Laser Cut Settings Estimator

Machine class:

CO₂ and blue-diode sources use different reference rows and material cautions.

Rated optical power:

The starter speed scales from this value; it does not certify actual delivered power.

Material:

Unknown plastics, PVC, vinyl, and chrome-tanned leather are outside this tool's safe scope.

Measured thickness:

The model accepts 0.05–25 mm after unit conversion.

Cut target:

The selection changes speed, power, and pass strategy in the canonical model.

Air assist:

Air clears smoke and debris but can affect acrylic edge finish and lightweight stock.

Controller speed display:

Choose the unit used by the laser controller without changing the physical result.

Display precision:

Use zero, one, or two decimal places without changing the result.

Setting	Starter value	Use	Copy
{{ row.label }}	{{ row.value }}	{{ row.note }}

Trial	Power	Speed	Passes	Delivered energy	Inspect	Copy
{{ row.label }}	{{ formatPercent(row.power_percent) }}	{{ formatSpeed(row.speed_mm_s) }}	{{ row.passes }}	{{ formatEnergy(row.total_energy_j_mm) }}	{{ row.inspect }}

How does delivered line energy differ across the five controlled scrap-test trials?

Check	Status	Evidence	Next action	Copy
{{ row.check }}	{{ row.status }}	{{ row.evidence }}	{{ row.action }}

Laser cutting settings are found through controlled tests, not copied as universal recipes. Two sheets sold under the same material name can differ in thickness, glue, moisture, pigment, fillers, or surface film. Machines with the same advertised wattage can differ in delivered power, beam shape, optics, focus, air flow, motion, and controller units.

A sensible starting setting limits wasted scrap by narrowing the first test area. Power controls how much of the rated optical output is requested, speed controls how long the beam dwells along the cut, and passes repeat that exposure. These values interact: slowing down, increasing power, or adding passes all raise delivered energy, but they do not produce identical edges or fire risk.

Thickness changes how far heat and gas must travel through the stock.
Focus changes spot size and where the narrowest part of the beam sits within the material.
Air assist clears smoke and debris, yet too much or too little can change acrylic finish, flame behavior, and lightweight stock.
Material chemistry determines absorption and the fumes produced. Similar-looking plastics are not interchangeable.

CO2 and blue-diode sources interact differently with materials. Clear or light acrylic can transmit much of a blue-diode beam, while a CO2 wavelength is generally absorbed more effectively. An estimate cannot prove that a particular color, coating, or batch will absorb the selected source.

Kerf is the width removed by the cut. A modeled kerf can help plan the first comb or slot test, but interlocking parts should not be produced from that estimate alone. Measure the real kerf after focus, speed, power, passes, and material batch have been fixed.

Unknown plastics, PVC, vinyl, and chrome-tanned leather fall outside a safe starter workflow. Verify the exact material, use suitable enclosure and extraction controls, keep the test attended, and follow the machine manufacturer's fire and laser-safety procedures.

How to Use This Tool:

Treat the result as the center of a small scrap-test matrix, not as a production setting.

Choose the CO2 cabinet or blue-diode machine class and enter its rated optical power. Do not substitute electrical input power for optical output.
Select the verified material and measure its actual thickness. The accepted physical range is 0.05 to 25 mm after unit conversion, although each material reference row has a narrower recommended range.
Choose the cut target and air-assist level. Auto uses the material's recommended air profile; manual choices deliberately change the speed, power, and pass estimate.
Match Controller speed display to mm/s or mm/min, then start with the baseline row on a tiny scrap piece. Compare nearby lower-heat, faster, slower, and gentle multi-pass rows while inspecting release, corners, back face, edge damage, smoke staining, melt, and flame.

Interpreting Results:

Starter setting provides controller power, line speed, pass count, focus reference, lens reference, estimated kerf, and delivered line energy. Power and speed are the first trial values; focus, lens, and kerf still require the exact machine procedure and a physical test.

Status labels identify model conditions that deserve extra caution. Needs scrap test is checked first for warned diode/material combinations or a diode result at five or more passes. Among the remaining results, High energy covers power at or above 92% or four or more passes, then Slow pass covers speed no more than 1.25 times the selected machine's minimum modeled speed.

Compare delivered line energy only among nearby trials on the same machine, material, thickness, focus, and air setup. Similar J/mm values can still cut differently because wavelength, spot size, acceleration, cooling between passes, and material response are not captured by that ratio.

