Contents:

#1. The engraving results are not as good as expected. Why?

#2. The engraved patterns are not clear. Why?

#3. I can't set the focus properly. Why?

#4. How do I know whether the focus is properly set?

#5. What is the actual output power of the infrared laser module?

#6. What is the operating temperature of the laser module?

#7. No light shield is provided on the laser module. Will it hurt my eyes when it is working?

#8. The indicator on the bottom of the laser module lights up in yellow. Why?

#9. The infrared laser module is designed in a larger size. Why?

#10. Can I use xTool 1064nm infrared laser module to cut plastic materials?

#11. What is the highest engraving speed?

#12. Which laser module engraves stainless steel better, xTool 1064nm infrared laser module or 20W diode laser module?

#13. The power of the infrared laser module is only 2W but it can be used to engrave metal. Why?

#14. Do I have to replace the original power adapter with the one delivered with the infrared laser module?

#15. Which materials can be engraved by the infrared laser module?

#16. Can I use the infrared laser module to engrave or cut transparent acrylic?

#17. Can I use the infrared laser module to cut metal?

#18. What is the greatest engraving depth?

#19. Can I use the infrared laser module to engrave colored patterns?

#20. Do laser modules support hot-plug?

#21. I engraved black acrylic but the results were not as good as expected. Why?

#1. The engraving results are not as good as expected. Why?

Possible reasons:
 (1) The laser focus is not set or properly set. For details about how to determine whether the focus is properly set, see "4. How do I know whether the focus is properly set?"
(2) The Lines per cm parameter in XCS or Lines per Inch in LightBurn is not properly set, usually set too small. You need to set a greater value and try again.
(3) Constant Power Mode in LightBurn is not properly set. To process vector files, enable Constant Power Mode; to process bitmap files, disable it.

 (4) Power and/ or Speed are not properly set.

#2. The engraved patterns are not clear. Why?

: The Lines per cm parameter in XCS or Lines per Inch in LightBurn was set to a small value. The laser spot of the 1064nm infrared laser module is very small, that is, 0.03 mm × 0.03 mm, which allows you to set Lines per cm or Lines per Inch to a greater value.

#3. I can't set the focus properly. Why?

: The depth of focus of the infrared laser module is only 1 mm, which may cause the focus setting to be difficult. Make sure that the surface of the material is flat and use the focal length setting bar properly to set the focus.
Note: To process precious metals, it is recommended that you test whether the focus is properly set on other metals first.

#4. How do I know whether the focus is properly set?

: If the focus is properly set, a white spot falls on the material during processing. For some materials, such as copper, aluminum, and stainless steel, a sound is also made.
Use the processing of stainless steel as an example:

#5. What is the actual output power of the infrared laser module?

: The average output power of the infrared laser is higher than 2W, and the peak power is about 15KW.

#6. What is the operating temperature of the laser module?

: The infrared laser module can operate at the temperature of 10℃ to 35℃, that is, 50°F to 95°F.
- At 10℃ to 20℃ (50°F to 68°F): the laser module needs to be preheated for about 5 to 10 seconds. It is recommended that you test the processing on a material for testing first.
- At 20℃ to 30℃ (68°F to 86°F): the laser module works at its best.
- At 30℃ to 35℃ (86°F to 95°F): the laser module can work properly, but you need to pay attention to the over-temperature indicator. Stop processing when the indicator lights up.
- At a temperature higher than 35℃ (95°F): do not use the infrared laser module. Extremely high temperature may damage the components of the laser module, which is not covered by warranty.

#7. No light shield is provided on the laser module. Will it hurt my eyes when it is working?

  : The laser beams emitted by the 1064nm infrared laser module are infrared light, which is invisible and therefore will not hurt your eyes. Do not expose your eyes, however, to direct radiation of the laser beams, or they may get hurt. The bright white light (plasma) generated during engraving, however, may hurt your eyes. You can wear the safety goggles delivered with xTool D1 or D1 Pro to protect your eyes.
The laser module is designed without a light shield because it may reduce the processing accuracy of the laser module.

