K30 diode not cutting 12mm MDF

LightBurn Hardware Compatibility TwoTrees
1

Hello all

I had bought the k30 and I cut 6mm MDF with 6 to 8 passes. I know it should be lower than that but it wasn’t much a trouble so I was working with it. But I wanted to cut 12mm MDF and even with the help of the air assist it burns it before it cuts and it didn’t even cut it under 44 passes what am I doing wrong? I used the 4mm Acrylic to adjust the distance.

I usually cut 6mm with 350 mm/min with 100% power and 3 passes and I have to run it again for it to cut through. So I put the speed to 700 because it kept burning.

Any help would be appreciated.

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“Unbranded 80Watt laser on GRBL”
What kind of machine is that?

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My laser head is Laser Tree k30 I recently bought it to upgrade from the unbranded 80watt to 160watt

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I still can’t figure out what type of laser we’re talking about, sorry.

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What you have is a 30 watt diode module. The 160 watt is input power aka marketing hype aka lies. What you had previously was most likely a 10 watt diode.

I suggest you do a ramp test to determine the correct focal distance for this new module. Then you will probably need to focus into the center of the work piece to cut 12mm mdf.

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I understand that but the data they sent me says it cuts through 12mm MDF 4 to 5 passes and I’ve even watched some YouTube videos doing just that.

I am not sure if I’m messing up the focus even now when you said I need to focus into the center of the work piece I don’t know what it means and how I can make sure of that. Does it have something to do with a circular glare kind of light that appears on the surface of the work piece?

7

First question, did you upgrade your power supply with the stronger laser head? That might be a big part of the problem. If the power supply cannot supply enough power for the laser it won’t cut correctly. Particularly if your previous laser was 12 volt. The new laser requires 24 volt.

What I mean by focusing into the material is putting the strongest, smallest spot of your laser in the center of your workpiece. In your case, 6mm. When you find your proper focus distance, make your own spacer that size. Then move your laser 6mm closer to the MDF.

The video linked below will show you how to run a focus test.

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8

12 mm MDF with a 30W laser? I only cut that thickness with 60W or more. With a 30W laser, I only cut up to 10 mm usually. It’s definitely borderline, even if they tell you it’s possible.