Hello Folks! i am using a jig for 4 slate coasters. I am using a Genmitsu 4040Pro with a 10W laser. Lightburn is doing its thing, but I think there is something going on with the time. It says my job is going to take 9 hours! (see Pic) Any thoughts from you experts as i am new to buring slate. Many, Many Thanks!
Your speed is EXTREMELY SLOW at 390 mm/m. On my 10 watt diode I run at 6,800 mm/m 90% power for slate.
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As @thelmuth says the speed is extremely low it is something like 7 mm/s, for engraving I usually set 120 mm/s on my CO2 laser. Or 120mm/s = 7200 mm/m.
I appreciate your reply. I tried at 6800 MM and 90% power and I also tried at 48 MM and 90% power and it didnât even scratch the surface or make any impression. The image below it is 390 MM at 90% power what are your thoughts about what I might be doing wrong?
It looks great. How long did that actually take? Your initial post said 9 hours for all 4.
I have seen a glitch where the speed doesnât act properly. It will say mm/m but actually be running mm/s. Go to Settings, click mm/s and save then go back in and click mm/m and save. See if your laser seems to run at a different pace after this.
Hi Tim, the first two at the bottom took 4.5hrs. Then I stopped it and upâd the speed to 6800 and 4800. then ran just the top ones, nothing came out. I checked the settings you mentioned, but what am I needing to check? See Attached, And Many Thanks!
Thatâs crazy! I just ran this one because I haven"t done any coasters in quite some time and wanted to ensure my library settings were correct. This took 5:53. 6,800 mm/m @ 90%. I realize itâs not the same graphic, but there isnât a 2 hour difference.
Not sure what is going on with your setup. a 10 watt should go much faster than that. Have you been having issues with other materials?
Just for kicks select mm/s then OK, go back in and select mm/m then OK. After that try one at 5,000 and 90% and see if anything engraves.
hey Tim! Do you think we could chat over the phone rather than going back-and-forth on the forum?
Yes, I should be back home in 45 minutes to an hour. Send me a private message with your phone number and Iâll give you a call when I get back home. My number is 352 area code just so you know itâs not a spam call.
Hello @ranrud, âInches / mm/minâ means that distances will be shown in inches while speed values are indicated in mm/min. This is for users who are comfortable using Inches as units of measure for designing but would like to use mm/sec speed settings usually provided by manufacturers or other forums online. Here is thread explaining the same:
On the other hand, please check if your laser head is damaged or if the laser is out of focus, usually a 10W laser cutter should be able to engrave slate much higher speeds.
References -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFlBoTMoZzA (check description)
Hope this helps 
In the console, type $$ and press enter. Check the number next to the $30 setting. Then, in LightBurn, go to Edit > Device Settings, and make sure the âS-value maxâ setting is set to the same value. If it isnât, that can affect the power output.
You can also click the âAdditional Settingsâ tab in that same window, then click âRead from controllerâ to have LightBurn apply the motion settings from your machine to the simulation, which can make the time estimates more accurate.
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I understand the purpose of the setting. I have seen a wierd issue with my system when I change from diode to C02 or vice versa. My speeds will report correctly in the layer settings but when I go to run itâs using the other value and not burning properly. What I have found resolves it is to do just what I suggest he do and change the units in settings and back again. After I do that my system works properly.
I completely forgot about this, but wasnât thinking in that direction as thatâs usually something that appears on a new install.
If I wouldnât throw my back out, you would see a video of my HAPPY DANCE!
The setting was at 1000, not 10000. I followed your advice and it works like a charm! So much faster! THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR SUPERIOR SUPPORT! Lightburn is awesome!
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One more question please? What would be the proper settings for 10W Laser for wood coasters? The Wood is 1mm thick, 4" square and is like teak or basswood.
Hello @ranrud there are multiple answers to your question:
- Go to Laser Tools - Material Test - Enable Text - Enable Border - Start ( Leave all other settings as default)
This will create a matrix of Speed vs Power cuts which will give a general picture of probable settings.
If you still want to fine tune settings after using the Material Test , the next time you can tweak the minimum and maximum values of speed and power from your observations from the first Material Test to get even more accurate settings.
- If you feel like Option 1 isnât your cup of tea, you could search for material cut settings for 10W diode laser. Many laser engraver manufactures put recommended cut/engraving settings for respective materials on their website.
While it may or may not be plug and play, you have a speed and power value to play around with!
- A hybrid of 1 and 2 is what I use when I have to save material and time. Where I first look for the generic settings available online and then use the Laser Tools - Material Test - input a conservative speed and power range to find the best suited settings.
Video Resource - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTx0RG_4Wbs
Hope this helps!
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