#8. The indicator on the bottom of the laser module lights up in yellow. Why?

: It's an over-temperature indicator. When the indicator lights up in yellow, the upper temperature limit of the laser module is reached, and the over-temperature protection is triggered, which limits the output light power of the laser module. When this happens, the processing is not performed properly. Therefore, when the indicator lights up in yellow, stop processing, wait for the laser module to cool down, and then start the processing again.

#9. The infrared laser module is designed in a larger size. Why?

: The infrared laser module uses the laser pumping technology. Compared with blue-light laser modules, it generates more heat in operation. High temperature may damage components of the laser module and reduce the output power. Two measures are taken to protect the laser module:
- Using more cooling fins to slow down the raising of temperature, which ensures a longer processing duration at a time
- Adding an over-temperature indicator, which instructs users to stop processing when over-temperature protection is triggered

#10. Can I use xTool 1064nm infrared laser module to cut plastic materials?

: No, you can't.
Theoretically, you are advised not to cut any material by using the infrared laser module.

#11. What is the highest engraving speed?

: The engraving speed depends on which machine the infrared laser module is used with. For xTool D1 Pro, the engraving speed can reach 400 mm/s, and for xTool D1, it can reach 180 mm/s.

#12. Which laser module engraves stainless steel better, xTool 1064nm infrared laser module or 20W diode laser module?

: For stainless steel, when Power is set to 100%, both the 1064nm infrared and 20W laser modules achieve the same engraving depth. The 20W laser module, however, can't be used to engrave gold, silver, copper, or raw (silver) aluminum.
The 1064nm infrared laser module can be used to engrave any metal without any painting or laser engraver marking paper.

#13. The power of the infrared laser module is only 2W but it can be used to engrave metal. Why?

: The average power of the infrared laser module is only 2W, but the peak power is 15KW. When Power is set to 100% to engrave stainless steel, its power can reach 20W. In addition, the infrared laser module can engrave gold, silver, copper, or raw (silver) aluminum that the 20W diode laser module can't engrave.

#14. Do I have to replace the original power adapter with the one delivered with the infrared laser module?

: No, you don't need to replace the power adapter if you use xTool D1 20W or xTool D1 Pro 20W.
Alternatively, you can use any xTool power adapter of which the output power is 100W.

#15. Which materials can be engraved by the infrared laser module?

: All kinds of metal, leather, opaque plastic, dark-colored non-transparent acrylic, stone, glass (with laser engraver marking paper), ceramic (with laser engraver marking paper), and circuit board

#16. Can I use the infrared laser module to engrave or cut transparent acrylic?

: No, you can't.
Do not use it to cut or engrave transparent acrylic.
You can use it to engrave dark-colored non-transparent acrylic.

#17. Can I use the infrared laser module to cut metal?

: You can use the infrared laser module to cut aluminum, stainless steel, and copper sheets of 0.5 mm. You are advised, however, not to do so. Cutting metal for a long time requires the laser module to dissipate the great amount of heat generated, and if the temperature goes too high, components of the laser module may be damaged.

#18. What is the greatest engraving depth?

: Around 0.05mm.

#19. Can it be used for colored engraving?

: No, it can't. Only blue-light laser modules can do so on stainless steel and titanium.

#20. Do laser modules support hot-plug?

: No, they don't. You need to turn off the machine (xTool D1 or D1 Pro) every time before you replace a laser module.

#21. I engraved black acrylic but the results were not as good as expected. Why?

Possible cause: The black acrylic you used did not meet the engraving conditions.

Check whether the black acrylic meets the following conditions:

• Opaque
  You are advised to use opaque acrylic sheets because laser beams pass directly through transparent or translucent acrylic sheets.
• Produced by casting process
  It is found in laboratory tests that laser engraving devices engrave best on acrylic sheets produced by the casting process instead of the extrusion process.

In conclusion, you are advised to use opaque acrylic sheets produced by the casting process.