32	1.5	auto	1	0
Posterboard <0.02"	CO2	Cut	30	2	5000	1	0
Brass <0.01"	Fiber	Engrave	40	7.5	20000	1	0
Aluminium <0.01"	Fiber	Cut	100	0.35	auto	8	0
Stainless steel	Fiber	Engrave	60	15	20000	1	0
Polyurethane foam 1.75"	CO2	Cut	25	0.5	1000	1	0
Felt 1/16"	CO2	Cut	25	1	auto	1	0
Heavy canvas	CO2	Cut	25	2.5	auto	1	0

Also in the folder: Gravoply laserable plastic on LS100 (30–35W): engrave power 30–40 @ speed 90 · 500 DPI, cut 100% @ 20–30 — Gravotech spec. Fusion Series CO2 (30–120W) acrylic/Anodized/Alumamark tables — see fusion-material-settings.pdf. RF tube (30/55W) light/deep engrave tables — see the two RF PDFs. Thunder Nova CO2 machines (24-63 series) — the 4 edbsn jpegs.

04cLaser Types & Light Colours — from your Sheet 3

Laser light colours

Red (≈650 nm) — longest common wavelength, most visible, cheapest to produce. Pointers & teaching.
Green (≈532 nm) — brighter to the eye than red; outdoor presentations.
Blue (≈445–455 nm) — direct-diode laser, far more intense. Your A6 Pro. Ideal for engraving (darker blacks on wood than CO₂) but slow on thick cuts.
Infrared (1064 nm) — invisible; fiber lasers use it to mark metals. Your A6 Pro's optional 1W IR head.
Ultraviolet (355 nm) — precision marking: electronics, medical devices, delicate work.

Machine types — quick overview

CO₂ (10.6 µm) — most versatile. Cuts wood, acrylic, leather, fabric. Can't do bare metal. This is what the school DT lab likely has.
Fiber (1.06 µm) — metal specialists: mark steel, aluminium, brass. Limited on organics.
Diode (445 nm) — budget option, yours. Darker blacks on wood than CO₂ (perfect for photo engraving). Slow, struggles with thick cuts.
UV (355 nm) — precision marking: electronics, medical, delicate work.

Sheet 3 safety additions — never laser these (any machine)

Chrome-tanned leather — creates hexavalent chromium (Chromium VI), a carcinogen. Use vegetable-tanned leather; most commercial leather is chrome-tanned unless labelled.
Treated / pressure-treated wood — chemical treatments release toxic fumes including arsenic compounds. Untreated wood only.
PVC — chlorine gas → hydrochloric acid: corrodes machine metal, damages lungs (vinyl flooring, shower curtains, some imitation leather, wire insulation).
ABS — releases cyanide gas when lasered (3D printer filament, LEGO, automotive parts, electronics cases).

04dHow Lasers Work — the Physics

A laser is just light that has been organised. Understanding the 30-second version explains everything about why your machine cuts wood but not clear acrylic, and why CO₂ machines are so versatile.

The 5 ideas you need

Light is photons. Every beam is a stream of particles/waves with a wavelength (colour) and an energy per photon. Shorter wavelength = higher energy = usually more material damage per photon.
Atoms have energy levels. Electrons sit in orbits around the nucleus. Give an electron a photon of exactly the right energy and it jumps up (absorbed); when it falls back down it emits a photon of that same energy.
Stimulated emission (Einstein, 1917). If you hit an already-excited atom with a photon, it emits an identical twin photon — same direction, same wavelength, in phase. One photon becomes two. This is the trick no normal light source has.
Population inversion. Normally most atoms are in the ground state. "Pumping" the gain medium (with electricity, flashlamps, or another laser) flips the population so more atoms are excited than not — then stimulated emission runs away.
The cavity. The gain medium sits between two mirrors. Light bounces back and forth, doubling at every pass, until a tiny fraction leaks out through the partially-reflective mirror = your beam. That's why a laser is monochromatic (one colour), coherent (in phase), and collimated (stays tight) — and why it can be focused to a microscopic spot.

Anatomy of a laser — your A6 Pro included

        fully reflective                    partially reflective
        mirror                                 mirror
           │                                      │
           ▼                                      ▼
   ┌───────┴────────┐   ┌─────────────────┐   ┌───┴───────┐
   │                │   │   GAIN MEDIUM   │   │           │  ─────► beam out
   │   MIRROR 1     │◄──┤ (atoms pumped   │──►│  MIRROR 2 │  (to focus lens,
   │   (100%)       │   │  into excited   │   │ (partial  │   then your wood)
   │                │   │  state)         │   │  ~5-50%)  │
   └────────────────┘   └─────────────────┘   └───────────┘
           ▲                                        │
           └────── light bounces, doubling each pass ┘
   PUMP:  electric current (diode) · electrical discharge (CO2 gas)
          · flashlamps / other lasers (fiber, Nd:YAG)

In your machine the gain medium is a semiconductor diode: electric current pumps electrons into excited states; the mirrors are the polished ends of the diode chip; the output is 455 nm blue. In a CO₂ laser the medium is a gas tube and the pump is a high-voltage discharge.

Why this matters for cutting

A laser beam can be focused to a spot ~0.05–0.2 mm — that's megawatts per cm² of energy density. Materials either vaporise (wood, paper), melt + blow away (acrylic), fracture/mark (slate, glass), or change colour (anodized aluminium, marking sprays).
Absorption is wavelength-dependent. A material only heats if it absorbs your wavelength. This single fact explains your machine's entire personality (see section 04f).
Engraving = lots of small overlapping burns (scan lines) → darker/whiter mark. Cutting = one concentrated pass (or many) that goes all the way through.

04eEvery Laser Type — How It Works & What It Does

Type	Wavelength	Gain medium	How it works	Typical power	Good at	Bad at
Diode (blue)	445–455 nm	Semiconductor chip	Electric current pumps the chip directly; mirrors are the chip's polished ends	0.5–40 W	Yours. Engraving wood/leather/paper, marking anodized aluminium, cheap & compact	Thick cuts, clear acrylic, bare metal, glass without coating
Diode (IR)	808 nm / 1064 nm	Semiconductor	Same idea; longer wavelength	0.5–20 W	Cheap engravers, dark plastics	Less efficient on light wood than blue; still can't do metal
CO₂	10.6 µm (far IR)	Gas tube (CO₂+N₂+He)	High-voltage electrical discharge excites the gas; mirrors at tube ends	30–150 W (up to kW)	The versatile one: cuts wood/acrylic/fabric/thick stock, engraves glass & stone; absorbs in almost everything	Bare metal marking (needs coatings), high running cost, big machine
Fiber	1.06 µm	Doped optical fibre	Diode-pumped rare-earth (Yb/Er) fibre; beam delivered through the same fibre	20 W – 4 kW	Metal marking/cutting, titanium colouring (section 04b), deep engraving steel	Organics burn unevenly; expensive
Nd:YAG	1.06 µm	Crystal rod	Flashlamp/diode pumps a neodymium-doped crystal; Q-switched for pulses	10 W – 400 W	Welding, metal engraving, older industrial workhorse	Same metal-only profile as fiber, more maintenance
UV	355 nm	Frequency-tripled Nd:YAG	IR → green → UV via nonlinear crystals	3–20 W	"Cold" marking: electronics, PCBs, medical devices, glass, ceramics — minimal heat damage	Expensive per watt; slow on thick organics
Excimer	193–351 nm	Reactive gas (KrF, ArF…)	Pulsed gas discharge; UV pulses ablate surfaces	up to ~100 W avg	Eye surgery (LASIK), microelectronics, precision polymer ablation	Toxic gas handling; lab equipment
Femtosecond	varies (IR–UV)	Titanium-sapphire / fiber	Ultra-short pulses (10⁻¹⁵ s) — so fast the material has no time to conduct heat	1–100 W avg	Micro-machining, stents, anything needing zero heat-affected zone	Very expensive; lab-grade
Free electron	tunable	Electron beam in magnets	Electrons wiggle through undulators, emitting light — no gain medium at all	kW–GW (research)	Science: materials research, particle physics	Building-sized; not a workshop tool

One-line summary

Diode = your budget all-rounder · CO₂ = workshop workhorse (cuts everything organic) · Fiber/Nd:YAG = metal specialists · UV/Excimer/Femto = precision cold tools. Most school DT labs have a CO₂; most hobbyists have a diode. Now you can read any spec sheet.

