1. Remove the removable baseplate

Take out the removable baseplate from the base of xTool F1.

2. Place the material

Place xTool F1 on the material to be processed.

Note: If the material to be processed is sloping, you can hold xTool F1 by its handle on the top and place it on the area to be processed.

To process on sloping surface, you need to turn off the "Stops when moved" feature: On the top right corner of XCS, click the gear icon next to the xTool F1 image. Select Setting, and turn off Stops when moved.

There are two processes available for the following steps.
To design a pattern and set parameters from scratch, please follow the procedure of "Option 1".
To use a previously saved project, please follow the procedure of "Option 2".

Option 1:

3. Design objects for processing

You can use the provided tools in the software to create or import processing patterns when creating a project. You can also take photos or select photos from the album of your phone and use them as processing patterns.

4. Select the processing mode and material name

(1) On the project screen, select Open plane as the processing mode.

(2) Select the material you use.

5. Set the laser focus

xTool F1 supports only manual focusing for the open plane mode.

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.
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 focusing 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.

Note: If you turn the knob clockwise, the laser module will move up, and the red light spot will move toward the left. If you turn the knob counterclockwise, the laser module will move down, and the red light spot will move toward the right.

Note: When the bottom of the laser module reaches the highest point, stop turning the knob up.

6. Set parameters for processing

(1) Tap the canvas to go to the design editing and parameter setting screen.

(2) Select the objects in the canvas and set parameters for each object. The parameters that can be set for bitmap objects and vector objects are different.

• For bitmaps

• For vectors

(3) After setting parameters for each object, tap Back on the top-left corner of the screen.

7. Preview the processing area

(1) At the bottom of the screen, tap Process to go to the Preview screen. Check the processing pattern.

(2) At the bottom of the screen, tap Settings to set parameters for framing. After you finish setting, tap OK.

(3) Close the protective enclosure, and then click Framing in the software or press the framing button on xTool F1 to preview the processing area on the material. If the area is not ideal, you can adjust the material position or tap Go to canvas adjustment in the software to adjust the object positions. After adjustment, preview the processing area again.

8. Start processing

Note: Using the infrared laser for bitmap engraving at a low temperature may lead to unsatisfying engraving results. To ensure better engraving results, you can preheat the laser module before processing.

(1) At the bottom of the screen, tap Start.

(2) Close the protective enclosure. Then, press the knob on xTool F1 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.

Option 2:

3. Open a saved project

(1) On the home screen of XCS, tap My projects.

(2) Select a project from the list or tap Open project from File and select an xTool Creative Space Project (.xcs) file from your phone.

Note: A project file contains objects for processing and processing configurations for each object. You can adjust the objects and parameter settings before you start framing and processing.

4. Preview the processing area

(1) At the bottom of the screen, tap Process to go to the Preview screen. Check the processing pattern.

(2) At the bottom of the screen, tap Settings to set parameters for framing. After you finish setting, tap OK.

(3) Close the protective enclosure, and then click Framing in the software or press the framing button on xTool F1 to preview the processing area on the material. If the area is not ideal, you can adjust the material position or tap Go to canvas adjustment in the software to adjust the object positions. After adjustment, preview the processing area again.

5. Start processing

Note: Using the infrared laser for bitmap engraving at a low temperature may lead to unsatisfying engraving results. To ensure better engraving results, you can preheat the laser module before processing.

(1) At the bottom of the screen, tap Start.

(3) Close the protective enclosure. Then, press the knob on xTool F1 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.