Chapter 23: Snapmaker Laser Cutting Hands-On

        ⚠️ Laser Safety Guidelines (Must Read)
        Never look directly at the laser — even low power can permanently damage your eyes
Always wear laser safety goggles — the ones that came with the Snapmaker, not regular sunglasses
A teacher must be present before starting the laser module
Ensure ventilation — laser cutting produces fumes; open windows or turn on an exhaust fan
Never cut PVC — laser-cutting PVC releases chlorine gas (toxic!)
Have a fire extinguisher ready — laser cutting has a fire risk, especially with paper and thin wood
Never leave the machine unattended during operation

      

Absolutely forbidden materials: PVC (polyvinyl chloride), chlorine-containing plastics, mirror-finish materials (will reflect the laser and cause injury), fiberglass. If you're not sure about a material, ask your teacher first.

A. Laser Cutting vs Laser Engraving

The Snapmaker's laser module can do two things. Although both use a laser, the operation is completely different:

Comparison	Laser Cutting	Laser Engraving
Purpose	Cut through material to create shapes	Burn patterns/text onto the surface
Power	High power, multiple passes	Lower power, single pass
File Format	DXF / SVG (vector contours)	SVG / PNG / JPG
VEX Uses	Cutting acrylic guards, lightweight structural parts	Engraving team name/number on parts, marking mounting positions

Most Common VEX Use: Laser cutting acrylic for guards and lightweight structural parts. Engraving your team number on finished parts is a bonus — judges can immediately see it's a custom-made part.

B. Luban Laser Workflow

Step 1: Import the File

Open Luban and select Laser mode
Click + Add and import your DXF or SVG file
The contour will appear in the work area preview
Check the dimensions — confirm they match your Onshape design
If you need to reposition, drag the graphic to the center of the work area

Step 2: Select the Mode

Vector — for cutting; the laser follows the contour lines
Greyscale — for engraving images
B&W — for engraving simple patterns

For cutting parts, choose Vector. For engraving a team number, choose Vector (low power) or B&W.

Step 3: Set Power and Speed

This is the most critical step — the power and speed combination determines the cutting result:

Too much power + too slow = material burns, edges blacken
Too little power + too fast = won't cut through
Just right = clean cut through with smooth edges

Step 4: Set the Pass Count

Thick materials can't be cut through in a single pass. Each pass traces the same path again until the laser cuts all the way through.

3mm acrylic typically needs 1-2 passes (40W laser)
3mm wood typically needs 1 pass (40W laser)
Multiple passes at moderate power is safer and produces better results than a single pass at maximum power

Step 5: Generate and Send

Click Generate G-code
Preview the path to confirm everything looks right
Send to the Snapmaker via Wi-Fi or export to a USB drive

✅

Checkpoint 1: Have you configured the laser parameters in Luban?

Import a DXF file, select Vector mode, set power, speed, and pass count. Preview the path and confirm it's correct.

C. Common Material Parameters

⚡ Model-Dependent: We use a Snapmaker 2.0 A350 with a 40W laser module. The parameters below are based on real tests with this setup. The 40W laser is much more powerful than lower-wattage modules (1.6W/10W), so these parameters cannot be directly applied to other modules.

Laser Cutting Parameters (Snapmaker 2.0 A350 + 40W Laser Module)

Material	Thickness	Power	Speed	Passes
Acrylic	3mm	100%	200 mm/min	1-2
Acrylic	5mm	100%	120 mm/min	2-3
Basswood	3mm	100%	400 mm/min	1
Cardboard	2mm	50%	600 mm/min	1

Laser Engraving Parameters

Material	Power	Speed	Result
Acrylic	15-25%	1500 mm/min	White frosted effect on the surface
Wood	20-35%	2000 mm/min	Dark burned pattern

Test Cut Tip: Take a small piece of scrap material and draw a row of small squares on it, each with a different power/speed combination. This way you can find the optimal parameters in one test, without wasting material.

✅

Checkpoint 2: Have you done a test cut with scrap material?

Use a small piece of acrylic or wood, try 2-3 different power/speed combinations, and find the settings that cut through cleanly with smooth edges.

D. Focusing and Positioning

Laser Focus

The laser energy is most concentrated at the focal point. If the focus is off, the laser won't cut through or the cut line will be too wide.