04fLaser Colours & Wavelengths — What Each One Does

Same laser physics, different wavelengths → different materials respond. The rule: a material heats up only where it absorbs light; the rest is transmitted or reflected.

Colour	Wavelength	Used by	Absorbs well in	Passes through / reflects off
Ultraviolet	355 nm	UV lasers (cold marking)	Plastics, ceramics, glass, thin films	Most metals (so it marks coatings on them)
Violet	405 nm	Cheap diode modules	Dark materials, photopolymers	Light/clear materials
Blue	445–455 nm	Your A6 Pro, most hobby diode lasers	Dark & coloured wood, dark acrylic, leather, anodized coating, paper	Clear acrylic (passes straight through), shiny metals (reflect ~90%), white/light materials (weak burn)
Green	532 nm	DPSS lasers, some marking systems	Some metals & foils, visible alignment	—
Red	635–650 nm	Pointers, low-power engravers, laser levels	Dark pigments	Too low power to cut most things
Near-IR	808 nm / 1064 nm	IR diodes, fiber & Nd:YAG lasers	Metals (1064 nm absorbed well), dark plastics	Light organics burn poorly; invisible beam = extra safety care
Far-IR (CO₂)	10.6 µm	CO₂ machines	Almost everything organic: wood, acrylic, leather, paper, stone, glass, fabric	Polished metals (CO₂ reflects off shiny metal — the classic CO₂ limitation)

Why your blue 455 nm machine behaves the way it does

Clear acrylic is transparent to 455 nm — the beam goes through without heating, which is why only dark/opaque cast acrylic works on your machine. A CO₂'s 10.6 µm is absorbed by acrylic's molecular bonds, so CO₂ cuts clear acrylic fine.
Bare aluminium/steel/copper reflect blue light (~85–95% at 445 nm) — you need anodized surfaces, marking spray, or the IR head. Even worse, reflections can hit the optics and damage the diode.
Dark materials absorb blue beautifully — that's why your engraves on basswood/ply come out with such rich contrast, often darker than a CO₂'s.
White/light-coloured stock burns weakly — pale maple or white card needs more passes or lower speed than walnut or kraft.

05Brand Material Matrices — What Every Maker Machine Officially Supports

Official compatibility data from manufacturers, so you can read any machine's spec list. ✓* = needs coating/spray (e.g. glass, clear acrylic, metals). Most relevant to you: the xTool F1 Ultra diode + 2W IR matrix below — the same blue-diode physics as your A6 Pro.

xTool F1 Ultra — official matrix (diode 455nm + 2W IR) — 100+ materials

Material	Diode engrave	IR engrave	Cut
Basswood	✓	–	✓
Balsa Wood	✓	–	✓
Basswood Plywood	✓	–	✓
Technological Plywood	✓	–	✓
Walnut	✓	–	✓
Walnut Plywood	✓	–	✓
Cherrywood Plywood	✓	–	✓
Okoume Plywood	✓	–	✓
Sapele Plywood	✓	–	✓
Red Oak Plywood	✓	–	✓
Ebony Plywood	✓	–	✓
Birch Plywood	✓	–	✓
White Oak Plywood	✓	–	✓
Hickory Plywood	✓	–	✓
Betula Alnoides Plywood	✓	–	✓
Terminalia Plywood	✓	–	✓
White Ash Plywood	✓	–	✓
Zebrawood Plywood	✓	–	✓
Red Rose Plywood	✓	–	✓
Bamboo Plywood	✓	–	✓
Beechwood Coasters	✓	–	–
Round Cork Coasters	✓	–	–
Sublimation Plywood	✓	–	–
Sublimation Ceramic Coasters	–	✓	–
Cutting Board	✓	–	–
MDF Board	✓	–	✓
Bamboo	✓	–	✓
Painted Metal	✓	✓	–
Anodic Aluminum Oxide	✓	✓	–
Brass	–	✓	–
Titanium alloy	–	✓	–
Aluminium	–	✓	–
Stainless Steel	✓	✓	–
Electroplated Metal	✓	✓	–
Round Bead	–	–	–
Shale	✓	✓	–
Gold Cuff Bracelet	–	–	–
Marble	✓	✓	–
PVC	✓	✓	–
ABS	–	✓	–
PU Leather	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Iron-on Patch	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Notebook	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch Passport Holder	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch Bookmarks	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU Mouse Pad with Wrist Support	✓	✓	–
PU MagSafe Wallet	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU StainlessSteel Hip Flask	✓	–	–
Silicone Apple Watch Bands	✓	✓	–
Silicone Magnetic iPhone Case	✓	✓	–
Tumbler	✓	✓	–
Brown Top Grain Cowhide Leather	✓	–	–
Black to Gold Laserable PU Leather	✓	✓	–
Grass Green Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Green Acrylic	✓	–	✓
Black Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Black Translucent Acrylic	–	✓	–
Frosted Black Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Red Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Dark Red Acrylic	✓	–	✓
Orange Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Orange Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Red Glitter Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Yellow Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Fluorescent Yellow Translucent Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Brown Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Chrome Yellow Opaque Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Light Pink Acrylic	–	✓	–
Deep Blue Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Gray Translucent Acrylic	–	✓	–
Pearl White Acrylic	✓	✓	✓
Two-Tone Acrylic Sheet White to Black	✓	✓	✓
Two-Tone Acrylic Sheet Black to Pearl White	✓	✓	✓
Mirror Acrylic	✓	✓	–
Clear Acrylic	✓*	✓*	–
Felt	✓	✓	–
Blue Denim	✓	✓	–
Laserable PU StainlessSteel Hip Flask	✓	–	–
Laser Engraving Rubber Sheet	✓	✓	–
Cardstock Paper	✓	✓	✓
Kraft Paper	✓	✓	✓
Coated Screen	✓	–	–
Silicone	✓	✓	–
Coated Canvas	✓	✓	–
Laser Engraving Photo Paper	✓	✓	–
Shimmer Paper	✓	–	✓
Corrugated Paper	✓	–	✓
Ceramic	✓	✓*	–
Cement	✓	✓	–
Brick	✓	✓	–
Velvet	✓	–	–
Coir Doormat	✓	–	–
Cork Sheet	✓	–	✓
Glass	✓*	✓*	–
Fabric	✓	–	✓
Ballpoint Pens with Stylus	✓	✓	–
Denim Bag	✓	✓	–
xTool Coated Screen	✓	–	–

Source: support.xtool.com/article/1716. Notes: clear acrylic & glass need coating; translucent acrylics (pink/gray/black/blue) are IR-only; stainless/brass/titanium rows assume marking spray or laser-safe blanks.

xTool UV laser — official matrix (excerpt — UV's unique abilities)

Material	UV engrave	UV cut
Glass	✓	(Transparent
Tumbler	✓	–
Felt	✓	✓
Denim	✓	–
Velvet	✓	–
ABS	✓	–
PET	✓	–
PP	✓	–
PC	✓	–
EVA	✓	–
Kraft Paper	✓	✓
Photo Paper	✓	✓
Scratch Paper	✓	✓
Rock	✓	–
Marble	✓	–
PU Leather	✓	✓
Natural Leather	✓	✓
Self-adhesive Vinyl	–	✓
Heat Transfer Vinyl	–	✓
Sublimation Paper	–	✓
Shrinky Dink Paper	✓	✓
Stainless Steel	✓	–
Aluminum	✓	–
Zinc	✓	–
Titanium	✓	–
Brass	✓	–
Silver	✓	–
Carbon Steel	✓	–
Galvanized Sheet	✓	–
Screen Printing	✓	–
Rubber	✓	✓
Silicone	✓	–
Ceramic	✓	–
Canvas	✓	✅(Linen Canv
Photosensitive Stamp	✓	–
Foil Paper	–	–
Acrylic	✅(Anti-UV Cl	✅(Anti-UV Cl
Magnetic Sheet	–	–
MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard)	✓	✓
Plywood	✓	✓
Cardboard	✅(Glitter Ca	✓
Whiskey Saponite Stones	✓	–
Hardwood	✓	–
Leaf	✓	✓

UV (355nm) cuts clear glass (soda-lime), self-adhesive & heat-transfer vinyl, sublimation paper — things blue diodes and CO₂ struggle with. Still: laser-safe vinyl only.

