Perhaps one of the most popular materials for laser engraving – wood and its derivatives like plywood can be easily machined with ZMorph VX All-in-One 3D Printer. See how you can customize end products using the laser toolhead.
Perhaps one of the most popular materials for laser engraving - wood and its derivatives like plywood can be easily machined with ZMorph VX All-in-One 3D Printer. See how you can customize end products using the laser toolhead.
Although you can laser cut thin plywood sheets, it’s much easier to carve it using CNC PRO Milling Toolhead. In this article, we will focus on laser engraving wood and its derivatives.
Laser PRO Toolhead mounted on ZMorph VX gives a lot of possibilities for signage and customization. You can use it to sign end products, engrave decorations, or mark some important pieces of information. There are many prospects and it’s up to you how you unleash your creativity.
Wood comes in various shapes and types, so our guidelines are not to be treated as the ultimate solution to engraving this material. Another story with plywood, because this composite is much more “standardized” than regular wood. That being said, in this article, you will learn the most important tips and tricks on how to laser engrave wood and plywood. Continue reading for more information.
As we’ve mentioned before - different types of wood have different specifications. However, there are a few universal rules.
Choose the wood preset in Voxelizer when laser engraving in this type of material. Standard settings can be applied in almost all scenarios. Working speed should be set between 3-20 mm/s. Slower speeds will burn the wood and faster won’t leave any mark or will be barely seen.
If you have a sheet of material in regular (rectangular) shape, you can use the plastic clamps provided with the ZMorph VX. For laser engraving, you can also use double-sided foam as the forces aren’t strong enough to rip the material off the CNC worktable.
We recommend laser engraving with closed covers. Remember to ventilate the room properly.
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Wood is commonly used in art projects, furniture, crafts, etc. The same goes for plywood and similar materials. They are usually laser engraved in their final form, meaning that first, you should prepare (CNC cut) shapes and then engrave desired patterns.
All operations involving the laser toolhead can be hazardous, but if you follow the safety instructions you can harmlessly and successfully engrave and cut materials using ZMorph XV. Always wear protective goggles. The laser beam can damage your eyesight when looking directly onto it. Our goggles are designed to protect your eyes and minimize the risk of sight damage.
Because the laser is powerful enough to burn your skin you should never put your hands (or other parts of the body) under the working toolhead. In fact, you shouldn’t touch the machine at all while it’s working.
Most materials emit fumes while burned so the room where the machine is standing should be well-ventilated. The best idea is to store ZMorph VX in a separate room, where you aren’t staying for too long.
Did you know that ZMorph VX supports up to 48 different materials for subtractive and additive manufacturing? This feature makes it one of the most versatile desktop 3D printers on the market right now. You can find technical data, sample applications and most important features of these materials in the ZMorph Materials Library available for free via our website.
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