Permanent identification
Names, serial numbers, logos, QR codes and small-detail marks on suitable stainless, titanium, brass and aluminium parts.
Beginner's guide · fibre / fiber
From first mark
to real depth.
Learn what a galvo fiber laser can do, how power percentages and speed work together, how to build a reliable test grid, and how 2.5D relief engraving is made.
Safety before settings
Many open-beam fiber markers are high-hazard systems. Check the machine's class and manual; keep the enclosure and interlocks working, control direct and reflected beams, use only wavelength/OD-matched protection required by the risk assessment, and extract fumes suitable for the material. Never look into the beam or a shiny reflection; never bypass an interlock. See the UK HSE laser guidance.
01 · What it can do
One tool, several different finishes
Fiber markers are especially effective on many metals. The same artwork can look very different depending on whether you change the surface, remove a coating, or actually ablate material.
Anneal / colour / contrast
Controlled heat can change the oxide or surface structure. MOPA sources add pulse-width control that can help tune some colour effects.
Coating removal
Remove selected anodised, painted or coated layers when the material and coating are confirmed suitable and extraction is in place.
Deep and 2.5D relief
Repeated passes remove material; a grayscale height map can vary the pass count to create visible physical relief on a galvo system.
Not a universal cutter: desktop marking heads are designed for marking and engraving, not general sheet-metal cutting. A metal-marking fiber source is also not a drop-in replacement for a CO₂/diode laser on wood or acrylic.
02 · The controls
Change one variable at a time
Power and speed are only part of the recipe. Keep lens, focus, material finish, frequency, pulse width, line interval and hatch strategy in your notes.
Power (%)Commanded fraction of the source's rated output. The percentage scale is controller-specific; it is not a calibrated power meter.
Speed (mm/s)Scanner travel rate. With other settings fixed, slower passes generally deliver more energy per unit length.
Frequency (kHz)Pulse repetition rate. Use only values supported by your source; changing it also changes the mark's character.
Pulse width (ns)Adjustable on many MOPA sources, but fixed or limited on many standard Q-switched fiber sources.
Line interval (mm)Hatch spacing. Closer lines fill more densely and take longer; test for gaps, heat and finish.
Passes / layersRepeated scans add energy and, for ablation, can remove more material. Inspect and clean between groups.
Hatch angleChanging scan angle between passes can help even out deep pockets and reduce ridges.
Lens & focusLens changes spot size and field size. Re-focus and recalibrate when the lens or work height changes.
A useful mental model
For a rough comparison, energy per scan length rises when commanded power rises or speed falls. But frequency, pulse width, line spacing, focus, material and heat buildup can change the result dramatically.
relative line energy ≈ power ÷ speed
Use this only to compare two tests on the same machine/material with everything else held constant—not to predict depth or transfer settings between lasers.
03 · Power percentages
What does 30%, 50% or 80% mean?
The arithmetic below converts a rated wattage into a nominal percentage equivalent. It helps you compare power classes, but the controller's percentage is not a calibrated measurement of the beam.
25 W
50% of a nominal 50 W rating is 25 W by arithmetic. Actual output depends on the source, controller and calibration.
Power-percentage lookup · nominal watts
A 50W machine at 50% does not automatically engrave the same as a 20W machine at 100%. Pulse energy, spot size, source type, field lens, firmware limits and material response differ. Treat watts as a class label; tune the process with a coupon.
04 · Published examples
Useful starting references—not universal recipes
These examples are tied to named machines, materials and lenses. Copy the test idea, not blindly the numbers; a different source may not support the same frequency or pulse width.
