could an experienced user post the absolute limits for thickness of materials when cutting and/or engraving with or without crumb tray ?
A bit less than 0.5" with the tray, and a bit less than 2" without it. The determining factor is the shroud on the air assist fan behind the head; if you crouch down and look in with the bottom of the head at eye level, you can get a visual on how much room you have.
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great tip! thanks!
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As stated above, but the cutting limit is probably a little less than .5" You can engrave on material up to nearly 2" but you can’t cut that thick.
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I think it’s highly dependent on what you’re cutting. The laser will cut some materials even with poor focus. If it doesn’t need a lot of power and you can go fast, more power and a lower speed will cut deeper. I’ve done 1" thick foam, easy. While it’d char some, I bet I could get through the same thickness of Balsa or Cork. And harder materials just require multiple passes. And if you’re wiling to do multiple passes, you can ‘step down’ the focus on each pass to reach deeper in to the cut.
@geek2nurse nailed the physical limitations, as far as the material limitations it absolutely depends on material and the time you’re willing to spend. I cut through 1" thick acrylic, but it took…8-12 passes - with cooling time in between each one and the kerf gets wider each time.
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How did you cut 1" material when the focus range is 0.5"?
Front and back cuts.
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Wow! You’d think of that! 
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I did it all from one side - I was just ok with the wider and wider kerf of a defocused cut. I did lower the focus as low as I could get it, and when it got too deep that I got an error on Set Focus I just focused slightly higher up.
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Wow, just WOW
You could also ask how you cut .25” material with a beam that is only at its tightest focus for about a tenth of an inch (in which the beam size changes about 40% over that tenth of an inch).
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You’re right. Everyone needs to know there’s no limit to the depth of cut for the machine…
No. What I’m saying is that there are additional physics and material properties at play beyond just focal range and lens diameter. Just like acrylic edge lights so well, it’s one of the reasons that it cuts exceptionally well.
I’m not a newbie. The person asking the question is. Telling them they can cut 1" material is not really appropriate, in my opinion.
Didn’t say that you were.
That’s the original post I read in beyond the manual. Then, I saw an experienced user say that they cut one inch acrylic.
Whether you feel it’s appropriate or inappropriate doesn’t seem to really matter here? It is beyond the manual, and it’s answering the question that was asked.
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