CO2 Laser Settings for Wood, Leather, and Acrylic

The most common question we hear about CO2 lasers is some version of, "What settings do you use for wood?" We understand why people ask. It would be nice if there were one perfect speed and power for birch, one for leather, and one for acrylic.

There isn't. Tube wattage, tube age, lens, focus, air assist, and the material itself all change the result. A setting that looks great on our machine this week may be too hot or too weak on yours. What we can share is how we find settings that are repeatable, and what we watch for on the materials we use most.

Why You Can't Copy Someone Else's Laser Settings

Two similar machines are not the same after a year of work. Tube health, a clean lens, air assist, and even the supplier of the "same" birch all change the result. We treat any chart, including our own notes, as a starting point, not a promise. If a cut fails, work through focus and optics first, as in Why Your CO2 Laser Isn't Cutting Through, before you throw the preset away.

How to Run a LightBurn Test Grid

The fastest honest answer lives in LightBurn's Material Test (Laser Tools → Material Test). It burns a grid of small squares or cut samples across a range of speeds and powers so you can see, on your machine and your material, what actually works.

Use a scrap of the same material and thickness, and the same mask if you will mask the real job. Set focus on that scrap, keep air assist in the state you will use for production, and run a reasonable range instead of a random guess. You are looking for the square that gives you the depth and color you want without blowing out the edges, and for a cut sample that releases cleanly without a flamethrower kerf.

Label the test and keep it. A piece of birch with the date, material, and machine on the back is worth more than a screenshot of someone else's numbers. When you find a winner, save it in your LightBurn material library.

Starting Points for Wood

Wood is where we spend a lot of our time, from bag tags and yardage-book covers to a busy ornament season. Lighter hardwoods and birch show smoke stain easily, so we often mask the surface and use enough air to keep the kerf clear. A honeycomb laser bed that is clean and flat helps the back side of a cut and the evenness of a fill.

For engraving, we would rather have a crisp, controlled fill than a deep, dark crater. You can always run a second pass or drop the speed a little. You cannot put burned wood back. For cutting, multiple moderate passes often look better than one very slow, very hot pass, especially on plywood with glue lines.

Watch for resinous woods and mystery plywood. If a test square turns into a charcoal pit, you are too hot, or the material is not a good candidate. Let the grid tell you.

Leather and Leatherette

Leather and laser-safe leatherette are not the same, and even two vegetable-tanned hides can mark differently. Always test a scrap from the same hide or roll. You want a readable mark without stiff, burnt edges or a smell that tells you the setting is far too aggressive.

Some leathers do well with a light mask, and some do not like adhesive. Test that too. Keep air on enough to protect the lens, but not so hard that you are wrinkling a light patch. If you ever add cylindrical work, like a tumbler or a wrapped handle, that is a different mechanical setup and needs its own tests, often with a CO2 laser rotary attachment made for your machine. Do not assume a flat-bed leather setting will transfer.

Do not laser vinyl, PVC, or any mystery plastic that might contain chlorine. Those materials can release hydrogen chloride / chlorine gas, which is toxic and will corrode the machine. The same hard no applies to polycarbonate (often sold as Lexan and easy to confuse with acrylic), chrome-tanned leather, and faux leather or leatherette unless the supplier clearly states it is laser-safe and PVC-free. Vegetable-tanned leather and known-safe laser leatherette still need a scrap test. If you cannot identify the material, do not laser it.

Acrylic Cutting and Engraving

Cast and extruded acrylic do not behave the same. Cast often engraves with a frosted look that many people want. Extruded can look shinier or muddier and may cut differently. If you can, find out which one you have and test both engraving and cutting on a scrap. Make sure the sheet is actually acrylic (PMMA). Polycarbonate, often branded Lexan, is not a substitute. It cuts poorly on a CO2 laser, can look burnt or yellow, and is not a material we recommend putting in the machine.

Keep the film or a mask on the surface when you want to protect it, and use air and exhaust so residue does not settle back down. Acrylic edges are sensitive to speed and power. A controlled cut can leave a smooth, flame-polished edge, which is often what you want. Too slow or too hot can bubble, warp, or melt in a wavy way. Too fast will leave drag or an incomplete cut. The test grid is how you find the window.

Support the sheet so it stays flat, and do not let small cutouts fall into a dirty honeycomb and get flame-kissed on a second pass.

Keep a Material Library

Once a test earns a place in production, save it with a clear name: the material, the thickness, the machine, and whether the layer is a fill, a score, or a cut. In the LightBurn Material Library, use Create new from layer, then Assign or Link when you want to use it later. That is how a family shop keeps work consistent when more than one person might be at the computer. And whatever material you are testing, stay with the machine while it is running, and keep a suitable fire extinguisher at the laser. Air assist and a good test grid help, but they do not remove fire risk.

Settings are not a secret formula. They are a record of what worked on a real piece, with a clean lens and a level bed. Start there, test on scrap, and adjust when the material changes. That habit will beat any downloaded chart.

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