Where every brand keeps its material data (verified URLs)

Epilog (CO₂) — huge searchable database, 100+ materials, speed/power/DPI per machine: epiloglaser.com/resources/sample-laser-configurations.htm
Boss Laser (CO₂) — speed/power settings per material: bosslaser.com (settings pages; heavy JS, curl-blocked)
OMTech (CO₂ + diode) — knowledge base + the LightBurn test card you already have in your folder
Atomstack (diode, 20W) — official LightBurn engrave + cut parameter tables: atomstackshop.com (included as section 05e)
Snapmaker (diode) — 10W/40W guides on support.snapmaker.com (Cloudflare-blocked for scripts; community mirror on forum.snapmaker.com)
Glowforge (CO₂) — 158 community settings at bonnycreations.com/settings/machines/glowforge-pro + library libguides; note Glowforge uses its own UI speed/power scale
LA Hobby Guy forum (lahobbyguy.com) — the biggest diode community; Ortur/Atomstack/xTool charts shared daily
Creality Falcon series — official 10/20/22/40W parameter tables: eu.crealityfalcon.com (included as section 05f)
Longer RAY5 20W — official parameter table at longer3d.com/pages/ray5-20w-parameter-table (JS-rendered; Scribd mirror available)
Glowforge (CO₂) — glowforge.com/materials — material hub with settings per material
Snapmaker (diode module) — snapmaker.com academy settings guides
Thunder Laser (CO₂/fiber) — thunderlaser.com laser-wiki — the mother-of-pearl + Nova charts you already have

Rule for reading any brand chart: speeds/powers are tuned to their machine's real output — scale by power class, then run your test grid. That's the whole secret.

05eAtomstack Official 20W Tables — X20 Pro / A20 Pro / S20 Pro

Atomstack's own LightBurn parameter tables for their 20W optical blue diode modules — the same power class as your A6 Pro. Speeds mm/min. "Needs to be blackened" = coat the surface black first (marker/paint) — that's how they engrave glass, mirrors & bright metal.

Engraving (Scan/Image) — interval, speed, max power

Material	Interval	Speed	Max Pwr	Image mode	Blacken?	Passes
Basswood	0.1	3000	20%	Threshold	NO	1
Yellow Peachwood	0.1	3000	15%	Threshold	NO	1
Mahogany	0.1	3000	35%	Threshold	NO	1
Pine	0.1	3000	20%	Jarvis	NO	1
Paulownia	0.1	2700	45%	Threshold	NO	1
Bamboo	0.1	3000	50%	Threshold	NO	1
Leather	0.1	3000	20%	Threshold	NO	1
Denim	0.1	3000	20%	Threshold	NO	1
Ceramics	0.1	1000	80%	Threshold	YES	1
Creamic tile	0.1	1000	80%	Threshold	NO	1
Alumina	0.1	500	60%	Threshold	NO	1
Glass	0.1	1000	50%	Threshold	YES	1
Acrylic	0.1	3000	50%	Threshold	NO	1
TranslucentAcrylic	0.1	3000	13%	Jarvis	NO	1
Two color plate	0.1	3000	12%	Threshold	NO	1
Plastic	0.1	3000	20%	Threshold	NO	1
Resin	0.1	1000	13%	Threshold	NO	1
Artificial beef bone	0.1	1000	30%	Threshold	NO	1
High densityfoam board	0.1	3000	15	Threshold	NO	1
Rubber	0.1	3000	50%	Threshold	NO	1
Kraft paper	0.1	3000	15%	Jarvis	NO	1
Office paper	0.125	1500	13	Threshold	NO	1
Oil paintingpaper	0.1	3000	23%	Threshold	NO	1
Carton	0.1	3000	15%	Threshold	NO	1
MDF	0.085	3000	20	Atkinson	NO	1
Mirrors	0.08	3000	30%	Threshold	YES	1
Rock	0.1	3000	60%	Filled	NO	1
Cobblestone	0.1	3000	60%	Threshold	NO	1
Crystal Stone	0.1	1000	65%	Threshold	YES	1
PCB Board	0.1	2000	60%	Threshold	NO	1
Mirror Stainless steel	0.1	600	80%	Threshold	NO	1
Brushed Stainless Steel	0.08	1000	80%	Threshold	NO	1
Galvanized iron	0.1	100	80%	Threshold	YES	1
Iron sheet	0.1	100	80%	Threshold	YES	1
Artificial agate	0.1	50	80	Threshold	NO	1

Cutting (Line) — speed & passes per thickness

Material	Thickness	Speed	Max Pwr	Passes
Material	Thickness	Speed（mm/m）	S-Max	Number of passes
Basswood	10mm	600	75%	6
Pine	14mm	280	80%	10
Paulownia wood	18mm	320	70%	10
Cork wood	15mm	2000	70%	10
Bamboo	6mm	550	100%	3
Leather	2mm	300	80%	1
Kraft Paper	0.2mm	3000	80%	1
Acrylic	15mm	100	65%	10
MDF	8mm	400	100%	4
Stainless Steel Sheet	0.05mm	500	80%	1

Source: atomstackshop.com LightBurn parameter tables. Note the engineering pattern: thick stock = multiple passes at 70–100% (basswood 10mm = 6 passes, pine 14mm = 10 passes); thin stock = one fast pass. Stainless foil 0.05mm cuts at 500 mm/min — foil only, never sheet.

05fCreality Falcon Series Official Tables — 10 / 20 / 22 / 40W

Creality's own parameter tables for the Falcon Pro/Falcon 2 diode lasers — the Falcon Pro 20W table is the same power class as your A6 Pro. Speeds mm/min.

Falcon Pro 20W — full official table

Mode	Material	Thick mm	Power %	Speed	Passes
engraving	Linden planks	2	25	6000	1
Cutting	Linden planks	2	100	1000	1

How the same material scales across Creality's power range

Job	40W (Falcon 2)	22W	20W (Pro)
Basswood 2mm engrave	75% · 3000	40% · 3000	40% · 4000
Basswood 2mm cut	100% · 250 · 1p	100% · 350 · 1p	100% · 350 · 1p
Basswood 5mm cut	100% · 220 · 4p	100% · 150 · 1p	100% · 150 · 1p
Kraft paper 0.2mm cut	100% · 2000	100% · 3500	100% · 3500
Black acrylic 4.5mm cut	100% · 120 · 4p	100% · 120 · 2p	100% · 120 · 2p
Anodized aluminum engrave	100% · 100	100% · 200	100% · 250

Read the pattern: higher power = lower % and/or higher speed; cuts stay 100% with passes doing the work; anodized marking is slow + hot on every power level (your Layer 18 is in the right family). Source: eu.crealityfalcon.com Falcon series material settings.

05gxTool P2 (CO₂ 55W) Official Matrix — the CO₂ contrast

The same xTool material matrix, but for their P2 CO₂ machine — engrave + cut columns. Compare with section 05: CO₂ engraves and cuts nearly everything on the list, including all acrylic colours (no coating), and the only "with coating" entries are clear acrylic & glass — exactly the physics from section 04f.

