Power vs Speed

If something is cutting deeper than I want it to, is that matter of too much power or the wrong speed?

Could be either/both. :slight_smile:

It’s ultimately about energy delivered. So speed and power both play into that.

Assuming a base line of 250 speed/full power.

300 speed/full power will not cut as deep.

250 speed (original speed)/75 power won’t cut as deep.

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Could be either of those or LPI as well.

Slower speeds deliver more power to the material for any given power setting and will engrave most things deeper as a result.

Higher power settings will deliver more power to the material for any given speed setting and will engrave deeper.

Higher LPI settings will result in more closer passes & overlap previous passes so will result in deeper engraves as well.

There are a number of calibration tools people have developed that allow you to see the effects of different power & speed settings in each material you use. They’re good to use whenever you try a new material. That way you can see what particular settings will result in so you can make your settings.

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For cutting, something like this:

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It can be either one.

There is a third factor to consider though: Quality.

Quality/cleanliness of the cut is inversely related to the speed as well. So, yes you can step up the speed to reduce the depth, but that can also reduce the quality of the cut.

Basically it just takes some testing to find the right balance of settings for the end result you want.

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Yea. Definitely LPI for engraves.

The maple ply I generally keep around, I like about:

full speed, 30 power, 225 LPI
Full speed, 26-27 power, 270 LPI
Full speed, 21-22 power, 340 LPI

I upped it to 675 LPI (why - because I can!) and had to drop all the way down to a power of 1 (example below) or it was just carving out the wood.

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To clarify:

Cutting means cutting or scoring a vector line?

Or do you mean depth of engraving?

For both, speed and power and even focus can make a difference in depth.

For cuts, number of passes is another variable.

For engraves, LPI is another variable.

In general you want the fastest speed possible for cutting and engraving, but that depends on the density and flammability of the material.

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I’m sure it seemed like a simple question… :wink:

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I highly recommend the method in the link @evansd2 posted above – it’s been really useful to me in finding the perfect settings for a particular material. :slight_smile:

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