| Goal & machine | Published example | What to learn from it |
|---|---|---|
| Stainless steel · dark anneal OMTech Galvo, standard F160 lens | 20W: 70–85% · 200–300 mm/s 30W: 50–65% · 300–450 mm/s 50W: 35–45% · 500–700 mm/s Shared example: 40–50 kHz, 0.015–0.020 mm interval, 90° cross-hatch. | Those are the maker's model-specific values for a smooth, dark surface mark. Annealing is not deep removal. Re-test the exact steel grade and finish. OMTech source. |
| Stainless steel · deep engraving OMTech Galvo, standard F160 lens | 20W: 90–100% · 300–500 mm/s 30W: 90–100% · 600–800 mm/s 50W: 85–95% · 1,000–1,500 mm/s Shared example: 20–30 kHz, on-focus, 3 hatch angles, 5–30 passes. | A faster scan on a higher-power source is a model-specific example, not a watt-for-watt conversion rule. Measure the depth and inspect heat/slag between pass groups. OMTech source. |
| Stainless steel · white / frost mark OMTech Galvo, standard F160 lens | 20W: 35–45% · 800–1,000 mm/s 30W: 25–35% · 1,200–1,500 mm/s 50W: 15–25% · 2,000–2,500 mm/s Shared example: 50–60 kHz, 0.03–0.04 mm interval. | The goal is surface texture and contrast, not depth. The shared frequency and hatch notes are also maker-specific; test the same grade of stainless. OMTech source. |
| Aluminium · 3D relief ComMarker B4 20W, 110 mm lens | 70% power · 800 mm/s · 43 kHz · 0.025 mm interval. The vendor reports about 256 passes for roughly 3 mm on its example blank. | Depth may take hundreds of slices and hours. The number is specific to that machine, artwork, alloy and setup—not a promise for another 20W laser. ComMarker example. |
| Brass coin · 2.5D relief ComMarker B6 60W MOPA, 150 mm lens | Fast example: 95%, 2,000 mm/s, 100 kHz, 200 ns, 0.025 mm, 256 slices. Detailed example: 80%, 1,000 mm/s, 30 kHz, 200 ns, 0.04 mm, 400 slices. | Use a grayscale depth map and the correct 3D-slice mode. MOPA pulse width and cleanup settings are source-specific; do not scale these values to a different wattage. ComMarker coin walkthrough. |
| Titanium · colour mark ComMarker 60W MOPA | 50% · 750 mm/s · 250–400 kHz · 2–10 ns · 0.01–0.03 mm. | Colour marking depends on pulse control, alloy, finish and lighting. This is a named MOPA example—not a standard-fiber setting. ComMarker titanium guide. |
| Titanium · deep engraving ComMarker Titan 100W MOPA example | Engrave: 75% · 200 mm/s · 100 kHz · 0.03 mm. Clean: 40% · 500 mm/s · 100 kHz · 0.03 mm. | Manufacturer example for titanium. It does not specify every source parameter; verify pulse, focus, shielding and material grade in the actual machine/manual. ComMarker titanium guide. |
Fine marks, patient depth
Great for identification and contrast work on compatible metals. Deep removal can be slow and may need many passes.
More throughput
More headroom for heavier ablation or 2.5D work, but material, lens, pulse source and heat management still control the result.
Production power
Can shorten some jobs and support demanding work. Higher power increases the need for engineered guarding, risk controls and a qualified process.
05 · Beginner tutorial
Build a speed-and-power test grid
A small coupon tells you more than a copied preset. This planner creates a labelled numerical matrix you can reproduce in LightBurn or your galvo software.
Planning aid only—not an engraving simulation. The default range is deliberately moderate; follow your manual and begin conservatively.
Columns increase in power → · rows increase in speed ↑ · keep frequency, pulse width, focus, interval and passes fixed for this first comparison.
Prepare one known coupon
Record exact alloy/coating, source wattage and type, lens/field size, focus method and finish. Clean it the same way each time. Keep the piece flat and secure.
Vary only two settings
Run a power-by-speed matrix. Keep frequency, pulse width (if available), line interval, hatch angle, focus and pass count constant. Use a range your manufacturer allows.
Choose the best square
Inspect under the lighting you will use in real life. For depth, feel and measure the result; for contrast, compare colour and legibility. Don't choose by appearance alone if the part has a functional requirement.
Refine, then save
Repeat a smaller grid around the winner. Next test interval or frequency—one axis at a time. Save a named recipe with material, source, lens, software, date and finish.
LightBurn's Material Test tool can vary Power, Speed, Interval or Passes; Frequency and Q-Pulse are testable when the device supports them. It labels the axes so you can compare results. Read LightBurn's Material Test guide.
06 · Depth engraving
Depth is a measured outcome—not a percentage
Multiple passes can remove material, but depth per pass changes as the pocket deepens, debris accumulates and focus shifts. Measure a test coupon; don't infer millimetres from power percent.
A conservative depth workflow
- Start with the source maker's safe window for the exact alloy and lens.
- Use a small test shape; fix focus and hatch interval before chasing depth.
- Engrave a short group of passes, clean the pocket and measure it.
- Re-focus only as directed by your machine's manual; keep a log of every change.