Material	Engrave	Cut
Basswood	✓	✓
Balsa Wood	✓	✓
Basswood Plywood	✓	✓
Technological Plywood	✓	✓
Walnut	✓	✓
Walnut Plywood	✓	✓
Cherrywood Plywood	✓	✓
Okoume Plywood	✓	✓
Sapele Plywood	✓	✓
Red Oak Plywood	✓	✓
Ebony Plywood	✓	✓
Birch Plywood	✓	✓
White Oak Plywood	✓	✓
Hickory Plywood	✓	✓
Betula Alnoides Plywood	✓	✓
Terminalia Plywood	✓	✓
White Ash Plywood	✓	✓
Zebrawood Plywood	✓	✓
Red Rose Plywood	✓	✓
Bamboo Plywood	✓	✓
Beechwood Coasters	✓	–
Round Cork Coasters	✓	–
Sublimation Plywood	✓	–
Cutting Board	✓	–
MDF Board	✓	✓
Bamboo	✓	✓
Painted Metal	✓	–
Anodic Aluminum Oxide	✓	–
Stainless Steel	✓	–
Electroplated Metal	✓	–
Round Bead	✓	–
Shale	✓	–
Marble	✓	–
PVC	✓	–
PU Leather	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch	✓	–
Laserable PU Iron-on Patch	✓	–
Laserable PU Notebook	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch Passport Holder	✓	–
Laserable PU Patch Bookmarks	✓	–
Laserable PU Mouse Pad with Wrist Support	✓	–
PU MagSafe Wallet	✓	–
Laserable PU StainlessSteel Hip Flask	✓	–
Silicone Apple Watch Bands	✓	–
Silicone Magnetic iPhone Case	✓	–
Tumbler	✓	–
Brown Top Grain Cowhide Leather	✓	–
Black to Gold Laserable PU Leather	✓	–
Grass Green Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Green Acrylic	✓	✓
Black Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Frosted Black Acrylic	✓	✓
Red Acrylic	✓	✓
Dark Red Acrylic	✓	✓
Orange Acrylic	✓	✓
Orange Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Red Glitter Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Yellow Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Fluorescent Yellow Translucent Acrylic	✓	✓
Brown Opaque Glossy Acrylic	✓	✓
Chrome Yellow Opaque Acrylic	✓	✓
Deep Blue Acrylic	✓	✓
Pearl White Acrylic	✓	✓
Two-Tone Acrylic Sheet White to Black	✓	✓
Two-Tone Acrylic Sheet Black to Pearl White	✓	✓
Mirror Acrylic	✓	–
Clear Acrylic	✓*	–
Felt	✓	–
Blue Denim	✓	–
Laserable PU StainlessSteel Hip Flask	✓	–
Laser Engraving Rubber Sheet	✓	–
Cardstock Paper	✓	✓
Kraft Paper	✓	✓
Coated Screen	✓	–
Silicone	✓	–
Coated Canvas	✓	–
Laser Engraving Photo Paper	✓	–
Shimmer Paper	✓	✓
Corrugated Paper	✓	✓
Ceramic	✓	–
Cement	✓	–
Brick	✓	–
Velvet	✓	–
Coir Doormat	✓	–
Cork Sheet	✓	✓
Glass	✓*	–
Fabric	✓	✓
Ballpoint Pens with Stylus	✓	–
Denim Bag	✓	–

Source: support.xtool.com/article/1716 (P2 section). Note: PVC appears as ✅ in xTool's list — their laser-safe sheet stock, not household PVC (still banned, see section 06).

05hWeCreat Vision 20W — What's Different About It

Same class as yours (20W blue diode, 455nm) but with three differentiators: auto-lifting gantry (engraves 0–140 mm tall objects — focus follows surface automatically), integrated rotary (one-pass full-wrap on 40oz tumblers), and a built-in camera + QuickView Matrix (preview the burn effect, set parameters from the preview).
Why that matters for you: the auto-lift solves the focus problem from section 06c mechanically — you still solve it with tape shims on the A6 Pro. The camera preview is just a fancy test grid (section 07c).
Settings: official max-thickness & parameter chart lives at support.wecreat.com (search "Thickness of materials the WeCreat Vision can cut"). Community calculator: kerricraftsit.com/wecreat-settings-calc (mm/s speeds — multiply by 60 for LightBurn mm/min).
Takeaway: no mystery settings — same diode physics, same materials, same grids. The machine just makes them easier to find.

05aLaser Parameters Decoded — What Each Setting Physically Does

Every number in the tables above is really controlling one of four physical quantities: energy per spot, spot overlap, how many times, and airflow. Understand these and you can set any material blind.

Setting	What it controls physically	Effect when increased	Typical range
Power %	Average optical power = energy per spot (diode: PWM duty cycle)	Deeper cut, darker engrave — but charring, melt-back, detail loss	cuts 60–100%, engrave 10–80%
Speed (mm/min)	Exposure time per point (slower = longer dwell)	Slower = more energy deposited = deeper/darker; too slow = burn-away	engrave 2000–20000, cuts 100–1500
PPI / frequency	Pulse overlap — how close consecutive pulses land	Higher = smoother edge, more heat; lower = perforation effect	1–5 for scoring, high for smooth cuts
Line interval (mm)	Fill-line spacing during scan engraving (overlap of burns)	Smaller = denser/darker engrave, slower job; larger = lighter, faster	0.05–0.15 mm typical
Passes	Number of exposures of the same path	More = deeper without extra spot energy (cleaner than one slow pass)	1 for engrave, 2–10 for thick cuts
Max power (scan)	Peak power of dynamic ramp for shading	Higher = whiter/darker extremes in photos	= power for flat burns
Overscan	Extra travel beyond shape edges	Fixes faded edges at line-ends (accelerating zones)	3–10 mm
Air assist	Blows away plasma/smoke, cools cut zone	On = cleaner cuts, less char, flame suppression; can cool too much for dark engrave	on for cuts/plastics, low/off for engrave
Focus / z-offset	Spot size → energy density (smallest spot = most concentrated)	Out of focus = wide weak burn (engraving trick for glass); in focus = cutting	±0–3 mm

The two golden rules

1. Power and speed are the same dial. Energy per spot ≈ power ÷ speed. Halving speed is (roughly) doubling power. When a chart says "more power," you can often just slow down instead — gentler on the diode.

2. For cuts: full power + speed + passes > low power + crawling speed. A slow 100% single pass chars; three quick passes at full power cut cleaner. (Your own 3mm MDF recipe is exactly this.)

05bLaser × Material Science — Why Materials React Differently

The three fates of a photon

Absorbed → heats the material (this is the only one that does work).
Reflected → bounces off (metals at 455 nm). Wasted energy + hazard to your optics.
Transmitted → passes straight through (clear acrylic, glass, clear PET). No heating at all.

A material's colour, crystal structure and molecular bonds decide the split. Dark pigments absorb broadly; transparent materials transmit; shiny metals reflect.

What happens when material absorbs

Vaporisation — wood, paper, leather: cellulose/lignin heats past its boiling point and turns to smoke + char. Char = carbon, which absorbs even better → self-accelerating (why cuts "run away" on wood).
Melting — acrylic: melts then vaporises; cast acrylic froths white when engraved (frosted look), extruded melts to a flame-polished edge.
Thermal fracture / marking — slate, glass, stone: rapid local heating cracks or chemically alters the surface (white frosted marks).
Coating removal — anodized aluminium, painted metal: the thin coating vaporises, revealing the substrate (white mark on black anodize).

Three phenomena you'll see every job

HAZ — Heat-Affected Zone: material next to the cut that got hot but didn't vaporise: charred edge on plywood, melted lip on acrylic. Less energy & air assist shrink it. This is why pass-based cutting beats slow single passes.
Kerf: the width of material actually removed — always wider than the theoretical beam spot (heat spreads sideways). Your press-fit parts must be drawn kerf-compensated: part width + kerf = slot width. Measure yours once: cut a 10 mm slot, measure the hole vs the part.
Engrave contrast: you're controlling how much char/oxidation stays behind. Fast+low power = light golden (thin char); slow+high = dark brown/black (thick char); on slate/glass the "mark" is actually micro-fracture scattering light → white.

05cLaser Safety Science — Classes, Eyes, Fumes

Laser classes (ANSI Z136 / IEC 60825)

Class	Power	Risk	Examples
1	any (enclosed)	Safe by design — beam fully enclosed, no exposure possible	Your A6 Pro with lid closed, CD players
1M / 2	<1 mW (2: <1 mW visible)	Safe unless focused optics; blink reflex protects	Laser pointers, barcode scanners
3R / 3B	1–5 mW / 5–500 mW	Direct beam can injure; diffuse reflections of 3B dangerous	Alignment lasers, some engraver alignment beams
4	>500 mW	Direct + reflected beam injure instantly; fires; toxic fumes	All cutting lasers with lid open — your 20W diode, CO₂, fiber

Your A6 Pro is Class 1 when enclosed, Class 4 the moment the lid is open. The lid-open interlock exists for exactly this reason.

Why the eye is the #1 target

The cornea and lens focus light ~100,000× onto the retina — a 20W beam becomes a retina-burning point in microseconds.
455 nm blue lands on the retina (visible + focusable). 1064 nm IR is worse: invisible, so your blink reflex never triggers, and it still burns the retina.
You can't feel it — the retina has no pain receptors. Damage is permanent.
OD (optical density) ratings on goggles = how many decades of attenuation: OD4 = 10,000× dimmer. Blue-diode goggles block ~400–460 nm.

Fume chemistry — what you're breathing

Wood/paper: smoke, tars, CO, formaldehyde traces — ventilate, don't huff.
Plastics: PVC → hydrogen chloride gas; ABS → cyanide compounds; polycarbonate → bisphenol-A smoke. All toxic, all avoidable.
Leather (chrome-tanned): hexavalent chromium, a carcinogen.
Treated wood: arsenic/copper compounds.
Rule: any fume at all = ventilation. The A6 Pro's purifier (SP3) or a window + fan beats "it smells a bit".

