Safety first (important)
 | Warning Physical injuries or damage to the machine may be caused if you do not follow the instructions or principles. |
 | Warning Physical injuries or damage to the machine may be caused by laser light if you do not follow the instructions or principles. |
1. General safety
2. Laser safety
3. Fire safety
4. Electrical safety
5. Warning and instruction signs
Safety guide
Warning: Some materials may become very dangerous during laser cutting or engraving. For your safety, exercise caution when processing them, understand the harm they may do, and take measures to protect yourself.
Material | Harm |
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), vinyl, leather, artificial leather | Emits toxic pure chlorine gas with strong and pungent odors when being cut! You are advised not to cut this material as it may corrode metal of the machine and damage optical devices and the motion control system. To cut this material, please wear a gas mask or use an air purifier. |
ABS | Exudes cyanide gas and tends to melt. It is apt to melt rather than vaporize, and is likely to catch fire and leave melted gooey deposits. To process this material, you are advised to wear a gas mask and use am air purifier or fire safety set. You can purchase xTool air purifier and xTool Fire Safety Set at www.xtool.com. |
HDPE | Melts and easily catches fire. |
Polystyrene Foam | Melts and easily catches fire. |
Polypropylene Foam | Melts and easily catches fire. |
Polycarbonate, latex paint | Changes color and catches fire. |
Coated Carbon Fiber | Emits noxious fumes. |
Acrylic | Emits harmful gases. You are advised to wear a gas mask or use an air purifier when processing this material. For your information, most 450 nm laser can pass through acrylic. Laser beams emitted by semiconductor laser devices such as xTool D1/D1 Pro and M1 range from 450 nm to 460 nm in wavelength, which means most laser beams pass through acrylic instead of being absorbed. Semiconductor laser devices can cut only a few acrylic sheets. You can purchase them at www.xtool.com. Compared to semiconductor laser devices, carbon dioxide laser devices can process acrylic well. |
Note: When you use laser modules that emit 455 nm laser beams to process materials with blue surfaces, most of the laser beams are reflected rather than absorbed. You need to increase the power to ensure proper processing.
Warning: Do not process reflective materials such as mirrors. It is extremely dangerous to get laser beams reflected, which may do you harm and damage laser devices.
Safe materials
Laser can be used to cut wood, paper, cork, and some kinds of plastic; and engrave most materials such as wood, paper, coated metals, stainless steel, plastic, marble, stone, tiles, glass, etc.
Cutting
Material | Note | Warning |
Most woods | Avoid using oily or resinous woods. | Exercise caution when cutting oily or very resinous woods. It is easy to catch fire. Watch out while cutting wood at a speed under 2% at 10% power. |
Plywood, composite woods | They are glued and probably not as satisfactory as solid wood. | |
MDF, engineered woods | They can be cut but may char to a large extent. | |
Paper, cardboard | They can be easily and nicely cut. | |
Cardboard, carton | They can be nicely cut but may catch fire. | Watch out for fire and exercise caution when cutting them. |
Cork | They can be nicely cut. But the cutting may be affected by the thickness and quality of the cork. If too much glued, the cork may not be cut well. | Avoid using thick cork. |
Polycarbonate | Thin polycarbonate can be cut but its color often changes badly. | Keep good ventilation and watch out for fire. |
Depron foam | It can be nicely cut with smooth edges, popular in avocational making, remote control airplanes, architectural models, and toys. | Pay close attention when cutting it. |
Cloth, felt, hemp fiber, cotton, leather | Thin cloth, felt, hemp fiber, cotton, or leather can be cut, but edges may char due to high heat. |
Engraving
All the cuttable materials described in the preceding can be engraved. Besides, you can engrave:
Material | Note | Warning |
Glass | The texture of engraved glass is similar to that of sandblasted glass. | Beams emitted by semiconductor laser modules of xTool D1/D1 Pro and M1 can't be directly used to engrave transparent glass. You need to put a sheet of laser engraver marking paper on the glass before engraving it. |
Ceramic tile | Smoke and dust are generated when they are processed. | |
Anodized aluminum | It vaporizes the anodic coating. | |
Painted, coated metals | It vaporizes the paint. | |
Stainless steel | It burns its surface and changes its color. | Stainless steel can be engraved only with semiconductor laser devices, such as xTool D1/D1 Pro and M1. |
Stone, marble, granite | White textures are engraved on it, and smoke and dust are generated. |
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