Engraving on Black Slate Tile Coasters - Atomstack A5 M50 Pro (5.5-watt Diode Laser)

This video is going to go over my method and settings for engraving square black slate coasters using the Atomstack A5 M50 Pro laser (5.5-watt) and the Lightburn software.
This is a re-upload of the video I did this weekend (now removed), I wanted to add in some more details around the impact of adding a sealant after the engraving and how that will influence the settings you use for your laser to make sure I gave more complete information to anyone that watches.
I'm using 4" black slate coasters I picked up from Amazon for relatively cheap and all of the layout is done within the Lightburn tooling. I forgot one of the main rules of engraving and didn't double-check my framing, so the alignment is slightly off on the final coaster. Use that as a cautionary tale, always remember to check and double-check your framing: frame twice, engrave once!
00:00 Start / Intro
01:03 Project Layout - Framing Square
01:56 Background Image
04:01 Overlay Text
07:32 Layer Options - Speed and Power
08:52 Engraving Process
09:29 Final Results and Differences in Finish Options

[@davidramireziii622]

I appreciate the step by step explanation. Very clear and easy to follow. I can't wait to try this. I followed your procedure for engraving in clear Acrylic; with a slight modification. I just changed the picture setting from grayscale to threshold. I got an excellent result. Just in time for valentine's day lol.

[@CubicleNinja]

I'm very glad to hear it was helpful!. The image mode definitely comes down partially to personal preference and also to the type of image you are going to be putting on the acrylic (same applies to black slate). I intend to go back through and do tests using the different options and also using image-r first and then setting the mode to passthrough.
Perfect timing with valentine's day as well :)

[@CityWoodDesigns]

i finish my slate before engraving and go with a higher power when engraving, have done some portraits and gave them another coat after engraving image can be hard to see but best results are to prefinish using atomstack a10 pro

[@CubicleNinja]

Thank you for that suggestion. I initially thought I was going to prefer the unfinished look to the slate coasters, with the gray instead of black shading. After using them for a day, though, I realized the unfinished was probably not going to be the best for long-term use.
This upcoming weekend I'm going to go through my material test after applying the sealant first to see how that impacts the speed/power requirements on my laser to get a similar result.

[@CityWoodDesigns]

@@CubicleNinja im going to be trying a beeswax finish after the engraving on my next tests, will be trying out some color fill also got delivery of mica powders this morning, being irish and paddys day coming cant resist trying it out

[@CubicleNinja]

I saw a couple videos where people did the color fill, it looks really nice. I am definitely looking forward to trying that out.

[@CityWoodDesigns]

@@CubicleNinja its the beauty of laserology the possibilities are endless and with the way tech is evolving it can only get better, keep on lasering

[@kylecastano5895]

Awesome video. Thank you!! Also, is the M50 better than the a5 pro. Because I did the background speed the same as you and nothing engraved at all. Hope my laser isn't dying on me.

[@CubicleNinja]

I’m not sure about better but it looks to be a bit more powerful for both input and output wattage. You’ll most likely need to reduce the speed (and maybe increase the power a bit) to get the proper effect on the clear acrylic. Unfortunately, since this is my first laser, I have nothing to compare it to. The best bet would be to run the small square material fill test with a power range from 10% - 50% and the speed range from 1000mm/min to 3000 mm/min and see which combination on the test sheet gives you a good white etching without any pops or burns.

[@kylecastano5895]

@Jonathan Flanigan yeah I'll have to do some test runs. I had to do the background at 4000/30 and did the front letters at 4000/75. I haven't sealed it yet. So maybe it'll come out fine. I was just curious if you knew. Also I feel like my laser is dying anyway haha.

[@CubicleNinja]

It’s definitely wild how much a small tweak to the power and speed can change the final output on some of these materials. I haven’t had a chance to do a test on a coaster after sealing it first like some others have recommended. I’d love to hear what settings end up working out for you when you get it tuned in.
One thing I did when I was doing all my material tests was to remove the feet from the coasters and run the tests on the backside. That let me not waste multiple coasters when I was getting everything figured out with my laser (they aren’t super expensive, but it adds up fast!)

[@kylecastano5895]

@Jonathan Flanigan yeah I didn't have any "extra" slate laying around (like I should lol) but I did 4000/30 for the background and 80 for the front letters. After sealing it (while it's wet) it looks good. But I thought the back ground showed up too much. So I tried it at 4000/25 and after sealing it. I can barely see it.
I did do 2 wine glasses cheering like yours. But I think my front letters are the issue. I have a fancy cursive L right on where the glasses are so for the L to really stand out more than the glasses. It probably has to be a perfect ratio of spd and power.

[@CubicleNinja]

@@kylecastano5895 Ahh, that definitely makes sense. With the slate (and a little bit with the cork coasters), the font style and weight become extremely important. On the slate coasters, using purely lightburn, I've found that selecting the text and using the Tools -> Offset Shape with an offset distance of 0.55 - 0.95 with an outward direction and setting it to delete the original objects thickens up the font enough to help make it "pop."
The reason for the range in the offset distance there is because different script fonts look better with different offsets to allow it to keep the fancy script feel to it while still giving it the extra weight during the engraving.

[@gaelpiratelife1941]

Do you have a link to the product you use for finishing?

[@CubicleNinja]

Here you go: 2X Ultra Cover Matte Clear Spray Paint and Primer In One (NET WT 12-oz) www.lowes.com/pd/Rust-Oleum/5014069603

[@logoidea4u]

The 50w of your laser , are the watts needs to run your machine, not the watts out of your laser module, those are 5w out put, is important to state that wattage in order to give the right speed and amount of power.

[@CubicleNinja]

Correct, but even if a user has a similar 5w diode laser, the settings won't be exactly the same which is why I always state that they need to perform their own material test calibration before doing work on any new material.

[@logoidea4u]

​@@CubicleNinja
Still the most important info to share is the real out put power, of course they need to work with their own setting al laser power out put, nut I've you state the real put wattage, we have a most realistic idea of how to set up the machine.

[@CubicleNinja]

Fair point. I included the laser wattage in my video on the acrylic and I've adjusted the description of my other videos to now include that the Atomstack A5 M50 Pro is a 5W laser

[@brunoferro5440]

@@CubicleNinja Hello, congratulations for your video.
I have an Atomstack s10 Pro with a 10W laser, are the settings the same?

[@CubicleNinja]

Unfortunately, I'm not sure, I've never used any other lasers. I'd imagine you'd be able to go with a higher speed, though, or a slightly lower power setting since you have a 10W vs the 5W I used. I don't know how the dual lasers work differently though to balance out the power and speed.