Laser Material Settings Library
Starting-point speed, power, and pass settings for common CO2 laser materials. Always test on scrap before production runs.
| Material | Op | Thickness | Wattage | Speed | Power | Passes | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylic (cast) | cut | 3 mm | 60W | 37 mm/s | 90% | 1 | |
| Acrylic (cast) | cut | 3 mm | 80W | 50 mm/s | 80% | 1 | |
| Acrylic (cast) | cut | 6 mm | 60W | 3-5 mm/s | 100% | 1-2 | |
| Acrylic (cast) | cut | 6 mm | 80W | 5 mm/s | 65-70% | 1 | |
| Acrylic (cast) | cut | 10 mm | 80W | 2-3 mm/s | 100% | 1-2 | Use 63.5mm lens for less taper |
| Acrylic (cast) | engrave | -- | 60-80W | 350-500 mm/s | 10-20% | 1 | 300-400 DPI. Cast gives frosted white mark. |
| Birch Plywood | cut | 3 mm | 60W | 10-15 mm/s | 100% | 1 | |
| Birch Plywood | cut | 3 mm | 80W | 15-20 mm/s | 80-90% | 1 | |
| Birch Plywood | cut | 6 mm | 60W | 3-5 mm/s | 100% | 2 | |
| Birch Plywood | cut | 6 mm | 80W | 5-8 mm/s | 100% | 1-2 | |
| Birch Plywood | engrave | -- | 60-80W | 200-300 mm/s | 15-25% | 1 | 250-300 DPI |
| MDF | cut | 3 mm | 60W | 8-12 mm/s | 100% | 1 | Heavy extraction required (formaldehyde) |
| MDF | cut | 3 mm | 80-100W | 15-20 mm/s | 80-100% | 1 | |
| MDF | cut | 6 mm | 80-100W | 5-10 mm/s | 100% | 1 | |
| Leather (veg-tan) | cut | < 1.5 mm | 60W | 10-15 mm/s | 30-50% | 1 | Veg-tan only. Never laser faux/PVC leather. |
| Leather (veg-tan) | cut | 1.5-3 mm | 60W | 5-8 mm/s | 50-70% | 1-2 | |
| Leather (veg-tan) | engrave | -- | 60-80W | 150-400 mm/s | 10-20% | 1 | Disable air assist to prevent soot marks |
| Anodized Aluminum | engrave | -- | 40W | 330 mm/s | 100% | 1 | 340 DPI. Only works on anodized layer. |
| Anodized Aluminum | engrave | -- | 60W | 300-400 mm/s | 80-100% | 1 | 400-600 DPI. Text at 600, photos at 400. |
| Anodized Aluminum | engrave | -- | 80-100W | 400-500 mm/s | 50-70% | 1 | |
| Glass | engrave | -- | 40-60W | 200-300 mm/s | 20-35% | 1 | 200-300 DPI. Wet newspaper on surface recommended. |
| Glass | engrave | -- | 80-100W | 300-400 mm/s | 15-25% | 1 | Defocus +1-2mm for softer mark. Avoid tempered. |
| Slate / Stone | engrave | -- | 40-60W | 300-400 mm/s | 15-20% | 1 | 250-350 DPI. Too much power melts instead of fractures. |
| Cardstock (180-230 GSM) | cut | -- | 30-60W | 80-100 mm/s | 15-25% | 1 | Air assist ON. Monitor for fire. Use weighted hold-downs. |
| Paper (standard) | cut | -- | 30-60W | 100-200 mm/s | 10-20% | 1 | Use 180+ GSM minimum. Air assist moderate. |
25 settings shown. Sources: OMTech, HiSpeed Laser, Gweike Cloud, Monport Laser, Thunder Laser, Trotec, Boss Laser, CNCSourced, Focused Laser Systems, Aeon Laser, Xometry, Full Spectrum Laser, X-Creation.
Materials You Should NEVER Laser
PVC / Vinyl: Produces chlorine gas and hydrochloric acid. Destroys optics and corrodes machine components. Can cause serious lung injury.
ABS: Emits cyanide gas. Melts into a sticky residue.
Polycarbonate: Discolors, cuts poorly, and is prone to catching fire.
Fiberglass: Releases toxic fumes. Unsafe for laser processing.
Faux / Synthetic Leather: Often contains PVC. Always verify material type before cutting.
Rule: if you cannot confirm the material composition, do not laser it. Check the SDS (Safety Data Sheet) or contact the supplier.
Tired of re-entering settings on every machine?
BeamFlow keeps job files, notes, and proof approvals together so nothing gets lost between design and production.
Start Your Free TrialAbout These Settings
These speed and power settings are starting points gathered from laser manufacturer documentation (OMTech, Thunder Laser, Trotec, Epilog, Boss Laser), commercial cutting services, and community sources. They apply to CO2 lasers with a standard 50.8 mm (2 inch) focal length lens.
Every machine is different. CO2 tube output degrades over time -- a tube rated at 100W may only produce 80W after 18 months. Lens condition, alignment, mirror quality, ambient temperature, and material batch variation all affect results. Always run a test cut on scrap material before committing to a production run.
Use LightBurn's Material Library to save your tested settings per material and thickness. This avoids re-entering values for every job. Export your library to share between machines or back up your settings.
Multiple passes at higher speed often produce cleaner results than a single slow pass, especially for wood and MDF. This reduces charring and heat buildup at the cut edge.