Making a LightBurn Material Test Card for the Ray5 20W

Making a LightBurn Material Test Card for the Ray5 20W A material test card is a matrix of burns at different speeds and powers, letting you find the perfect settings for any material on one small piece of scrap. What It Produces A grid where: Columns = speed values (e.g., 500 to 3000 mm/min) Rows = power values (e.g., 30% to 100%) Each cell shows what the material looks like at that combination. Using LightBurn's Built-In Test LightBurn 1.0+ has a built-in material test generator: 1. Laser Tools → Material Test 2. Set: - Min/Max speed (e.g., 500–3000 mm/min for cutting) - Min/Max power (e.g., 30–100%) - Count — how many columns and rows (5×5 is standard) - Cell size — 10×10mm is compact but readable 3. Select material in the job 4. Click Create Test — a grid is generated in LightBurn Interpreting Results For cutting: find the cell where the material just cuts through cleanly with minimal char. For engraving: find the cell with the look you want — contrast, depth, char level. Saving Test Results Write the winning settings on the material itself (engrave them into the card): Use LightBurn's label feature to add speed/power to each cell Enable this in the Material Test settings Now the card IS its own reference. Test Card Workflow Per Material 1. Cut 100×100mm scrap piece 2. Run 5×5 test at relevant speed/power range 3. Evaluate each cell 4. Circle the winner with a marker 5. Store the card in a physical binder or photograph and add to notes 6. Enter winning settings into Orca Slicer or LightBurn material library Building a Material Library Over Time After testing 10–15 different materials, you'll have a physical binder of test cards that covers everything you work with. Never have to guess settings again.

Related Guides

Loading_