05dLaser History & Applications — 60 Years in One Card

Timeline

1917 — Einstein publishes stimulated emission (the theory).
1960 — Theodore Maiman builds the first laser: a synthetic ruby crystal. "A solution looking for a problem."
1962 — First semiconductor (diode) laser — your machine's great-grandfather.
1964 — CO₂ and Nd:YAG lasers invented — industrial cutting/marking born.
1978 — First primitive laser engraver for wooden art.
1996 — First laser-specific software — computer-controlled engraving goes mainstream.
2015→ — Cheap high-power blue diodes → the hobby engraver explosion (your A6 Pro).

Where lasers live today

Industry: cutting sheet steel (fiber), welding cars, marking serial numbers, PCB drilling (UV).
Medicine: LASIK (excimer), eye surgery, tattoo removal, dentistry.
Telecom: every fibre-optic internet connection is laser light (1064/1310/1550 nm).
Consumer: DVD/Blu-ray players, barcode scanners, laser printers, your engraver.
Science: LIGO interferometers, particle accelerators, laser cooling of atoms to near absolute zero.

06aPhoto Engraving Science — Dithering, Grayscale & Image Prep

Your Image layers (Image L00–L05) burn photographs. How LightBurn turns pixels into laser pulses decides whether your photo looks like a photo or a smudge.

Three ways to burn a photo

Grayscale mode — laser power follows pixel brightness in real time: dark pixel = high power, white pixel = low/none. Smooth but requires accurate PWM at speed; best for your 100%-power-fast-speed style on wood.
Dither mode — every pixel becomes a burn/no-burn dot (like newspaper print). Mid-tones are faked by dot density. Great on materials that don't shade well (acrylic, slate).
Threshold mode — pixels darker than a cutoff burn, lighter don't. Pure black & white — logos, QR codes, line art.

Error-diffusion dithering — the algorithm behind Jarvis/Atkinson/Stucki/Floyd-Steinberg

When a pixel is rounded to "burn" or "don't burn", the rounding error is pushed onto its neighbours — so average brightness is preserved across the image. That's what keeps smooth gradients in a 2-level output.
Floyd-Steinberg — the classic; spreads error to 4 neighbours (3/16, 5/16, 1/16, 7/16). Fine detail, slightly "noisy".
Jarvis / Stucki — spread over 12 neighbours → smoother, film-like grain; the go-to for wood photos (your Layer 15 note is right).
Atkinson — Apple-style; spreads only 75% of error → crisper contrast, great on plywood and cardboard where wood grain fights mid-tones.

DPI vs line interval — the resolution math

Interval 0.1 mm ≈ 254 DPI (25.4 ÷ 0.1). Interval 0.08 ≈ 317 DPI. Interval 0.06 ≈ 423 DPI.
Rule: source image resolution ≈ physical DPI — a 300 DPI photo printed at 100×100 mm needs ~1200×1200 px. Upscaling a small image doesn't add detail; downscaling wastes it.
Interval below ~0.06 on a 20W diode = overburn (neighbouring burns merge into char) unless power is very low.

Prep recipe that works on wood

1) Boost contrast slightly · 2) lift the highlights (wood burns darker than the screen shows) · 3) resize to physical DPI · 4) dither Jarvis, interval 0.07–0.08 · 5) run a 3-step speed test on scrap first. Your own Image L03 (7500 @ 100%, interval 0.10) is a proven starting point.

06bHow Your Machine Thinks — GRBL, G-code & Motion

Your A6 Pro is a GRBL machine: an Arduino-class controller running open-source firmware, talking G-code. Knowing this fixes half of all "why did it do that" moments.

G-code, the machine's language

G0/G1 X.. Y.. F.. — move to coordinates; F = feed rate (your speed, mm/min); S = laser power as PWM value 0–1000 (S300 = 30%).
M3/M4 — laser on (M3 constant, M4 dynamic power); M5 — laser off. M8/M9 — air assist on/off.
LightBurn writes this for you — but Material Test.gc in your folder is raw G-code you can read line-by-line now: G1 Y2.684S300F1800 = "cut at 1800 mm/min, 30% power".

Why motion physics matters for burns

Steppers can't teleport: they accelerate. At the start of every line the head is slow → more energy per spot → darker dots at line ends. That's exactly why overscan exists (extend travel beyond the shape so the burn zone is wasted outside your art).
Jerk/acceleration limits round corners — sharp corners get slightly rounded unless the controller slows down (LightBurn's "smooth corners" option).
Speed isn't free: your machine's max rapid is set by steppers + belts + frame stiffness, not by the laser. Engraving at 20000 mm/min is often the motion ceiling, not the power ceiling.
Steps/mm & homing: 300×300 mm bed, limits/homing switches at the corners — if jobs drift between runs, the belts or steps/mm need checking ($$ view in GRBL console).

Power = duty cycle, not "strength"

A diode is pulsed at ~20–30 kHz. "30% power" = the laser is on 30% of the time — average optical power, which is what actually burns. That's why the same % means different things on different machines: it's relative to their max, which is why your test grid beats any chart.

06cOptics — Focus, Spot Size & the Beam

Focus & spot size

A lens focuses the beam to a spot; smaller spot = higher energy density = deeper cut. Spot size ≈ wavelength × f-number — diffraction sets the floor, real optics land above it.
Diode modules (yours) are fixed-focus: the focal point sits a set distance below the lens — material must sit at exactly that height. Warped board = blurry burns on the high spots.
Depth of field: the beam stays near-focus for only a few mm above/below the focal plane. Beyond it the spot doubles → burns go weak and wide. That's the real limit on thick-stock cutting with a diode.
Defocusing is a tool: +2–3 mm out of focus = soft wide burn — the classic glass & mirror technique (bigger spot = gentler thermal shock).

Why your beam isn't a perfect circle

Blue diode bars emit a wide, elliptical, multi-mode beam (fast axis / slow axis). Lenses correct it partially — that's why engrave lines can look thicker in one direction and why "20W" modules are often 4 smaller diodes combined.
Multi-mode = not diffraction-limited: you can't focus as tightly as a CO₂ or fiber of the same power. It's physics, not a defect.
Lens care: smoke film on the lens absorbs light → lens heats → more film → thermal runaway until the lens cracks. A fogged lens shows up as "cutting got weak" long before you see it. Clean with lens tissue + IPA, never dry.

The 2-minute focus test

Cut/engrave a straight line, then re-run it with a sheet of paper stacked under the material (≈0.1 mm higher each run, 5 runs). The sharpest, darkest line = your true focal height. Tape shims to the bed to correct warped sheets.

06dMaterials Chemistry — Why Things Burn, Melt & Fume the Way They Do

Material	What it's made of	What the laser does	Why it behaves that way
Wood	Cellulose + hemicellulose + lignin	Pyrolyses → smoke, tars, then char (carbon)	Carbon absorbs better than wood → burn self-accelerates; knots/resin = more fuel = darker burns
Plywood / MDF	Wood layers/fibres + urea-formaldehyde glue	Cuts like wood; sootier edges, formaldehyde fumes	Glue vapour condenses as soot; clean lens after MDF sessions
Acrylic (PMMA)	Poly(methyl methacrylate)	Depolymerises back to MMA monomer vapour → clean cut; cast froths white, extruded flame-polishes	PMMA unzips at ~300°C instead of charring; clear = transparent to 455nm → no absorption → no cut on your diode
PVC	Poly(vinyl chloride) — 57% chlorine	Releases HCl gas + dioxins, corrodes machine, destroys lungs	Chlorine chemistry: heat breaks C–Cl bonds first. This is why it's banned, not "hard to cut"
ABS	Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene	Melts badly + cyanide compounds in smoke	The nitrile group (−C≡N) becomes HCN on pyrolysis
Glass	SiO₂ + soda-lime (Na₂O·CaO·6SiO₂)	Thermal micro-fracture → frosted white mark; can crack on rapid heating	Transparent to 455nm (needs coating); low thermal conductivity = stress = fracture
Anodized aluminium	Al core + Al₂O₃ oxide layer	Laser vaporises the thin oxide → white mark, metal untouched	Al₂O₃ is hard & absorbs blue; the anodize layer is what makes "marking metal" possible on a diode
Leather	Collagen (protein) + tanning chemicals	Tan edges, dark marks; chrome-tanned releases Chromium VI	Chromium salts (Cr³⁺ → Cr⁶⁺ under heat) are carcinogenic — veg-tan only

One sentence to remember: lasers break chemical bonds with heat — the products depend on what atoms are in the material. That's the entire reason for every "never laser this" rule.

