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53 community entries

Materials & settings

Power, speed and passes that worked for real people on real material. Filter by your machine and laser type, then run a test tile before you commit a full sheet.

These are starting points from community members, not manufacturer specifications. Materials vary between batches and suppliers, machines drift, and lenses get dirty — always test on an offcut first. Never laser PVC, polycarbonate, ABS or any material you can't identify.

MaterialMachineOpPowerSpeedPassesDPIAirConfirmed
Black anodised aluminium1.5mm · Diode

One pass only. A second pass breaks through to bare metal and goes grey.

LP4mark100%20 mm/s1×1000
304 stainless steel1.5mm · Fiber

Deep black anneal. Fourth pass is what turns grey into black.

LP5mark100%300 mm/s4×1270
Glass (wet paper coated)Diode

Wet newspaper mask, air assist OFF or the paper dries mid-job.

LP4 Safeguardmark60%42 mm/s1×
Powder-coated tumblerDiode

This is paint removal, not metal marking. Lower power than you'd think.

LP4mark70%120 mm/s1×800
Black anodised aluminium1.5mm · Diode

Photo work with Stucki dither. Compress tonal range before export.

LP4mark100%15 mm/s1×1000
304 stainless steel1mm · Fiber

Blue/gold anneal range — vary frequency to shift colour.

LP3mark80%500 mm/s2×
Coated aluminium business cardDiode

Wipe with IPA before and after — fingerprints show as blotches.

LP2 Plusmark100%25 mm/s1×1000
Black anodised aluminium1.5mm · Fiber

Fiber on anodising: much faster than diode and whiter. Low power.

LP3mark45%800 mm/s1×
Powder-coated tumblerDiode

Rotary at 20oz straight wall. Wipe with IPA after.

LP2 Plusmark75%100 mm/s1×800
Glass (marking spray)Diode

Slightly defocus (0.5mm) to spread the spot and avoid chipping.

LP4mark55%50 mm/s1×
Titanium1mm · Fiber

Colour anneals beautifully. Small frequency changes shift hue a lot.

LP3mark60%600 mm/s1×
Stainless steel (mirror finish)1mm · Fiber

Reflective — enclosed operation and 1064nm-rated glasses, no exceptions.

LP5mark70%450 mm/s2×
Ceramic tile (glazed)Diode

Works on light glaze; dark glaze barely marks. Test the exact tile.

LP4 Safeguardmark100%60 mm/s1×800
Mild steel2mm · Fiber

Rusts if left bare — oil or lacquer the mark.

LP5mark90%400 mm/s2×

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