Cutting Speeds (Mecpow X3 Pro)

🚧	This is very much likely to change - I'm still learning every day!

ℹ️	For IndyMill's cutting speeds, see Cutting speeds (Indymill)

This are my settings for my Mecpow X3 Pro.

Engraving

Engraving settings for wood

Material	Distance (mm)	Passes	Power (%)	Speed (mm/min)	Comment
popplar/pine/birch plywood	3	1	100	2000	Works great, more speed then... (manual states 100% w/ 5000mm/min)! ;-)
popplar/pine/birch/birch plywood	3	1	100	3000	Looks good, very fine burn.
beech plywood	3	1	100	2500	Best result in my opinion.
3mm PMMA, extruded, clear	~0	1	30	3500	Needs some backing, like a sheet of (not painted) MDF
3mm PMMA, cast, clear	~0	1	30	3500	TBD
2mm silicone rubber, red	3	1	100	500	TBD

• PMMA engraving with LED laser
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VwU4a54zuI
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOn8UGkSw2U
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8lijXNkWCE
  • https://www.xtool.com/blogs/xtool-academy/laser-cutting-acrylic
  • Bottom-Line
    • LED lasers are bad for the job, but backing it with something dark works...
    • Better use cast than extruded PMMA
    • Adjust focus point to be on the back
    • Clean with window cleaner afterwards

Cutting

ℹ️	The distance for engraving is 3mm. If you're cutting, move the focal point into the middle of the material. For example: 4mm thick material → reduce distance to 1mm.

Cutting settings for wood

Material	Distance (mm)	Passes	Power (%)	Speed (mm/min)	Comment
4mm poplar plywood	1	1	100	200	Depends on density and distance.
4mm pine plywood	1	1	100	180	Depends on density and distance.
4mm beech plywood	1	1	100	120	Depends on density and distance.
6mm poplar plywood	3	1	100	150	Too fast, if focus is a little off (thru warped material), it won't get through. Also, one pass might be a bad idea (takes longer and burns more wood because of loosing focus in lower depths)! Try two passes with two distances (move closer on second cut, or switch to IndyMill). Maybe just reducing distance to 1mm might work for one pass.
black vinyl (cricut)	3	1	100	1300	Stinks poisenous! keep well ventilated!

Screen Printing

• See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUOultMOM7I

Settings for screen printing

Material	Distance (mm)	Passes	Power (%)	Speed (mm/min)	Comment
(Amazon-Angaben) 304 Edelstahl, 200 Mesh, Größe:30cmX120cm, Löcher : 0.075mm, Maschendrahtdurchmesser:60μm, 34% offene Fläche Dünner Ponal wasserfest - Film.	5	1	100	3500	3500mm/min and 5mm is OK (burning from the backside of the 4mm frame) so you can burn it without flipping or fixing the sagging mesh.

Hints

• Marabu-Textilfarbe ist etwas dick für das Mesh, insbesondere bei geditherten Bereichen -> in dem Fall minimal verdünnen!
• Dithern ist vermutlich Unsinn, inbesondere bei hochauflösenden Bildern!
  • A little math
    • This specs says 200mesh is about 70µm, or 200 "holes" per inch.
    • This means, high resolution images (including dithering) can never ever utilize higher resolution than 200ppi. I'd even say you can't exceed 100ppi.
  • TL;DR, when prepating an image for burning…
    • …use 100ppi or less.
    • …use Gimp→Colors→Threshold… to convert to black&white (alternatively, use even lower resolution and then dither)
• Bring die Farbe vorher schon gleichmässig auf, so dass sie das Netz durchdringt
• Streiche nur zweimal so drüber, dass Du das gesamte Bild auf das Ziel durchdrückst
• Hoodie: Auf dem Rücken unterhalb der Ärmel bedrucken, sonst verdeckt die Kapuze den Druck

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• References