The Snapmaker's laser module comes with a focus card
Stand the focus card upright on the material
Adjust the laser head height until the bottom of the laser head is level with the top of the card
This is the correct focal distance — the laser energy is most concentrated at this distance

Positioning

Determine where on the material the laser will start:

Enter laser mode on the Snapmaker touchscreen
Manually move the laser head above the material
Use low-power preview (laser lights up at low power without cutting) to confirm the position
Tap Run Boundary — the laser head will trace the cutting outline to verify it doesn't go beyond the material
Once confirmed, set the work origin

Run Boundary Is Essential: Always run the boundary before every cut. This prevents the laser from cutting outside the material (wasted cut) or hitting a clamp (which could damage equipment or even start a fire).

E. Practice Exercise: Cutting a VEX Guard Panel

Use a part you designed in Onshape (or follow the exercise below) to walk through the complete laser cutting process.

Exercise: Cut a Simple Side Panel

In Onshape, draw a rectangular plate (e.g., 100mm x 60mm)
Add a few mounting holes (4.5mm diameter, standard VEX screw holes)
Add your team number text to the plate (using the Sketch Text tool)
Export as DXF (Chapter 21 method)
In Luban, set: contour lines with cutting parameters, team number text with engraving parameters
Cut the contour first (through-cut), then engrave the text (surface only)

Luban Tip: You can assign different parameters to different layers within the same file. Place cutting lines and engraving lines on separate layers in Onshape (using different colors in the sketch), and Luban will let you set power and speed for each layer independently after import.

✅

Checkpoint 3: Have you completed your first laser cut?

Cut a simple part (guard panel or rectangle) and check: (1) Did it cut through? (2) Are the edges clean? (3) Are the dimensions accurate?

F. Record It in Your Engineering Notebook

Notebook Entry Template

📓 Manufacturing Log — Laser Cutting

Date: ____/____/________

Part Name: ________________

Material: ________________ Thickness: ____mm

Machine: Snapmaker 2.0 A350 Laser Module 40W

Parameter	Cutting Settings	Engraving Settings
Power	______%	______%
Speed	____mm/min	____mm/min
Passes	________	________
Total Processing Time	________ minutes

Safety Measures: ☐ Safety goggles ☐ Ventilation ☐ Fire extinguisher ready ☐ Teacher present

Problems Encountered:

Solutions:

Next Time Improvements:

Judge Bonus Points: Include in your notebook: (1) Onshape sketch screenshots (2) Luban toolpath screenshots (3) Test cut comparison photos (4) Finished part photos (especially the engraved team number). Judges love seeing a process record like "it took three tries to find the optimal parameters."

G. Common Troubleshooting

Problem	Cause	Solution
Didn't cut through	Not enough power / not enough passes / wrong focus	Increase the number of passes, or re-check the focus
Edges blackened/charred	Power too high or speed too slow	Lower power or increase speed; use more passes to compensate
Cut line is thick (not precise)	Focus is off	Re-calibrate using the focus card
Acrylic edges have flame marks	Protective film not removed / speed too slow	Remove the protective film before cutting; increase speed
Finished part is larger/smaller than designed	Unit mismatch when importing the file	Confirm both Onshape export and Luban import use millimeters
Engraved text is illegible	Power too low or speed too fast	Increase power or reduce speed

        Chapter Summary
        Laser cutting uses high power to cut through material; laser engraving uses low power to burn surface patterns
Luban laser workflow: Import DXF/SVG → Select mode → Set power and speed → Focus → Run Boundary → Process
Safety first: safety goggles, ventilation, no PVC, never leave unattended
Test cuts with scrap material are more reliable than calculating parameters
Document the process in your engineering notebook — judges value the manufacturing journey

      

Congratulations! You've Completed All Equipment Hands-On Chapters

You now know the complete workflow from Onshape design → file export → Snapmaker manufacturing → engineering notebook documentation.

Let's review what you've learned:

Chapter 21: Exporting STL / DXF files + Luban basics
Chapter 22: CNC milling (load-bearing parts, aluminum)
This chapter: Laser cutting (guards, lightweight parts, team number engraving)

Now go build your robot parts! Remember to document every manufacturing session in your engineering notebook.