Laser engraving and cutting test files

thingiverse

Using new materials to cut or engrave with your laser cutter/engraver needs some testing before the actual 'work'. Several test files are online. A lot of them take many time to get ready, especially when cutting is tested because some materials/thicknesses need multiple passes. So I made a simple set of gcode files to make life easier. A test needs just 10cm by 10cm Step 1. Just for positioning. It draws a 10cm by 10cm box with the laser at 1%. This step could be skipped since you probably have a laser which can also draw a frame to do the same. Step 2: engraving the labels on top and on the side. Step 3a is for test cutting, 3b is for test engraving. Engraving will just run once, engraving 25 boxes of 1cm by 1cm in a 5 by 5 grid Cutting will run up to 10 passes. Before each pass it will put a little I in the box with the word passes on top. Each pass it will add one I. After 4 passes, the line for the fifth pass wil go diagonally through the previous 4 lines. Then it starts with another set blow the first set of lines. After 1 full pass the laser will return home and pause 10 seconds so you have some time to stop the laser if the desired number of passes has been reached (full cut through the material for instance) Both cutting and engraving will start bottom left. First engraving/cutting at low power and high speed. Each new box will be first at a lower speed, then higher power. So power will increase while speed decreases. My engraving example (see photo) I should have stopped my laser engraver a little sooner before the last (way to heavy engraved) box was drawn. Step 4 is cutting the box around the test. Depending on the material you have to run this multiple times.