I want to engrave Thick Proofgrade Acrylic .100 inches deep. Is there a table somewhere I can look up the settings or is it just trial and error?
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At this point, probably trial and error. (Maybe someone has come up with some settings for that kind of precision, but I haven’t seen it.) 
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Here’s how I’ve gotten precise depths:
- create an .svg file with 5 or 6 small circles of different colors
- surround them by a tight rectangle
- add a cut line down the center (bisecting all circles and the rectangle)
- engrave the circles with various power settings, and cut the line and then the rectangle
- measure depth with your calipers
It generally takes 2 or 3 cycles of tuning in to the proper settings based on your speed, LPI, and precision needs.
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Sounds like a plan. Thank you.
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What did you learn?
Can you share a baseline config to help us others to find it in 1 cycle instead of 3? 
Do we have a best practice to not share settings and learnings like below on this forum? EDIT: Apparently we split up threads into 2 threads. 1 that is just for show and 1 for the “tell” settings (or move the thread if it gets enriched)
Machine: GF pro
Target: engrave depth 1mm/0.04inch
Material: PlexiGlass 3mm / 0.12inch
my settings:
Cut - speed/power 100/100
Engrave - 500/50 (offset focus height)
LPI 225
focus height 0.04 or 0.16 (top or bottom engrave)
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Information on settings can be shared in the Beyond the Manual section of the forum.
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ok i think i get you.
To avoid any legal issues from using settings on the forum you transfer any post/thread an owner publishes about non proofgrade non standard settings to the padlocked “Beyond the Manual” area of the forum.
Correct. 
There is also variation between machines and batches of material, so retuning may be necessary. I used settings for a precise depth in my Ancillary Mode Dial instructions (Ancillary Mode Dial) but there minor variation between jobs was handled by the design.
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What is an offset focus height?
How does the focus height 0.04 or 0.16 (top or bottom engrave) work with .12 material?
So a mirrored engrave from the bottom is .16?
thanks
Craig Knippel
You generally specify the top surface, but for some materials, you can get a “nicer” result by adjusting that setting. There are very few posts of actual numbers.
I like the cut line trick. I usually use the probe end in the caliper to measure depth but I can see how the cut line might have some advantages.
The bottom of the “pit” is seldom perfectly flat, it ends up a bit cup-shaped, and it’s nice to see that cross-section. You can actually mitigate this somewhat with an additional de-focused score of the circumference, but that’s only if you want to get very fiddly for a particular material.
Yeah I’ve seen that too. It would be interesting to see if corners vs curves have different profiles.
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