Using material library (MDF 3MM CUT) from Snapmaker with 10W laser. I was not able to cut through 3mm Snapmaker mdf that I purchase from Snapmaker store.
Is something wrong with my 10W laser or mdf material?
I already clean the laser len but it does not help.
Hello,
I am also trying to find answer on this question. I am right now considering buying 10w module and i can not see anywhere confirmation that it can cut 3mm mdf. It says in specs that it can, but with how many passes and which thickness?. And also why āThe Definitive Guide to Laser Engraving and Cuttingā is not updated yet with 10W info? I will not buy it until i get this confirmation for sure.
The 10W will cut through 3mm in one pass. Iāve just tried cutting 6.5mm MDF, it took 4 passes at 300mm/min, power at 100% with zero stepdown.
I tested 3mm MDF and at 100mm/min it took 2 passes to cut a 22mm circle that fell out of the material without force. I bet it would take 1 pass @ 60mm/min.
Thank you guys, this was really helpful!
Oops, I must have been looking at the material in low light, it was actually 3mm ply, cut in one pass 100% power at 300mm/min.
I just tried 3mm MDF with the 10W laser and the Luban default settings. It didnāt cut through.
MDF is a dangerous product no matter what you use to process it, which is why it is illegal to use MDF in US schools. You might prefer to use the CNC Module to cut it, instead of using the Laser Module. Just make sure that you have proper dust filtration when doing so. The fumes from lasing MDF are more dangerous than the dust from CNC milling, so I would never attempt to use a laser to cut MDF.
I am having the same problem with 3 mm MDF that I recieved from Snapmaker. I think the default setting is 240 mm/min @ 100% with one pass. I tried this at first thinking this would work, being the default setting for the 10w laser. It maybe cut 0.5 mm deep.
After reviewing this thread, I played with the settings for work speed, passes, and stepdowns. Currently, 150 mm/min, 4 passes w/ 1mm steps (probably too much stepdown) for a 30 mm x 30 mm square came the closest. It achieved some very small intermittent burn-through, but not a complete cut.
I had tried stepping the work speed down to 50 mm/min with one test. Obviously this increase the burn/cut width and creates more surface burn. Iām sure I can dial it in, but I am disappointed with the results and am confused as to the varied results on different machines.
I am running the new power supply and recalibrated the module camera and thickness calibration. I have not repeated the toolhead calibration.
I thought the point of using stepdowns was to maintain the correct focal point of the laser.
I just had my first try with the new 10W laser on 3mm MDF. I cut this:
and it worked perfectly with the default settings i.e. 240mm/min, 1 pass, 100% power. Every line cut through completely. Iād guess that MDFs are all very different and it depends on how it was made, what wood it contains, how much resin, etc. So I guess I just got lucky that it worked. The end result looks exactly as the photos on thingiverse, except mine is 75% the size since the original is made for 4mm thickness but I used 3mm thickness. The full cut completed in around 25min.
Where do you purchase your MDF?
I purchase from snapmaker.
It was a scrap piece, not sure where it came from, possibly from an old piece of furniture ā probably shouldnāt be cutting a random piece of MDF 
.
Iāve had decent cut through on test grids with about 300mm/m and 2 passes using the snapmaker MDF. Slowing it down to achieve cut through in one pass resulted in a lot of burn as well.
These were cut at 210 mm/m, 2 passes, with a 1mm z step. Small amount of tearing on the back and pretty charred on the edges, but didnāt leave the top terribly burned even without masking.
How do you handle/clean charring?
Are you guys setting the temp from the Luban Workspace while connected or thru the touchscreen or just in the gcode setup? I think there is an issue where they are not all basing their power on 100% and instead running fractions of fractions. Like 40/20 or 60/60. It may be that the slider is changing both numerator and denominator and the text input box is only changing the numerator or vice versa. For example if I set the power using the slider to 60%I get 60/60. If I then type in a value of 40% in the box next to the slider I get 60/40 or 40/60. If you change this on the touch screen you will get another value but I am not sure if it is a fraction of what was in the workspace setting or not. I am not sure why the denominator would ever be something other than 100 since power is based on 100%.
With the 10W laser I can cut it using 100%/180mm/minā¦ but that only penetrates on the X not the Y. I have to go down to 160mm/min to cut in both directions. Why would that be?
With that said, the MDF from Snapmaker is all but useless IMO. You canāt laser it, as youāre left with a charred mess, leaving the item useless. Iāve exhausted every speed/power/passes combination, everything chars BADLY.
You canāt CNC the stuff, as it just frays on the top and bottom (applying tape helps somewhat). So I guess my question isā¦ why does Snapmaker even sell that as a usable material.