06eThe Math of a Cut — Energy, Time, Kerf

Energy per spot (the master equation)

Energy ≈ Power ÷ Speed (per unit length). Halve speed ≈ double burn. This is why charts give (speed, power) pairs, never just one.
Line interval turns area into lines: total engrave time ≈ area ÷ (interval × speed). A 100×100 mm fill at 0.1 mm interval, 5000 mm/min ≈ 10000/0.1 = 1000 m of path ÷ 5000 mm/min ≈ 12 min.
Passes multiply time linearly — 3 passes = 3× the time for ~1.5× the effective depth (each pass re-burns at full energy).

Kerf & fit math

Slot width = part width + kerf. If your kerf is 0.15 mm and you want a press-fit finger 3.0 mm wide: slot = 3.15 mm. Draw it in CAD/DXF before exporting.
Measure kerf once: cut a 20 mm slot, subtract 20 from the measured gap, divide by 2 walls.
Rule of thumb, blue diode: ~1 mm of plywood per ~3–5 W optical, one fast pass. 20W ≈ 4–6 mm practical single-pass wood; thicker = passes.

Cost of a job

Time × power × electricity ≈ pennies; time is the real cost — a slow engrave that ties up the machine beats a fast one that ruins the sheet.
Material waste is the expensive part: a test grid costs 10 minutes of scrap, one ruined sheet costs the whole project. Never skip the grid on a new batch.

07aRotary & Cylindrical Engraving — Mapping a Flat World Onto a Round One

Why cylinders need a rotary

Engraving a tumbler/glass/candle without a rotary = the beam goes out of focus at the edges (cylinder surface curves away) → blurry distorted art. The rotary roller (RT5 for your A6 Pro) spins the object instead of moving X — every point stays at focus height.
LightBurn's Rotary Setup: you give the roller's circumference-per-step ("steps per revolution" or mm/revolution) — LightBurn then treats degrees as X-distance. Design on a flat plane; the machine wraps it.
Math: art width ↔ arc length — an 80 mm-diameter tumbler has circumference π×80 ≈ 251 mm. A 251 mm-wide design wraps exactly once. Wider = overlap, narrower = gap.

Practical rules

Chamfered/conical objects (flutes, bottles) change diameter along their length — engrave only the straight section, or accept distortion.
Use engrave not cut on rotary jobs — a full cut through a cylinder while spinning is how you break a tumbler.
Diameter matters for focus: a rotary raises the top of the object above the bed — re-focus for the object's surface, not the bed.

07bAir Assist & Fume Extraction — The Physics of Clean Burns

What air assist actually does

Clears the plasma/smoke plume: the flame above the cut absorbs and scatters the beam. Blow it away and the beam reaches the material → deeper, cleaner cuts.
Cools the HAZ: less heat soak into neighbouring material → less char on wood, no melted lip on acrylic.
Suppresses flames: paper/cardboard jobs stop "running away".
Trade-off: too much air on an engrave cools the surface before it chars → washed-out marks. Engrave: low/off. Cut: on. (Your layer notes already follow this.)

Fume extraction — the two-stage truth

Smoke is particles + gases. A HEPA filter catches particles; it does nothing for formaldehyde, HCl, or cyanide gases — you need activated carbon for those, or just exhaust outside.
The DAJA SP3 purifier = fan + filters; good for casual work, not a substitute for a window when cutting plastics.
Enclosure negative pressure: the A6 Pro's lid keeps fumes in; opening it mid-job vents them at you — wait a few seconds after job end, or run the fan.

07cTest-Grid Science — Designing Experiments Like an Engineer

Why grids beat guessing

Every variable (power, speed, focus, material batch, lens state) shifts the result. A grid varies one pair at a time so you can read the answer off the sheet instead of reasoning about it.
Best layout: speed on one axis, power on the other — that's a 2-factor design. 10×10 cells = 100 data points in one run, ~10 minutes.
Read diagonals: the power÷speed energy line runs diagonal (both up) — cells along a diagonal have similar energy but different char/quality. Pick by appearance, not just depth.
Log what you find: material, batch, date, winning cell. Your Sheet 2 is exactly this — the log is what makes it "tested" instead of "guessed".

What to look for in each cell

Engrave: even tone, no halo (too hot), no pale spots (too cold), crisp edges · Cut: through in the pass count, minimal char, square edges, kerf as expected · Worst failure to watch: the cell that looks great but was cut at 99% duty — diode life prefers power ≤90% where possible.

07dAdvanced Techniques — Masking, Sprays, Wet Methods & Their Chemistry

Masking & coating methods

Transfer tape / masking film on wood: the laser cuts the tape + wood; the tape traps soot → lift it off and the engrave is clean, no sanding. Your masking strips also stop leather curling.
Black paint on glass/ceramic (or DAJA's color sheet): 455nm vaporises the paint, the heat scars the glass under it → frosted mark, wash the rest off. Same trick as Atomstack's "blacken first" column.
Wet-paper technique: damp paper towel on glass = local cooling + absorption → reduces cracking. Same science as the CO₂ glass rule "keep it cold".

Marking sprays & their chemistry

Enduramark / DryMoly / Cermark: metal-oxide + glass-frit inks. The laser melts the frit into a ceramic-like layer bonded to the metal — that's the "dark permanent mark" on stainless. Requires enough heat to sinter — hence slow speeds, multiple passes, warm material.
Mustard/marker trick (Diode Laser Wiki): the pigment absorbs 455nm, chars onto the metal. Cheap, temporary-ish, great for learning the spot.
Anti-rust note: Cermark marks on bare steel need a clear coat after, or the exposed metal tarnishes.

Scoring & partial cuts

Score = light cut that doesn't go through (fold lines, barcode scratches, flexible sheets). Recipe: full power, high speed, 1 pass, or low power at normal speed.
LightBurn PPI < 1000 gives perforation-style scoring — dashed cuts that fold or tear cleanly (ticket stubs, packaging).

07eDigital Workflow — From CAD to Burn Without Losing a Micron

Design in Fusion 360 (your stack): sketch at final part size, then add kerf compensation — for press-fit fingers, offset the slot by kerf (measure yours; ~0.1–0.2 mm on 20W diodes). Export DXF (R12 for max compatibility) or SVG.
Import into LightBurn: File → Import → DXF/SVG. Set your material size in the Cuts/Layers window (300×300 mm — or smaller for test runs).
Assign layers by colour: select art → click layer colour. Your Sheet 2 layers are already ordered for this.
Order cuts smartly: engraves first, then cuts (cuts move the piece / drop parts). LightBurn sorts by layer — put your cut layers after engrave layers.
Nest multiple parts to save material — leave ≥3–4 mm between parts so HAZ doesn't weld them.
Frame (F), position, then run. Keep the lid closed; watch the first 5 seconds for misfires.

Common export bugs: DXF in mm vs inches (LightBurn asks — match Fusion's units), exploded text (convert text to outlines before export), and duplicate overlapping lines (they burn twice — use LightBurn's "delete duplicates" or avoid overlapping in CAD).

07fTroubleshooting Science — A Decision Tree for Bad Burns

Symptom	Most likely cause	Fix order
Engrave washed out / invisible	Focus too high · lens fogged · power too low · material too light	1) focus test 2) clean lens 3) up power / slow down 4) darken material (paint/coating)
Engrave too dark / burnt halo	Too much energy (power or dwell) · interval too tight	1) reduce power or raise speed 2) widen interval 3) air assist on low
Cut doesn't go through	Not enough passes · too fast · lens film · material thicker than rated	1) add passes 2) slow down 3) clean lens 4) check focus
Cut chars badly / flames	Too slow single pass · no air assist · resinous wood	1) more passes at full power 2) air assist on 3) masking tape
Edges of engrave faded	Acceleration dwell at line ends burning/under-burning · no overscan	1) overscan 3–10 mm 2) check scan angle
Inconsistent darkness across the piece	Material not flat (focus varies) · batch difference	1) tape down warp 2) re-test grid per batch
Lines instead of solid fill	Interval too wide · scan angle 0 (parallel lines visible)	1) shrink interval 2) angle 45°
Job drifted / misaligned between runs	Belts/steps · homing · machine moved	1) re-home 2) check GRBL steps/mm 3) tighten belts
Suddenly weak after working fine	Lens film (thermal runaway starts) · diode aging	1) clean lens immediately 2) check power supply/cable
Burning smells like chemicals	You're lasering something you shouldn't	1) STOP 2) check material 3) ventilate — see banned list

Golden rule: change one variable at a time and re-test. Two changes at once = you learn nothing about which one fixed it.

