#1 Set up the slide extension

In the package of the slide extension, take out the movable ruler, which functions as a tool to position the laser beams and the objects. Move the ruler around according to the length of your objects.

Take out the material clamps, which function as tools to fix the material. Use material clamp 1 to slide it on into the X-rail, lift up the fixer, and fix it to the corner of your material. When processing large materials, the material clamp 1 takes up minimal space because you can slide it into the rail on the side of the slide extension.

Take out the material clamp 2 and clamp it into the cutting panel. You can also lift the fixer up and fix the edges of the material.

#2 Connect the slide extension to xTool F1/xTool F1 Lite

Use the USB cable to connect the slide extension to xTool F1/xTool F1 Lite.

#3 Start processing with XCS on your computer

STEP 1 Select the processing mode and material name

(1) On the toolbar, select Use slide extension.

In the top-right corner, click User-defined material, select the name of your material, and click Confirm.

STEP 2 Laser calibration

You need to follow the calibration guide strictly before using the slide extension. Click Go to start the calibration.

Follow the guide to align and calibrate:

(1) Align the right edge of the movable ruler with scale 0 of the slide extension. Tighten the screw.

(2) Align the vertical line on the side of the slide extension with the edge of the removable baseplate of xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite), and align the side of the slide extension with the second line on the baseplate. Move the ruler to the working area. Turn the knob to set the laser focus.

(3) Start laser calibration.

Move the slide extension to the left or right slightly to align the laser with the middle of the movable ruler. Turn the knob to set the laser focus.

(4) Pre-lock

Tighten the screws on the left and right sides, but do not tighten them fully.

(5) Move the slide extension to the left or right, and slightly align the laser with the middle of the movable ruler.

(6) Tighten the left screw, click Next, and the extension will move to the left automatically. Tighten the right screw.

(7) Click Complete when you finish calibration.

STEP 3 Place the material

Place the material on the slide extension. You can place a large material, or evenly place multiple materials on the extension.

Use the material clamp to fix the material.

STEP 4 Set the laser focus

xTool F1 & F1 Lite support manual focusing and autofocusing. You can choose the focus way you like.

Note: To cut a material, you are advised to set the focus point at the middle of each cutting depth for the best cutting results. The cutting can be achieved through multiple processes.  For example, to cut a 6 mm thick basswood with one pass, it is recommended to set the focus point at 3 mm below the surface of the material. You can start by focusing on a 3 mm thick material. Then, do not change the focus setting, and replace the material with the 6 mm basswood to be cut.

Manual focus setting

Turn the knob to move the laser module up and down. When the red and blue light spots coincide, the focus is successfully set.

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Auto focus setting

(1) Measure the material thickness.

(2) On the right side of the home screen of XCS, enter your measurement in the top-right corner. And then, the device will automatically focus.

STEP 5 Design objects for processing

(1) Use tools on the left sidebar to create objects. You can import images, insert shapes, enter text, or draw vectors.

(2) Select the objects to further edit them using the features above the canvas.

STEP 6 Set parameters for processing

Select objects on the canvas and set parameters for the selected objects on the right panel.

STEP 7 Preview the processing area

(1) At the bottom right corner of the software, click theicon next to the Framing button to set the parameters for framing.

Note: xTool F1/F1 Lite supports two preview modes: Rect and Outline. If you select Rect, you can preview the rectangular border of the processing area. If you select Outline, you can preview the outline of the processing objects.

(2) Click Framing in the software or press the framing button on xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite) to start framing. The laser spot will move along the boundary of the processing pattern on the material so that you can preview the processing area.

By default, xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite) performs framing for all the elements to be processed. To preview the boundary of one or more particular elements, you can select the elements on the canvas of XCS during framing. The laser spot will move along the boundary of the selected elements, as illustrated by the following pictures.

Default framing:

Selected elements framing:

If the area is not ideal, you can adjust the element positions in XCS during framing. xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite) will adjust the framing area accordingly, allowing you to preview the processing area in real time.

Note: Before framing, pull down the protective enclosure and wear goggles that can shield laser beams of 455 nm and 1064 nm wavelengths.

Note: To stop framing, click Stop framing in the software or press the framing button on xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite).

STEP 8 Start processing

Note (for xTool F1): Using the infrared laser for bitmap engraving at a low temperature may lead to unsatisfying engraving results. To ensure better engraving results, you are advised to turn on Infrared ray preheat in Device settings, so that the laser module preheats before processing.

The Infrared ray preheat feature is not available for xTool F1 Lite.

(1) On the bottom right corner of the software, click Process.

(2) Preview the processing pattern and path.

On the bottom-left corner, click thebutton, and XCS will show you the processing path.

(3) In the upper right corner of the software, click Start.

(4) Pull down the protective enclosure. Then, press the knob on xTool F1(or xTool F1 Lite) to start processing.