Can i cut faster?

Hello! I want to ask if somebody knows if I can cut faster.
I am using CNC 3018 GRBL from sainsmart with a 5.5mw diode laser and i want to cut trough diffrent materials. I am currently cutting in 2mm MDF with my settings (as you can see below). Can i do some improvements to my current settings?

At the very least, I’d turn on ‘reduce travel moves’. You can try them and then check the preview and compare run times.

without “reduce travel moves”


with “reduce travel moves”

Turn off “reduce direction changes” - that option doesn’t pay attention to distance and acceleration, so sometimes it makes things worse, not better.

Reducing travel moves did help in your case, but the bulk of your job is in the cutting distance. By using the raw numbers, 25266 mm to cut at 566 mm per minute is 44.6 minutes. No change to the ordering options is going to reduce that number - The only way is to make the machine move faster.

I would suggest doing a ramp test to find the best focus point for your machine to make sure you are getting the best possible focus you can, and then run some small circles at full power with different speeds to figure out the fastest you can go and still cut successfully. If you do not have air assist, that helps greatly when cutting as well.

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what do you mean? i enabled Air assist but i dont even know what that mean

what is a ramp test ?

Air assist is a physical nozzle or hose that blows air into the cut as it is being made. It keeps smoke off the lens and away from the beam path, and helps to improve the burn while keeping down fire. Most CO2 lasers have this, and use an aquarium air pump or air compressor to push air into the cut, like this:

and what is a ramp test?

i have a mini fan on the top of the laser and it is actually doing that job, if i put my hand underneath i can feel the air and i can see the smoke as it is blown.

The fan you have will blow exhaust smoke away from the cut, and will help reduce flame, so that is certainly a good start, but focusing air directly into the cut (like in the above video) improves the cutting efficiency.

thank you so much

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