Technical Details:

The estimator is a repo-authored heuristic built from separate CO2 and diode reference rows for each material. It scales a reference speed, power percentage, and pass count using rated optical power, measured thickness, cut target, and air assist, then clamps the outputs to modeled machine limits. It is not a manufacturer setting table or a physical simulation.

Formula Core

Starter speed uses reference speed S, optical-power ratio R, thickness ratio T, material thickness exponent e, quality speed factor Q, and air speed factor A.

v_{raw} = S \times R^{0.82} \div T^{e} \times Q \times A

p_{raw} = p_{0} \times Q_{p} \times T^{0.16} \times R^{- 0.08} + Δ_{a}

n = ⌈ n_{0} \times \frac{T^{f}}{R^{0.55}} \times Q_{n} \times A_{n} ⌉

E = \frac{W \times p}{v} \times n

Here R is rated optical watts divided by the row's reference watts, T is measured thickness divided by reference thickness, p0 and n0 are the row's reference power and pass count, and f is its pass exponent. Quality and air factors use subscripts for speed, power, or passes; Δa is the air power adjustment in percentage points. In the energy equation, W is rated optical power in watts, p is controller power as a fraction, v is mm/s, and n is pass count.

Raw speed is clamped between the machine's minimum modeled speed and 180 mm/s. Raw controller power starts from the reference percentage, applies quality, thickness, wattage, and air adjustments, then is clamped to 8–90% for CO2 profiles or 10–100% for diode profiles. Pass load uses the material's pass exponent and is rounded upward to at least one pass.

Rule Core

Laser focus, lens, kerf, and warning rules
Output	Rule	Interpretation limit
Focus start	Surface at ≤3 mm; 45% into stock at >3 to 8 mm; 65% into stock above 8 mm	Confirm focus with the actual lens and machine procedure.
Lens reference	38.1 mm at ≤1.2 mm; 50.8 mm at >1.2 to 6 mm; 63.5 mm at >6 to 10 mm; 101.6 mm above 10 mm	A thickness-based reference, not an instruction to replace installed optics.
Kerf	Material/family base + thickness × 0.006 mm for CO2 or 0.01 mm for diode + 0.012 mm per pass after the first, clamped to 0.06–1.4 mm	Use only to design the first physical kerf test.
Safety warning	Raised within 2 percentage points of the machine power cap or at four or more passes	The warning can appear even when the summary status uses another label.

Laser quality and air-assist formula factors
Choice	Speed factor	Power factor or change	Pass factor
Balanced first cut	1.00	1.00	1.00
Cleaner edge	0.82	0.96	1.00
Faster throughput	1.22	1.07	0.90
Lower heat per pass	1.08	0.88	1.45
Air off	0.92	0 points	1.12
Low air	0.98	−1 point	1.00
Medium air	1.02	−2 points	0.95
High air	1.08	−3 points	0.90

The scrap matrix applies five bounded variations around the starter result. Lower heat uses 90% of baseline power and 112% speed. Faster uses 118% speed; slower uses 85% speed. Gentle multi-pass uses 90% power, 108% speed, and one extra pass. Every row recalculates J/mm after clamping.

Material-specific laser cutting cautions
Material group	Important variation	First inspection
Plywood and MDF	Glue, voids, binders, smoke, and residue	Corners, back-face release, char, and optics contamination
Acrylic	Cast versus extruded behavior and poor blue-diode absorption for clear or light stock	Edge melt, flame, exhaust, and actual absorption
Vegetable-tanned leather	Thickness and tanning chemistry	Material identity, odor, residue, and edge damage
Paper and cardboard	Narrow ignition margin	Flame, glowing debris, and scorched support points

Safety and Accuracy Notes:

The result is an educational starting estimate for attended scrap testing. It cannot certify material safety, ventilation, laser classification, delivered optical power, or a production setting.

Confirm the exact stock with supplier safety information before cutting.
Do not cut PVC, vinyl, unknown plastics, or chrome-tanned leather.
Use the enclosure, extraction, eye protection, fire controls, and operating procedure required by the machine manufacturer and workplace rules.
Keep the machine attended and stop at sustained flame, hazardous fumes, uncontrolled smoke, or damaged material.
Measure final thickness and kerf on the same batch used for the finished part.

References:

First Material Test, LightBurn Software.
How to Understand the Results of a Material Grid Test, xTool Support Center.
OSHA Technical Manual: Laser Hazards, Occupational Safety and Health Administration.