If one corner of an engrave looks crisp and another looks faded or overburned, the bed or the material is probably not level. Here is how we check it in the shop.

A dirty lens steals power and ruins focus. Here is the careful way we clean CO2 laser lenses and mirrors in the shop, and the habits that keep us from damaging them.

Ghosting and double lines usually come from mechanical slop or a scan offset that needs a tweak. Here is how we tell the difference and fix it.

When a CO2 laser leaves tabs, char, or a half-cut, don't start by turning the power all the way up. Work through focus, dirty optics, speed and power, passes, and air assist in that order.