OperationModule 7.4~4 min read
Settings Reference Library
Quick-lookup table of every starting point used in this course, plus extras from community-verified recipes (lasertips.org, MOPA owner forums). All scaled or annotated for the 60W OMTech MOPA. Always test before production.
Stainless steel
| Result | Speed | Power | Freq | Pulse | Loops | Line | Z offset |
|---|
| Black mark (production) | 3000-5000 | 15% | 35-60 kHz | 2 ns | 1 | 0.01 | +1.5 to +4 mm |
| Black anneal (lasertips 60W match) | 250 | 20% | 60 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.003 | +3 to +4 mm |
| Color, light gold | 800 | 35% | 100 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 | focus |
| Color, dark blue | 300 | 25% | 60 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 | focus |
| Color, purple/violet | 500 | 25% | 60 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 | focus |
| Color, green | 200 | 35% | 100 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 | focus |
| Color, pink/magenta | 700 | 20% | 80 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 | focus |
| Deep engrave (Pass 1+2) | 1500 | 100% | 35 kHz | 200 ns | 15-20 | 0.02 | Z-step 0.05/pass |
| Deep engrave (Pass 3 cleanup) | 2000 | 100% | 75 kHz | 100 ns | 5 | 0.02 | focus |
| Photo / portrait | 3000-4000 | 10-20% | 30-60 kHz | 2-4 ns | 1 | 0.01 | +1.5 mm |
Aluminum
| Result | Speed | Power | Freq | Pulse | Loops | Line |
|---|
| Anodized, white mark | 2000 | 35% | 50 kHz | 15 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| Raw 6061, frost mark | 300 | 75% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 3 | 0.02 |
| Raw, black mark (CerMark) | 500 | 60% | 50 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| Deep engrave | 1000 | 100% | 35 kHz | 200 ns | 12-15 | 0.02 |
| Black on 6061 (deep, MOPA) | 1000 | 40% | 60 kHz | 10 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
Brass / copper / silver / gold
| Material | Result | Speed | Power | Freq | Pulse | Loops | Line |
|---|
| Brass 360 | Engrave | 500 | 85% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 3-5 | 0.02 |
| Brass coin (3D Sliced depth-map approach) | Sculpt from grayscale | 2000 | 85-90% | 100 kHz | 200 ns | 256 passes | 0.008 (900 DPI) |
| Brass coin (Vector / Shovel Layer approach) | Sculpt from layered vectors | 200 | 75-85% | 30-40 kHz | 200 ns | 8-12 layers | 0.008 |
| Copper | Black mark (raw) | 200 | 100% | 45 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.01 |
| Copper | Engrave (with spray) | 500 | 60% | 50 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| Silver 925 | Black mark | 100 | 60% | 30 kHz | 100 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| Silver 925 | Cut 0.5 mm | 100 | 95% | 20 kHz | 200 ns | 20 | 0.01 |
| Gold 18K | Engrave | 700 | 40% | 20 kHz | 200 ns | 2 | 0.01 |
| Titanium grade 2 | Color anneal | 800 | 25% | 80 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.04 |
Firearms
| Part | Speed | Power | Freq | Pulse | Loops | Line |
|---|
| 1911 slide engrave (P1) | 300 | 85% | 50 kHz | 200 ns | 15-20 | 0.03 |
| 1911 slide cleanup (P2) | 1500 | 35% | 50 kHz | 200 ns | 3 | 0.04 |
| Glock slide (Tenifer surface) | 1000 | 50% | 35 kHz | 200 ns | 2 | 0.02 |
| Glock frame stippling | 1400 | 30% | 60 kHz | 120 ns | 1 | 0.10 |
| AR-15 anodized lower | 2000 | 40% | 50 kHz | 15 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| AR-15 serial (deep, ATF compliant) | 800 | 90% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 10 | 0.02 |
| Picatinny rail logo | 2000 | 40% | 50 kHz | 15 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
| PMAG (polymer) | 2500 | 25% | 50 kHz | 15 ns | 1 | 0.01 |
| BCG surface mark | 1500 | 50% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 2 | 0.02 |
| Cerakote ablation | 2000 | 35% | 35 kHz | 200 ns | 1 | 0.02 |
Coin / relief work
| Substrate | Speed | Power max | Freq | Pulse | Layers | Line | Z-step/layer |
|---|
| Brass blank 40mm | 200 | 80% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 8-12 | 0.008 | 0.02 mm |
| Anodized AL coin 40mm | 800 | 60% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 3-5 | 0.01 | 0.01 mm |
| Nickel-plated steel | 300 | 85% | 35 kHz | 200 ns | 10-15 | 0.008 | 0.02 mm |
| Copper blank | 200 | 95% | 30 kHz | 200 ns | 12-18 | 0.008 | 0.02 mm |
Other materials
| Material | Result | Settings |
|---|
| Slate | White mark | 500 mm/s · 25% · 30 kHz · 200 ns · 0.04 line |
| Granite (dark) | White mark | 300 mm/s · 35% · 30 kHz · 200 ns · 0.04 line |
| Glass (frosted) | Etch | 200 mm/s · 50% · 60 kHz · 100 ns · 0.04 line |
| Marble (light) | Dark mark | 400 mm/s · 30% · 30 kHz · 200 ns · 0.04 line |
| Dark ABS | Foam light mark | 1200 mm/s · 20% · 30 kHz · 20 ns · 0.02 line |
| PEEK | Dark mark | 500 mm/s · 30% · 30 kHz · 30 ns · 0.02 line |
Translation caveats
Most community recipes are tagged with the source they were recorded on (Raycus 30W Q-switched, JPT MOPA 50W, etc.). Q-switched recipes don't have a usable pulse-width value, they were captured at fixed pulse, so use 200 ns as a baseline on your MOPA. When scaling from 30W to 60W: roughly halve loops or double speed. From 80-100W down to 60W: increase loops by 30-50% or drop speed 25-30%.
Lens correction
Most lasertips.org recipes were captured on specific lenses (110, 150, 170, 175, 300mm). Translating to a different lens:
- From 150mm to your 70mm: drop power 30-40% (smaller spot = higher density). Reduce line interval ~30%.
- From 110/150mm to your 150mm: use as-is.
- From 175/300mm to your 150mm: increase power ~20-25% (larger source spot meant lower density per pulse).
Sources: lasertips.org material database (community recipes), MOPA owner Discord & Reddit threads, OMTech support docs, and direct testing on the 60W OMTech MOPA + Lightburn galvo edition. Numbers are starting points, your alloy lot, lens calibration, and surface prep all affect results. Run a 3×3 test grid before production every time.