- Use cleanup passes if the source/software workflow supports them; stop if heat, slag or reflections become unsafe.
For a workpiece that needs a specified tolerance, validate with a suitable measuring tool and material test—not the on-screen pass count.
Rough pass-count planner
This simple proportional estimate uses your own test result. It is not a depth model; removal is rarely linear.
Linear estimate: about 100 passes. Re-measure regularly; do not run this number without testing.
07 · 3D / 2.5D engraving
Turn a greyscale height map into stepped depth
A 3D relief image is not simply a photograph. It is a height map: each grey value represents a height/depth, and the software maps those tones to a different number of passes.
LightBurn 3D Slice: learner checklist
- Build or import a clean greyscale depth map (height, not photo shading).
- Choose the 3D Sliced image mode on a compatible Galvo device.
- Set a cautious slice/pass count and use only supported frequency and pulse-width values.
- Preview the job to confirm which tones get more passes; invert if the relief is backwards.
- Test a small sample. More slices improve gradation but add time; reduce max power if the darkest tones cut too deep.
- Use a cleanup sub-layer only if your source/software supports it.
LightBurn describes this as 2.5D: it can make physical relief without a live Z axis, but does not provide precise depth control.
LightBurn's guide says darker height-map areas receive more passes by default; 3D Sliced mode is for Galvo lasers, and the exact depth is not precisely controlled. LightBurn 2.1 supports 16-bit depth maps, which can be useful when using more than 256 slices. Open the official 3D Sliced guide.
08 · Quick answers
Before you press Start
Is there one setting for every 20W or 50W fiber laser?
No. A wattage label alone doesn't define the source type, pulse behavior, lens, focus, material alloy or finish. Use a cited recipe only as a test starting point for the exact machine/material combination it describes.
Does 100% power mean the laser's full rated watts?
It is the controller's maximum command, not a calibrated reading. The simple watt calculator on this page is arithmetic only. Check your source manual and calibrate the process with a coupon.
Can a desktop fiber marker cut sheet metal?
Most desktop galvo markers are for marking and engraving. Some can remove or cut very thin material with special fixtures and many passes, but that is not ordinary sheet-metal cutting; follow the manufacturer's limits and risk controls.
Can I engrave wood, acrylic or plastic?
Only if the exact material and laser source are approved for that process. Some plastics can create hazardous fumes. Never process PVC/vinyl or unknown coatings; identify the material and use suitable extraction.
How do I know how deep I am engraving?
Measure a test coupon after cleaning it. Depth per pass changes as the pocket deepens, and a relief's greyscale values usually control pass count rather than a guaranteed millimetre depth.
What units should I use for speed?
Check the software and controller: mm/s and mm/min differ by a factor of 60. Verify the unit before running a recipe; a unit mismatch can change exposure dramatically.
Further learning
Manufacturer and software references
These sources provide the method and the named-machine examples above. Always check the latest manual for your own source.
LightBurn · Material Test
How speed, power, interval, passes, frequency and Q-Pulse can be tested when supported.
How speed, power, interval, passes, frequency and Q-Pulse can be tested when supported.
LightBurn · 3D Sliced Engravings
Depth maps, slice count, cleanup passes and Galvo-only 3D Sliced mode.
Depth maps, slice count, cleanup passes and Galvo-only 3D Sliced mode.
OMTech · Stainless-steel settings
Manufacturer-published annealing and deep-engraving ranges with Galvo examples.
Manufacturer-published annealing and deep-engraving ranges with Galvo examples.
ComMarker · Aluminium marking and relief
Examples for named 20W/50W/60W systems, materials and lenses.
Examples for named 20W/50W/60W systems, materials and lenses.
ComMarker · Brass coin 3D-slice walkthrough
A named 60W MOPA relief workflow, including slice and cleanup examples.
A named 60W MOPA relief workflow, including slice and cleanup examples.
ComMarker · Titanium guide
Named 60W colour-marking and 100W deep-engraving examples.
Named 60W colour-marking and 100W deep-engraving examples.
UK HSE · Optical radiation and lasers
Laser eye/skin hazards and protective-eyewear expectations for open beam paths.
Laser eye/skin hazards and protective-eyewear expectations for open beam paths.
Educational reference only, not a substitute for the laser maker's manual, material safety data, a risk assessment or competent safety advice. Parameter examples are model-specific and may change as manufacturers update documentation.