xTool F1 Ultra Setup Checklist: 7 Steps to Get Laser Engraving Right the First Time

Why This Checklist Exists

I manage purchasing for a 30-person prototyping studio — roughly $150K annually across 12 vendors. When we dropped $4,200 on the xTool F1 Ultra, my operations team needed a repeatable setup process. Not because the machine is complicated, but because missing one setting can turn a $50 material sheet into scrap. This checklist is what I wish I had before our first test run, built from three do-overs and a few expensive lessons.

Quick note: All settings here reflect the xTool F1 Ultra as of March 2025. Check xTool’s official material library for updates — their firmware updates occasionally shift power curves.

The 7-Step Setup Checklist

Step 1: Verify Bed Size & Rotary Compatibility

The xTool F1 Ultra has a work area of 4.53" × 4.53" (115×115mm) for standard engraving. That’s not the full desktop size — the actual enclosure holds the dual laser module plus a rotary axis attachment. I assumed the bed was bigger when unboxing, which led to a frustrating afternoon trying to fit a 6-inch tumbler without the rotary.

• Flat engraving/cutting: 4.53" × 4.53". Good for coins, keychains, small signs, and acrylic pieces up to about 4.5 inches.
• Rotary engraving: Supports cylindrical objects with diameter 5–60mm, length up to 125mm. The rotary attachment sits on the same bed, so you can't use both modes simultaneously.
• Material thickness: Up to 1.57" (40mm) for cutting wood/acrylic, but the focus depth limits detail engraving on very thick pieces.

Checkpoint before proceeding: Measure your workpiece. If it’s wider than 4.5 inches or requires both flat and rotary in one session, you’ll need to swap configurations.

Step 2: Choose the Right Laser Source (Fiber vs. Diode)

Most people think “20W dual laser” means you can use both at once. Actually, the F1 Ultra has two separate lasers — a 20W fiber laser (1064nm) and a 20W diode laser (455nm) — and they fire independently. The software lets you switch sources per job, not within the same job.

Which one to pick? Let’s be practical:

• Fiber laser (20W, 1064nm): For metals (stainless steel, aluminum, copper), steel marking, wood engraving (no paint), some plastics. Also great for glass engraving — more on that in Step 4.
• Diode laser (20W, 455nm): For acrylic cutting, painted/alodized metals, wood cutting (up to 10mm), leather, paper. The diode wavelength is absorbed better by organic materials, so it cuts cleaner.

Here’s the mistake I made: I assumed the fiber laser could cut steel. It can’t — it marks steel by removing surface coating, not by melting through. For actually cutting steel, you need a fiber laser with at least 50W and a proper gas assist, which the F1 Ultra doesn’t have. The F1 Ultra is a marking/engraving tool for metals, not a steel cutter. Manage expectations.

Step 3: Set Up xTool Creative Space (or LightBurn)

The xTool F1 Ultra works with two main software options:

• xTool Creative Space (XCS): Free, comes with the machine. Good for beginners, handles dual laser switching automatically. Limited vector editing, but does have a material presets library updated monthly.
• LightBurn: $120 (one-time). Much more powerful — you can control laser power curves, create custom material libraries, and do complex vector designs. Supports the F1 Ultra via a plugin. Worth it if you’re doing production work, but the learning curve is steeper.

We started with XCS because it’s free. Our designer spent 2 hours fighting a missing “cut only” setting — turned out XCS hides it under “advanced” with a small toggle. Checkpoint: Open XCS, go to Settings → Advanced Mode → Enable. That unlocks the per-layer settings you need for combining engraving and cutting in one job.

Step 4: Glass Engraving Settings (The Most Common Gotcha)

Glass engraving is a crowd favorite. But the assumption that higher power = deeper engraving is backwards. On glass, too much power cracks the surface. The real trick is multiple low-power passes and using the fiber laser for frosted effects, the diode for UV-reactive coatings.

Here’s what works on standard soda-lime glass (tested on a wine glass, 3mm thick):

• Fiber laser: 40% power, 200mm/s speed, 1 pass. Produces a clean frosted mark. If you want deeper etching, repeat at 30% power, same speed, 2 passes — but wait 30 seconds between passes so heat dissipates.
• Diode laser: 10% power, 300mm/s, 1 pass for surface frosting. Diode is better for coated glasses (like the colored tumblers) because the coating absorbs blue light well.
• Rotary mode: Set the cylinder to 100mm circumference, then adjust the speed to 250mm/s to avoid banding. I ruined a batch of 12 glasses because I used flat settings and got an uneven spiral.

Critical: Always test on a piece of scrap glass from the same set. Glass chemistry varies — I've had “same” wine glasses from different shipments behave totally differently.

Step 5: Acrylic Cutting Settings

For cutting acrylic sheet (up to 3mm cast acrylic), use the diode laser. Cast acrylic cuts clean; extruded acrylic melts and warps. Make sure you have cast, not extruded. Why? Because I ordered “clear acrylic sheets” online without specifying cast — turned out extruded, and my first cut looked like melted plastic. $50 wasted.

Settings for 3mm cast acrylic (diode):

• Power: 100%
• Speed: 20mm/s
• Passes: 2 (first pass 100%, second pass 80% to clean edges)
• Air assist: required. Without air, the edges oxidize and turn brown. The F1 Ultra has a built-in air pump, but it’s weak — we added a small external compressor at 20psi for cleaner cuts.

For thicker acrylic (5mm): 100% power, 10mm/s, 3 passes. Expect some flame polishing on the edge, which you can sand with 600-grit.

Step 6: Steel Marking (Not Cutting)

If you want to engrave serial numbers or logos on steel parts, the fiber laser handles it. Use these starting points:

• Stainless steel: 70% power, 150mm/s, 1 pass. Produces a dark black mark without removing material.
• Carbon steel: 85% power, 100mm/s, 1 pass — but expect some discoloration; you may want to clean with isopropyl alcohol after.
• Aluminum: Fiber laser can’t engrave bare aluminum (reflects 1064nm light). You need a coating or anodized surface. Diode laser on painted aluminum works fine: 30% power, 200mm/s.

Checkpoint: Always use a focus gauge (included with the F1 Ultra) to set the correct height for metal. The fiber laser’s focal spot is about 0.1mm — being off by 0.5mm can leave a faint mark instead of a deep engrave.

Step 7: Post-Production & Safety

Three things I learned the hard way:

1. Clean the lens after every 10 jobs. Residue from cutting acrylic or wood builds up on the diode lens. Use the included cleaning pen — a dirty lens reduces power by 20-30% and causes burn marks.
2. Ventilation is mandatory. The F1 Ultra comes with a small exhaust fan, but it’s barely adequate for cutting acrylic (which produces pungent fumes). We run a 4" duct to an external blower. If you’re in a small office, consider a separate fume extractor.
3. Keep a fire extinguisher nearby. Diode laser cutting wood/acrylic can produce open flames if the material catches. I've never had a fire, but the third time I smelled smoke from a 5mm plywood cut, I added a CO2 extinguisher to our bench.

Final recommendation: Spend the first hour with the xTool F1 Ultra running test patterns on cheap materials (3mm plywood from a hardware store, scrap glass, old credit cards for fiber). Save those presets into XCS or LightBurn. It’ll save you $300+ in wasted material over the next six months.

What This Checklist Won’t Cover

This list is about getting started right, not advanced techniques like rotary calibration for odd shapes or fiber laser annealing. Also, because of our brand guidelines, I’m not comparing the F1 Ultra to the LaserPecker LP5 directly, but I will say: evaluate any laser based on total cost of operation, not just upfront price. The cheapest option often costs more in reprints and downtime.

Last updated: March 20, 2025. Settings verified with xTool Creative Space v2.3.2 and Fiber Laser module firmware 1.12. Always verify material compatibility with xTool’s official library.