I am wanting to do a fill engraving so I can add a color to what is engraved, using the fill engraving setting. I am sure it is a power setting but I am not finding a happy medium. I started at 65%, but that scorched the edges of the lines. 50% only engraved the surface and there was no feeling of the lines. Does anyone have settings on pine plywood that works well?
Can we see a photo example of the scorched the edges of the lines?
Here’s where your manufacturer has provided settings for the A1:
I have engraved over that area doing the testing, but I am guessing I might need to speed up the laser. Speed was 315 power 65. I kept the speed the same but reduced the power to 50%. I am using the Falcon A1, which is a 10W, all enclosed unit, and it is running the latest firmware. Same with my Lightburn, newest version. Thanks for your response
Waiting for the photo @JessN requested.
For burning wood (you did not say what material), this is too much power and/or too slow.
My 10w burns a nice line at 800mm/m and 80% power. 1 or 2 passes is a groove, 5 passes is a cut in 2.8mm Baltic Birch plywood.
In your BIO, you say “Software is the Falcon Design Space”. Are you using this or Lightburn? If Lightburn, do you have Continuous Power enabled?
Thanks for the reply. Sorry, I did a poor job of covering what I was working with. The wood was just a pine piece, not plywood. I also tried it on a euclyptus with a painted side, engraving on the painted side. Both looked to me as scorched or burned outside of the engraved lines. There won’t be an image as I did additional engraving on my scrap pieces trying to figure things out. This work was done using Lightburn. I have only had my laser for about 3 weeks now, so am still learning. I started out with the Falcon Design Space and have been trying to work my way into using Lightburn the last couple of weeks. I did not have Continuous Power enabled. I was not sure if I should have it enabled–again learning. I will try your settings an see what I get tomorrow.
I will have to look at my BIO and change the Falcon software or add Lightburn to it. Thanks again.
Do not worry, in a short time you will feel comfortable using Lightburn. It is a very capable program, but do not let that discourage you. We were all beginners at one time. As you try something new, you might feel like you are starting over, but that is just part of the learning curve. The beauty of this is that you will not get bored.
Just remember that the offered speeds and power settings should be considered as a starting point. It seems every machine and material is different. In no time at all, you will have a feel for what works best for you.
And most important of all is ask questions when you get stuck. The Forum is a goldmine of information (use the search tool and the docs) and members eager to help.
Welcome to the world of laser engraving. I promise it will be a fun journey.
I think the update is not working for now, so don’t worry about it.