Laser embossing is to use laser beams to carve a design on the material surface. To create a raised effect, the bitmap design is first divided into multiple layers, and then the laser follows specific settings to cut the layers into different depths.
To laser emboss a material, you need to use a depth map as the processing object.
In 3D computer graphics and computer vision, a depth map is an image or image channel that contains information about the distance of objects from a specific perspective or reference point. Each pixel is assigned a value to represent the distance of that pixel from the reference point, which creates a 3D representation of the scene for its RGB image or virtual scene.
The Stanford Bunny above is a depth map. The white pixels represent the part of the scene that is closest to the reference point, and the black pixels represent the part of the scene that is furthest. In this case, the parts of the scene that are closest are the ears of the bunny. The grayscale gradient in between illustrates that the head, neck, and body are a bit further from the reference point, the legs even further, and the tail of the bunny the furthest before the background, or furthest point of the image.
You can obtain a depth map from the following channels:
Follow the instructions in Connect xTool F1 Ultra to XCS on the Computer.
(1) On the right side of XCS, select Embossment as the processing mode.
(2) In the top-right corner, click User-defined material, select the name of your material, and click Confirm.
Note:
- If you can't find your material in the list, you can click More xTool materials to search among more materials in the Material EasySet Library.
- If you still can't find the name of your material, you can select User-defined material.
Note: After you select a material from the material list or Material EasySet Library, the software will automatically set parameters for laser processing. The default settings apply to xTool materials. You can adjust the settings based on your needs.
(1) Lift the protective enclosure, and place the material on the baseplate, allowing the blue light spot to fall on the surface of the material.
(2) Hold down on the Up/Down button for laser module to lift or lower the laser module. When the red and blue light spots overlap, the focus is successfully set.
Note: The blue light spot does not move. If the laser module moves up, the red light spot moves towards the left. If the laser module moves down, the red light spot moves towards the right.
After you finish focusing, you can see the measured material thickness on the right side of XCS.
Note: xTool F1 Ultra supports auto-focus and manual-focus. Here we use manual-focus. For more information on how to use auto-focus, see Focus the Laser.
(1) On the right of XCS, click Refresh under Snapshot preview.
Note: XSC takes a photo of xTool F1 Ultra’s processing area and uses it as the canvas background. You can position processing objects based on the background.
Note: To ensure positioning accuracy, set the laser focus before shooting the background.
(2) Use the methods described in How to obtain a depth map to import a depth map.
For example, on the left side of XCS, click > Embossment > select a depth map to import it.
Note: Ensure that the object is placed inside the material.
(3) Resize or move the image. Drag the anchor points of the bounding box to resize the image, and drag the image to move it.
Select objects on the canvas. Then, click the icon to unfold the EasySet panel and set parameters for the selected objects on the panel.
If you have saved settings for the same type of material before, you can use your saved settings.
If you want to manually set the parameters, select User-defined. Then, set the parameters below. After setting the parameters, you can click Save setting to save it for further use.
On the right side, set the processing path at the bottom of the panel.
(1) Turn on or off the Evade smoke mode.
When this feature is enabled, the device follows a path less affected by the smoke to process the material.
Note: You are advised to enable this feature for scoring on materials such as wood and corrugated paper that produce heavy smoke. Otherwise, the heavy smoke may block the laser beams and interfere laser processing.
(2) Set the Processing path.
You can preview the processing area on the material by framing. Framing means laser dots walk along the border of the processing objects on the material. Take the following steps to start framing:
(1) At the bottom-right corner of the software, click the icon next to the Framing button to set the parameters for framing.
● Light power: Sets the laser power for framing.
● Mode:
In the Rect mode, laser dots walk along the rectangle border of the processing objects.
In the Outline mode, laser dots walk along the outline of the processing objects.
(2) Click Framing in the software. The laser dots will move along the boundary of the processing objects on the material, allowing you to preview the processing area.
To stop framing, click the Stop Framing button on the top-right corner of XCS.
Note: If the processing area is not ideal, you can adjust the material position or adjust the object positions in the software.
(1) In the bottom-right corner of the software, click Go to process.
(2) Preview the processing design.
(3) Close the protective enclosure of xTool F1 Ultra. In the upper right corner of XCS, click Start. When the software shows “Ready”, press the XTOOL Start/Stop button on the touchscreen controller to start processing.
Note: During laser processing, keep the protective enclosure closed or wear goggles that can shield laser beams of 455 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths.