How to Set Up Your xtool F1 Ultra for Acrylic, Metal, and Wood: A Practical Settings Checklist

I manage equipment purchasing for a 15‑person company that does custom engraving and prototyping. We handle everything from acrylic signage to metal tags and wooden gift items. After trying a few laser services (and getting burned by inconsistent quality and high minimums), I convinced our ops lead to let me buy a desktop laser. We went with the xtool F1 Ultra—the 20W fiber + diode combo—and it’s been a game‑changer for small‑run work.

This checklist is for anyone who just got an F1 Ultra (or is thinking about it) and wants to dial in settings for the three most common materials: acrylic, metal, and wood. I’ll also cover rotary setup for bottles or tumblers. No fluff—just what I’ve learned from running about 200 test cuts and engraves over the last three months.

Before You Start

Make sure you've got the latest firmware and software. xtool updates their CreativeSpace app frequently, and settings can change. This was accurate as of March 2025. Also, always do a small test grid before committing to a final piece—especially on materials you haven't used before.

Step 1: Acrylic Cutting Settings (Diode Laser)

The F1 Ultra’s diode laser (blue, ~445 nm) cuts acrylic up to about 8 mm thickness. I’ve found the sweet spot for clear acrylic to be 4–5 mm for a single pass. Here’s my starting point (from xtool’s official table, verified by the community):

• Material: 3 mm clear cast acrylic
• Power: 100 %
• Speed: 10 mm/s
• Passes: 1 (for 3 mm; 2 passes for 5 mm)
• Air Assist: On (crucial to prevent flame and charring)

I should add that extruded acrylic works fine too, but cast acrylic gives a cleaner edge. Honestly, I'm not sure why some people say only cast works—extruded cuts OK, just slightly more frosting. If someone has a better explanation, I'd love to hear it.

Common mistake: Running too slow. At 5 mm/s the edge started melting. Stick to 8–12 mm/s range and adjust power down slightly if you see yellowing.

Step 2: Metal Engraving Settings (Fiber Laser)

The 20W fiber laser is the real reason we bought the F1 Ultra. It can mark stainless steel, aluminum, and even some coated surfaces. For bare stainless steel:

• Power: 80 %
• Speed: 150 mm/s
• Frequency: 80 kHz
• Passes: 1 (for dark marking; 2 for deeper engrave)
• Focus: 0 mm (surface focus)

If you're going for a black annealed mark on steel, reduce speed to 80 mm/s and increase frequency to 100 kHz. The fiber doesn't need air assist for marking—only for cutting thin metals (e.g., 0.5 mm steel sheet).

Truth bomb: The old belief that you need a huge industrial fiber laser to engrave metal is outdated. A desktop 20W unit like this handles small parts reliably. In 2024 we used outsourced laser services; now we do it in‑house for ~1/5 the cost per part. (That vendor consolidation saved our accounting team about 6 hours of invoice checking every month.)

Step 3: Wood Engraving & Cutting (Diode Laser)

Wood is forgiving—but getting a clean result depends on species. Basswood, birch ply, and cherry work great. Avoid oily woods like cedar unless you test first.

• Wood engraving (general): 80 % power, 200 mm/s, 1 pass
• Wood cutting (3 mm birch ply): 100 % power, 8 mm/s, 2–3 passes

For darker burns, slow down speed. For lighter marks, increase speed and reduce power. I keep a test scrap book with settings for each wood type—super helpful when a client asks for “charcoal style” on maple vs walnut.

Oh, and don't forget to enable air assist for cutting; it reduces the burnt edge significantly. Without it, the edges get sooty and you'll have to sand them.

Step 4: Rotary Setup for Cylindrical Objects

The F1 Ultra’s rotary attachment is a lifesaver for tumblers, bottles, and pens. Here’s the setup checklist:

1. Remove the honeycomb bed and install the rotary module.
2. Place the object between the two rollers, making sure it's centered and won't wobble.
3. In CreativeSpace, select “Rotary” mode and input the object diameter (measure it precisely—even 1 mm off distorts the engrave).
4. Use a test engrave with a simple line to check alignment.
5. Settings: use the same power/speed as you would for a flat surface of the same material. For stainless steel tumblers, I use the fiber settings from Step 2.

Pro tip: If you're engraving a graduated cylinder (tapered), xtool’s software doesn’t handle that natively. I had to manually adjust focus for the top and bottom sections. A bit fiddly, but works.

Step 5: Troubleshooting & Common Mistakes

Here are the pitfalls I ran into (and you can skip):

• Not cleaning the lens. The diode lens gets dusty fast. Wipe gently with alcohol after every 10 hours of use. A dirty lens reduces power by 20–30 %.
• Ignoring material thickness. The F1 Ultra's diode struggles above 8 mm acrylic—you'll need multiple passes and risk melting. For thicker material, use a laser cutting service or buy a CO2 machine. But for most small businesses, 6 mm is plenty.
• Skipping air assist. I did once for acrylic. Bad idea—fire alarm went off. Now I never run without it.
• Assuming all metals are the same. Brass and copper require more power and lower speed than stainless steel. And anodized aluminum engraves beautifully with the diode (low power, high speed). Test always.

Final Thoughts

The xtool F1 Ultra isn't a magic wand, but for a desktop dual‑laser system it covers an amazing range of materials. If you're a small shop or maker, it's a no‑brainer—especially when you compare the per‑part cost of outsourced jobs. The settings above are a solid starting point; tweak them based on your specific material batch and ambient conditions. And if you find a better combo, please share it—I'm still learning too.

These settings were verified from xtool’s official documentation and my own tests as of March 2025. Software updates may change recommended parameters, so check the CreativeSpace app for the latest presets.