08aVector vs Raster — File Format Science

Vector (SVG, DXF, AI)

Art defined by math: lines, bezier curves, shapes with coordinates. Infinitely scalable, zero resolution loss.
Laser path = the vector itself: the head follows the line → cuts and line-engraves. One pass per path, clean corners, tiny files.
Text stays editable until you convert to outlines (then it's curves — export before that and fonts vanish on other machines).
DXF R12 is the lowest-common-denominator for CAD→laser; SVG is the web-native equivalent. Both are plain text you could read if you had to.

Raster (PNG, JPG, BMP)

Art defined by pixels. The laser scans line-by-line, burning dots — that's engraving. Resolution = pixels per inch; bigger print = blurrier if pixels are few.
Rule: image pixels ≈ physical DPI — 100mm at 300 DPI needs ~1181px wide. Upscaling adds no detail (section 06a).
JPG compresses (artifacts = ugly burn noise); PNG/BMP are lossless — always engrave from PNG.
LightBurn Trace Image converts raster → vector (for logos); Convert to Lines does single-line engraving from images (your vector-engrave layers!).

Why this matters on your machine

Cut = vector, engrave = raster (or vector lines). Your Sheet 2 already separates them: L00–L13 cuts & vector jobs, L14–L15 scan fills, Image L00–L05 photos. Getting the file type wrong is the #1 beginner failure — a photo sent as a "cut" burns a rectangle.

08bLightBurn Operations — Tools You Haven't Opened Yet

Tool	What it does	When you need it
Offset	Creates parallel copies of shapes (in/out by N mm)	Kerf compensation, inlay pockets, glow-line borders
Array	Grid/copy shapes (rows × cols, spacing)	Test grids, batch keychains, coaster sets — your 07c grid
Nest	Auto-arranges parts to minimise material waste	Any production run; set part spacing ≥ kerf + HAZ (~3–4mm)
Text tools	Text on path, arc text, font control	Circular text on tumblers (with rotary), curved signage
Trace Image	Raster → vector conversion	Logos from PNG for clean cuts instead of burnt fills
Convert to Lines	Image → single-line engrave path	Fast line-art engraves (your L09/L12/L13 style)
Node editing	Direct bezier editing of shapes	Fixing imported DXF junk, rounding corners
Job origin / frame	Sets start corner; draws bounding box	Positioning on oddly-shaped stock — frame before every job
Layer presets	Save/recall full layer configs	Your .clb library file — one click per material
Preview / Simulation	Animates the exact burn order & timing	Catch collisions, verify order (engrave→cut), estimate time

08cDesign Rules for Laser Projects — Physics as a Design Constraint

Minimum feature size

The laser can't resolve finer than spot + HAZ. On a 20W diode that's ~0.1–0.2 mm — thin legs of letters (<0.8 mm) and tiny cut slots (<0.5 mm) will distort or vanish.
Engrave rule: keep strokes ≥0.5–1 mm for fills to read; halftone dots need ≥0.15 mm or they merge.
Cut rule: slot width ≥ material thickness × 1.1 (or parts won't drop out); gap between parts ≥ 3–4 mm.

Press-fit & box design

Finger joints: finger width ≈ material thickness; slot = finger + kerf (0.1–0.2). Your F1-in-Schools and VEX boxes are the exact use case — you already know this from 30+ iterations.
Tabs (section 05): keep parts attached until you want them; break with a twist, sand nubs.
Box generators (LightBurn has one) auto-compute joints — but check the kerf field: it defaults to 0 and parts come out tight.
Engrave-first, cut-last always: cutting separates parts and the sheet shifts.

The design checklist before every export

1) units = mm everywhere · 2) text converted to outlines · 3) kerf added to slots · 4) ≥3mm part spacing · 5) min feature sizes respected · 6) engraves on earlier layers than cuts · 7) material size matches your bed/stock.

08dMaintenance Science — Keep It Cutting Like Day One

Every	Task	Why (the physics)
Job	Check lens for film; blow debris off bed	Smoke film = absorbed power = weaker burns AND lens overheating (thermal runaway, section 06c)
Day	Wipe rails & lead screws; clean lens with IPA + lens tissue if used	Dust grinds rails (steps drift); grit scratches lenses
Week	Clean honeycomb/plate; check belt tension; verify homing accuracy	Char debris = fire fuel; loose belts = drifting jobs (section 07f)
Month	Light lube rails (dry PTFE); full alignment check; inspect cable chains	Friction = lost steps at high accel; worn cables = intermittent power
Quarter	Power-output test (cut a standard 3mm ply line, compare speed); check fan/filter	Diodes age; a 20% power drop is invisible until jobs fail — baseline tests catch it

Diode lifetime: typically 8,000–20,000 hours, worsened by heat — keep airflow over the module, avoid 100% duty marathons, and the ≤90% power habit (section 07c) pays off in years.

08eThe Business of Laser Making — Pricing & Production Math

Cost of a job

Material — actual sheet cost ÷ parts per sheet (incl. 10–15% waste for tests).
Machine time — engrave time (section 06e) × your hourly rate. A 20W diode engraves slowly; that's your biggest cost on photo jobs.
Consumables — lens cleaning, air filter, electricity (≈0.1–0.3 kWh per session, pennies).
Wear — diode hours are a real cost: ~$100–300 per 10k hours of module life.

Pricing rule of thumb

Retail = (material + time × rate) × 2–3 — the multiplier covers design, risk, and profit. Underpricing is the #1 maker-business failure.
Batch economics: setup (design, grid test) is fixed — 10 identical keychains cost ~1.5× one, not 10×. Batch = where money is made.
Time yourself once per job type; your logs (Sheet 2 style) double as quoting data.

08fDiode vs CO₂ vs Fiber — The Full Comparison Table

	Diode (yours)	CO₂	Fiber
Wavelength	455 nm blue	10.6 µm far-IR	1.06 µm IR
Price (20–60W class)	$150–700	$1,500–6,000	$3,000–15,000
Wood engrave quality	Very dark, high contrast	Slightly lighter, smooth	Poor on organics
Clear acrylic	✗ transmits beam	✓ cuts clean	✗
Thick wood cuts	4–10mm with passes	10–25mm single pass	✗ (marking only)
Bare metal	✗ (needs spray/coating)	✗ (marks coatings)	✓✓ marks & cuts
Stone/glass	✓ with coating	✓✓ direct	✓ stone marking
Speed	Slow (motion + power limited)	3–10× faster	Fastest for marking
Running cost	Pennies (fan + diode wear)	Tube replacement $300–800 / 1–2yrs	Low maintenance, high initial
Safety	Class 1 enclosed; raw beam dangerous	Invisible beam — worse; enclosure essential	Invisible + reflective hazards; strictest
Best for	Hobby engraving, photos, thin wood/paper, anodize marking	Workshop production: acrylic, thick wood, fabric, glass	Industrial marking: serial numbers, metals, titanium colour

The school DT lab likely runs a CO₂ — now you can read its spec sheet, predict its results, and explain why it cuts the clear acrylic your diode can't. And you can explain what your diode does better (dark wood contrast, price, safety).

04gYour Materials Folder — File Index ~/Desktop/Parametrers/

Every file you downloaded, decoded — what it actually is and whether it applies to your A6 Pro. The ❌ files are CO₂/fiber references for other machines (covered in section 04b), ⚠️ images had readable material lists but scrambled numbers, ✅ files are usable on your machine.

