Xtool Engraving Acrylic!

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Xtool D1 10 watt- Engraving Acrylic Made Fast & Easy!
Welcome to the Laser Channel- Learn, Create, and Share!
In this video I’ll demonstrate how to engrave acrylic step by step.
This is a detailed video to show the settings I use, how I got the settings and then creating a fun LED acrylic light!
Product links (bookmark them for later!):
Xtool D1 (non pro)
D1 5 watt:
amzn.to/3I6PLpM
D1 10 watt:
amzn.to/3Yl0X8g
Air Assist Kit:
amzn.to/3REX6jH
Rotary Unit:
amzn.to/3RJNT9L
Honeycomb:
amzn.to/3YccqH9
LED Base in Video- purchase acrylic separately:
www.jpplus.com/acrylic-led-light-base-with-wireless-remote
4 Piece LED Complete Set:
amzn.to/3IAUcIr
(this is a popular option)
Wooden LED Base-purchase acrylic separately:
amzn.to/3ZqrVvk
Dollar Tree Black Poster Board:
www.dollartree.com/black-poster-board-22x28/193024

[@MileyonDisney]

Great info. Thanks!

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thanks!

[@richm.1583]

I have a non pro 10w XTool; I just found your videos. It appears I have some binge watching to do. THANK YOU for your time.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Nice! You are very welcome!

[@userMariab]

Thank You for the videos as always. They are clear and concise explanations of projects. So easy to follow along.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thank you so much! A lot of thought and work go in to making the project videos- glad you like it!

[@tikigirl]

Great tip for squaring the project to the frame. I've been doing in a more fiddley way.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thanks!

[@topcheese2889]

I like your squaring method

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thanks! What better way to square material then to use the machine frame!

[@Dancopymus]

Excellent method; congratulations on the quality! I've done it this way; It worked, but not as well as yours, certainly, because I didn't notice some peculiar things. But, I will do it again, observing as you did, because I have the same laser, Xtool D1 10W. Thanks for sharing.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thank you and thanks for watching!

[@Dancopymus]

Not so! I subscribed to your channel.@@thelaserchannel1

[@MrAllenMo]

Thank you, Greg. I have been trying for weeks to find a way of engraving acrylic without melting or popping. I was starting to think it was the paint I was using. You explained it so easy and my first results were perfect. You got another subscriber 😊 I'm using a TTS-55 diode laser. Thank you.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Prefect- thanks for watching!

[@hakanturkarslan]

Finally the video I was looking for. I am using Xtool D1 PRO 10W machine. I will try this. :)

[@thelaserchannel1]

It's my favorite method to engrave acrylic with a laser diode machine!

[@hakanturkarslan]

@@thelaserchannel1 The result was successful on my first try. Thank you very much. A really simple and inexpensive method.

[@thelaserchannel1]

@@hakanturkarslan Excellent- thank you for the feedback on your results!

[@cointroll]

Great Video, looks like a much cleaner way then with the paint.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@rsozac]

Excelent. Thanks a lot for this video

[@thelaserchannel1]

You are welcome!

[@MbManman]

thank you! I subscribed as well.

[@thelaserchannel1]

You're welcome and thanks for subscribing!

[@DoctorDesmoDave]

Interesting technique. I've been etching clear using tempura paint and inverted images. I'm going to try this next. Thx!!

[@davidsnedigar7851]

I'm awaiting my D1 10w to arrive and watching your videos to prep. Thank you! I'm a graphic artist and have seen a few different methods for acrylic and the poster board is by far the easiest. But because it's got a white core, it is a "one and done" thing. I'm going to try a piece of black core illustration board that i already have as it's black through and through. I'm sure I'll have to adjust my settings as there will be absolutely no reflection of white like there is from the core of poster board. Would like to see you try this method as well. Although this black core board is more expensive, I would think the pieces of board would be reusable, making it more affordable in the long run. You can get it at most Hobby Lobby stores in the framing department.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thanks for watching and the idea of using black foam core board!

[@BLuNTEDR]

Good job bro, I'm late to the party but learn pretty quick and great guides like this help no end

[@thelaserchannel1]

Excellent! Thanks for watching!

