Jewelry & Small Accessories
The F1 Ultra's 20W fiber laser produces permanent, high-contrast engravings on silver, gold, stainless steel, brass, and titanium jewelry. The 115mm x 115mm work area accommodates multiple small pieces per batch — most jewelers run 15-30 rings or pendants simultaneously.
- Materials: Sterling silver, 14K/18K gold, stainless steel 304/316, brass, titanium
- Typical settings: 800-1200mm/s speed, 60-80% power for surface marking
- Common uses: Monograms, logos, serial numbers, custom text, photo portraits on pendants
- Rotary compatible: Yes — rings from 15mm to 100mm diameter
Personalized Gifts & Home Decor
The 2W diode laser turns plain wood, bamboo, and leather into personalized products. Most Etsy sellers and craft market vendors using the F1 Ultra focus on this category because the per-item production time is low (2-8 minutes for typical engravings) and the material cost is minimal.
- Materials: Walnut, maple, bamboo, birch plywood, cork, MDF
- Typical settings: 1000-2000mm/s speed, 40-70% power depending on wood density
- Common uses: Cutting boards, coasters, ornaments, phone cases, pet tags, keychains
- Note: The diode laser engraves only — it does not cut through 3mm+ wood. Use a separate CO2 or diode cutter for thick material cutting.
Glass Engraving & Awards
The fiber laser creates frosted, high-contrast engravings on glass surfaces without cracking or chipping when parameters are set correctly. This application requires slower speeds and lower power than metal marking. We include glass-specific presets in the xTool Creative Space software to reduce trial-and-error.
- Materials: Soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, crystal
- Typical settings: 200-600mm/s speed, 20-40% power, multiple passes recommended
- Common uses: Corporate awards, wedding favors, wine glass personalization, photo engraving on crystal
- Limitations: Tempered glass is not recommended — the internal stress can cause cracking. Test on scrap pieces first for any new glass type.
Color Marking on Stainless Steel
One of the F1 Ultra's most distinctive capabilities is producing colored markings on polished stainless steel by controlling pulse frequency and speed to create thin oxide layers. The results are permanent and don't use any inks or coatings.
- How it works: Different pulse frequencies (20-100kHz) produce different oxide layer thicknesses, which appear as distinct colors
- Colors achievable: Blue (30-50kHz), gold/amber (60-80kHz), purple and green (requires precise parameter tuning)
- Best surfaces: Polished 304 and 316 stainless steel. Brushed finishes produce muted colors.
- Honest note: Color engraving results vary between steel batches and alloy compositions. Expect experimentation. Pre-set parameters are starting points, not guarantees.
Industrial Parts Marking & Traceability
Small manufacturers and electronics assemblers use the F1 Ultra for in-house marking of batch numbers, date codes, serial numbers, and QR codes. The fiber laser produces permanent marks that survive washing, chemical exposure, and abrasion — meeting UL and ISO traceability requirements.
- Marking types: Serial numbers, QR codes, DataMatrix codes, logos, date codes
- Materials: Anodized aluminum, stainless steel, tool steel, coated metals, hard plastics (ABS, Delrin, nylon)
- Throughput: Typical QR code (10mm x 10mm) marks in under 2 seconds
- Scale considerations: The 115mm x 115mm work area suits small parts. For larger components or high-volume (1000+ parts/day) production, consider dedicated conveyor-fed marking systems.
Leather Goods & Craft
The diode laser produces clean, precise engravings on vegetable-tanned and chrome-tanned leather without cutting through the material. The sealed workspace contains fumes (leather engraving produces unpleasant smoke), though we recommend an external fume extractor for sustained use.
- Materials: Vegetable-tanned leather, chrome-tanned leather, suede (results vary by thickness and treatment)
- Typical settings: 800-1500mm/s speed, 20-50% power, single pass
- Common uses: Wallets, journal covers, belts, watch straps, keychains, luggage tags
- Warning: PVC-based artificial leather (pleather) releases toxic chlorine gas when lasered. Only use genuine leather or polyurethane-based synthetics.