Cutting 1/4" Birch Plywood

Community Hub Tips & Tricks
1

Has anyone experimented with lowering the focus between passes when cutting thicker material?

I’m trying to cut 1/4" birch plywood at 15mm/s and 55% power using two passes, but I’m getting heavy scorching on the edges. I’ve cleaned my lenses and mirrors, and I’m not sure what else to adjust. Would dropping the focus a bit after the first pass help reduce the burn?

2

I usually run around 16–17mm/s at 89% power on 1/4" birch. That gives me a nice caramel edge without charring.

3

Based on the parameters you provided, we have two key recommendations for cutting thick birch plywood:

  • We suggest moderately increasing the power so you can cut the material in a single pass. This is crucial because every additional pass will cause more severe charring on the edges.

  • We highly recommend using the set standard focal distance. Deviating from this (either lowering or raising the focal distance) will increase the laser spot size, which in turn reduces the effective energy delivered to the material.