[@jimking9646]

Very good Greg, I have the xtool DI Pro 20watt

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thank you!

[@Azarathification]

Interesting video! Couple of questions, 1) have you tried methods on clear acrylic that work on glass, such as a coat of zinc galvanising spray? 2) On my screen at least, there seems to be a small tear in the L in Laser, was wondering what would have caused that

[@thelaserchannel1]

Here's a video on different ways to engrave glass: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baSaimqPpLiFa80 (I no longer recommend the Zinc paint due to health risks). The two best methods on clear acrylics I've used are 1) Transfer method using Black Poster board and 2) black tempera paint. Both methods will only change the texture of the surface and usually don't engrave like glass. Not sure what you mean by a tear on the L in laser- I'm not sure what would cause that. Thanks for watching!

[@rodneyreitz7519]

I noticed that in your material test image, you have the min speed set to 10mm/s When I bring up the test material tab it is display 60mm/m where can I make the setting seconds aka time verse distance for this setting I like your video very much , it is clear, concise, and for straight sequential processes it's great thanks

[@thelaserchannel1]

The units can be changed by navigating to Edit>Settings, the area to look at is in the middle of the pop-up window. Thanks for the great feedback- glad you like it!

[@jakerazmataz852]

I'm old and don't want to deal with paint and mess. 👍🏻Does the thickness of the acrylic affect the power speed? I'm talking 3mm. vs 4mm.

[@thelaserchannel1]

The thickness between 3 and 4mm should not matter. Thanks for watching!

[@jimking9646]

Hey Greg, I have the 20 watt xtool di pro so would I go with 15 power and 30 speed? Thanks Jim

[@thelaserchannel1]

Hi- I think I ran at 60% power at 30 mm/s in the video with a 10 watt laser; a starting point for a 20 watt could be 30% pwr @ 30mm/s or 60% pwr @ 60 mm/s. I would still invest in running a test engraving grid- not all 1/8 inch acrylic and poster board are the same and may need slightly different settings for best results! Thanks for watching!

[@vchoi19]

Great and helpful video. Do you ever mirror the image on Lightburn before burning it onto the acrylic? Does it matter?

[@thelaserchannel1]

I do not mirror when I use the transfer method of engraving acrylic . Thanks for watching!

[@markpile3814]

Hi great video just wondered why have you used mm/sec rather then mm per mim as recommended in LightBurn I have been trying to get to grips with clear acrylic and you results look fantastic. any advise would be great thanks mark

[@thelaserchannel1]

Hi- this is a good question. My personal choice is to use mm/s because I run other machines in the shop that run really fast where mm/s makes sense. The industry is trending towards faster and faster machines, especially on laser diode machines! Years ago with much slower machines mm/m made sense but with today's faster speeds I'm seeing advertising speeds of 30,000+ mm/m and this is where mm/s makes sense to me, 500 mm/s. When we look at a galvo laser they run upwards of 5,000 mm/s, that's 300,000 mm/m. It's an easy conversion of simply multiplying or dividing by 60. In later videos I try to post on screen both mm/s and mm/m. Thanks for watching!

[@andrewearl9315]

Greg I have a ikier k1 pro so is max speed 800 mm sec is that 48000 a minute?

[@thelaserchannel1]

Correct- 48,000mm/m. Just keep in mind it takes a little time and distance to ramp up to the full speed- more useful on large projects rather than small projects.

[@patrickmurphy5255]

What is the difference between xtool and lightburn? I'm very new to this so bear with me. Thanks

[@thelaserchannel1]

At a basic level they both control the laser machine to cut or engrave. The xtool software offers simplicity with the xtool family of products and rotary accessories. It's one of the easier ways to start creating with your laser machine. Lightburn is made for any compatible laser machine- it offers more creative options, but with that comes a learning curve. The rotary accessories need to be calibrated, but you can use accessories from other brands. I started with the extool software until what I ran into limitations of the xtool software and then I switched to Lightburn. I run a variety of laser diode machines, Co2 lasers, and a Galvo fiber laser all using Lightburn. Each type of machine needs a different license but the interface is seamless. Hope this helps!