File	What it is	For your A6 Pro?
Atezr-20W.clb	LightBurn material library — 20W blue diode (same class as yours), 30 materials	✅ merged into DAJA-A6Pro-20W.clb
5W_MATLIB_v2.21.clb	LightBurn library — 5W blue diode	✅ scaling reference
10W_MATLIB_v1.00.clb	LightBurn library — 10W blue diode, 19 materials	✅ scaling reference
40W / 60W_MATLIB_v1.60.clb	LightBurn libraries — CO₂ machines	❌ CO₂
materials-reference_-_LaserGRBL (1).pdf	Blue-diode chart (image scan) — same data as xlsx Sheet 1	✅ yours
materials-reference_-_Lightburn.pdf	Same blue-diode chart, LightBurn version	✅ yours
materials-reference-lightburn.pdf	Same chart again (duplicate)	✅ yours
CO2-…-150-W-2.pdf	CO₂ 150W common materials table	❌ CO₂
Laser-Reference.pdf	Rowmark laserable plastics guide (CO₂)	❌ CO₂
laser-cutter-material-settings-Sheet1.pdf	Quick CO₂ + fiber settings sheet	❌ CO₂/fiber
Parameter for 30W / 55W RF Laser Tube.pdf	RF CO₂ tube light/deep engrave tables	❌ CO₂
Parameters for CO2 Glass Laser Tube.pdf	CO₂ glass tube parameters	❌ CO₂
Parameters for Fiber Laser.pdf	Thunder Aurora 8–50W fiber marking + titanium colouring	❌ fiber
fusion-material-settings.pdf	Fusion Series CO₂ 30–120W tables	❌ CO₂
gravoply_laser_1.pdf	Gravoply laserable plastic on LS100 (30–35W)	❌ CO₂
laser cutting recommended parameters.pdf	Acrylic cut speed vs wattage 25–260W	❌ CO₂
makerspace-intro-to-laser-engraving-cutting.pdf	18-page intro: history + laser types	📖 read
Sculpteo_ultimate_guide_laser_cutting.pdf	40-page general laser-cutting guide	📖 read
speedsfeeds_RL.pdf	Rabbit Laser USA CO₂ settings (80/60/40W)	❌ CO₂
Colour20W–100W-M7.ezd	EZCAD projects for galvo CO₂ machines	❌ other software
colour20w–100w-m7.lbrn2	LightBurn projects for OMTech M7 (CO₂)	❌ CO₂
AllArtLibraries-2025Sep30.zip	LightBurn ART clipart: Fall / Halloween / Winter 2025	✅ importable art
OMTech_LightBurn_Test_Card.zip	Real LightBurn test-card project + screenshot	✅ extracted → OMTech-LightBurn-Test-Card/
Material Test.gc	GRBL test gcode — LightBurn 1.7.04, 1800 mm/min @ 30%	✅ yours
OMNI-XXE-12w-70X70mm-library-1..4.png	12W diode library screenshots — 30+ materials listed	⚠️ list only (numbers scrambled)
5470…_n.jpg / 5471…_n.jpg	Blue-diode material chart screenshots (basswood, cork, acrylic…)	⚠️ list only
edbsn…×4.jpeg	Thunder Laser Nova series CO₂ charts (24–63 series)	❌ CO₂

03Calibration Test Grid — 20 Minutes, Every New Material

Every sheet is different (thickness, glue, moisture, color). The table gives starting points — this grid is how you find your machine's exact numbers for a material you'll use a lot.

Engrave test (Scan)

In LightBurn, draw a 10 × 10 grid of 10 mm squares (Array function: 10 cols × 10 rows, 12 mm pitch). Put it on Layer 30.
Select the whole grid → set Scan mode → interval 0.08 mm.
Columns = speed, rows = power. Power row 1 = 20%, +5% each row → row 10 = 65%. Speed col 1 = 2000 mm/min, +500 → col 10 = 6500 mm/min.
Run it. Pick the square that looks exactly like what you want. That row's power + column's speed is your engrave setting — write it into the layer for that material.

Cut test (Line)

Draw 6 lines of 40 mm on a scrap piece, on a Line-mode layer.
All at 100% power; speeds: 1200, 1000, 800, 600, 450, 300 mm/min.
Run, then push the parts apart. Find the fastest line that cut clean through in the pass count you want.
If 300 mm/min doesn't cut through: keep the same speed, add passes (2, 3, 4…). Full power + more passes > lower power + slow speed — less char.
Note the kerf (width of the cut line) — subtract it from part dimensions in your CAD/DXF when press-fit parts matter.

04T1 & T2 — Tool Layers (no output)

Important: T1/T2 have no power, speed, or cut settings — by design

LightBurn's two Tool Layers (the last two swatches in the palette) are for creating non-output shapes: they have no cut parameters and will never fire the laser. So there's no power/speed to set — instead, use them for anything that must exist in the file but must never be engraved or cut:

T1 — Layout & guides: material edge rectangle (300×300 mm frame), center crosshair, rotary-roller axis lines, alignment/registration marks, the machine bed outline.
T2 — Notes & QC: part labels, quantities, assembly instructions, cut-order numbers, kerf-measurement shapes, "flip for pass 2" arrows.
Objects on T1/T2 are still snappable and visible while designing, but LightBurn ignores them when it generates the job. Great for jig templates you reuse file-to-file.

This is also why the settings table above covers layers 0–30 only — those are the 31 layers that can actually carry cut/engrave parameters.

05Tabs — Keeping Parts in the Sheet

Tabs are tiny uncut bridges that stop parts from falling through mid-job (or dragging under the head). In the Cuts/Layers window, click Add Tabs on a Line-mode layer.

Automatic tabs

Tab width: ~1.5–2× material thickness. 3 mm ply → 5–8 mm tabs. Thicker material needs wider tabs.
Spacing: one tab every 30–50 mm of path. Small parts (coasters) = 2 tabs per part; long straight cuts = tighter spacing.
Tab Cut Power = 0% (default): laser skips the tab entirely → clean break-off tabs.
Tab Cut Power > 0%: laser pulses across the tab → you can snap it with light pressure, edges stay tidy.

Manual tabs

Select the cut path, click Add Tabs, then place tabs by clicking exactly where you want the bridges.
Best for parts with corners you want to protect (tab on straight runs, never on a sharp corner).
VEX / F1-style press-fit parts: use tabs on the outside perimeter only, not on the finger joints.
Break tabs with a twist, then sand the nubs — don't pry, or you'll splinter the part.

Also in the Cuts/Layers window: air assist on for plastics & MDF, off/gentle for paper; overscan a few mm on scan layers so edges don't fade; enable "laser on at start of scan" to avoid clipped lines at the edge of fills.

06Safety & Machine Care

Run discipline

Keep the lid closed while firing. The A6 Pro is Class 1 only when enclosed — the lid-open stop exists so you never see the raw beam.
Never leave a job unattended. Paper/cardboard jobs can flame in seconds.
Vent fumes: use the air purifier/SP3 if you have it, or run near a window/fume extraction. Wood smoke and plastic fumes are not "just smell".
No reflective jewelry/watches near the open bed; don't point the beam at shiny surfaces.
If a cut catches fire: kill the job, lid stays closed (starves oxygen), E-stop if needed. Small fires self-extinguish in the sealed box.

Lens & machine care

Check the lens every few jobs — smoke film kills cutting power long before you notice the burn getting weak.
Clean with lens tissue + isopropyl alcohol (or the DAJA cleaning kit), never dry-wipe grit.
MDF & hardboard smoke the lens fastest — clean after those sessions.
Keep the honeycomb/plate clear of debris; a bed full of charred bits = fire risk on the next job.
Material must sit flat at focus height — tape or magnets on warped corners. Out-of-focus = wide weak burns.
Cut lines and engravings that look "washed out" on a known-good file = check focus first, lens second.

Sources & confidence levels

Your own tested settings (Materials Reference.xlsx → Sheet 2): 26 machine-verified layer configs — primary source, marked "(tested)". Also exported as an importable LightBurn library: ~/Desktop/DAJA-A6Pro-20W.clb.
bonnycreations.com — xTool D1 Pro community database: 78 materials / 173 reported settings (the closest comparable 20W-output blue diode machine). This is the primary source for the layer table values and the Material Encyclopedia.
MetalEraser LightBurn cheat sheet, Diode Laser Wiki, Twotrees 5/10/20W module guide, OMTech settings blog: independent baselines used to cross-check ranges.
DAJA official product pages (dajalaser.com, dajastores.com): 455 nm blue module with 5.5/10/20 W options, 300×300 mm work area, GRBL & LightBurn compatible, enclosed Class 1 with lid-open stop, official material list = wood, leather, glass (with color sheet); IR head for metals.
LightBurn official docs (docs.lightburnsoftware.com): color palette = layers 0–30 plus T1/T2; tool layers have no cut parameters and never output; Add-Tabs feature incl. Tab Cut Power.
Not machine-benchmarked: exact mm/min depends on your unit's real output power, lens condition and material batch. Ranges in this reference reflect the real spread between units — the test grid converts "likely" into "yours".