[@steve57669298]

Thank you. Can I use the Xtool D1 Pro 20w with this same procedure?

[@thelaserchannel1]

You're welcome! Yes- you can use the same procedure with the D1 Pro 20w- just adjust the power lower or increase the machine speed.

[@pereg5560]

Where can i find the black poster paper? it has another name too? Thanks excellent video :)

[@thelaserchannel1]

Hi- most craft stores will have black poster board or a heavy black craft paper! Thanks for watching!

[@umangu]

Hey man! How would you do this on clear cast acrylic pipe?

[@thelaserchannel1]

I would use the chuck rotary and rolled up black poster board rolled up on the inside if the pipe isn't too thick. If the pipe is thicker then maybe apply black tempura paint to the outside as a masking agent. Thanks for watching!

[@stephensharma3259]

How does it engrave black into acrylic? 🤔 isnt it normally frosted output

[@thelaserchannel1]

The black color is just the ash from the poster paper melted into the acrylic- this is from too much laser energy. Good settings will produce the normal frosted output! Thanks for watching!

[@stephensharma3259]

@@thelaserchannel1 i have a 100watt..still struggling to engrave photos on acrylic

[@thelaserchannel1]

@@stephensharma3259 a 100 watt Co2 laser?

[@user-hy6wh3qd7q]

i have a 20w laser im trying 15% power at 175mm/s and still get a couple of pops speeds seems right.. but less than 15% seems like it would be to low to even engrave.. any tips.? could my laser be too close to the acrylic? but im supposed to focus to the bottom right? ps im using black paper as well

[@thelaserchannel1]

Hi- set the focus to the black poster board under the acrylic. The engraving will be very light- more of a texture. The engraving really shows up with lit by the LED stand. If the acrylic is popping or cracking chances are it's extruded and not cast. Extruded looks nearly the same and costs less but does not engrave or cut without popping or cracking.

[@user-hy6wh3qd7q]

thanks for the response.. apparently.. all the ones sold on amazon are extruded.. any idea were to get the cast kind? since they come as a "kit" on amazon im sure they throw in the cheaper stuff in there@@thelaserchannel1

[@stevendrake5369]

I have a xtool d1 pro not sure if wattage makes a difference but the settings you have did not work . . I screen shot them and entered them exactly .My laser quit in the first second or 2 when using those settings Do you have any advice.

[@thelaserchannel1]

Yes- the wattage of the laser module will affect the power/speed settings. I used a 10 watt laser. I'm not sure why your machine quit after 1-2 seconds. For best results you can try a test engraving with your setup.

[@vchoi19]

Will the results change if I use a honeycomb?

[@thelaserchannel1]

The material under under the poster board should be a flat piece of material like stainless steel or aluminum. Thanks for watching!

[@jerrybrown8122]

Where did you get the lighted base?

[@thelaserchannel1]

Link is in the video description. Thanks for watching!

[@samuelsanchez6180]

Would that work on the xtool m1?

[@thelaserchannel1]

Yes- this method will work for the Xtool M1, the M1 uses a laser diode. Thanks for watching!

[@user-gy7ih3sb1m]

Hello. Question for you. Your image looks like it is going to line...not fill. But, your settings are set to fill @60 spd and @30 pwr. Why is it will I show "Fill" on my projects in LightBurn...they are filled in with the layer color of my choosing. FYSA...I have D1 Pro-5W laser ONLY. Lastly, I doing a LED sign as well (5" x 5")...but, mine in preview mode shows 35 hours?!?!?! That cannot be right. HELP! Thanks!!

[@thelaserchannel1]

Hi- the engraving of the image is set to fill- the other layer set to line I used just for framing and alignment of the project material. If your preview time ETA is 35 hours I'm thinking the Lines Per Inch might be set really high. I set mine to 300 LPI. To find the best settings for your setup the materials test chart in the video is the best way to find the settings! Thanks for watching!

[@ianDami-of4rx]

Have a few questions

[@thelaserchannel1]

What kind of questions do you have?

[@Piginhatwoodcrafts]

Why would anyone place two bowls of water like that😅

[@lindagurns9613]

Great video, thanks!!

[@thelaserchannel1]

Thank you!