It's not just about how hard you hit the metal, but the path you take. Fill strategies determine heat accumulation and surface finish.
Material:4x4mm Stainless Steel
Hardware:5W IR Laser (0.03mm spot)
Settings:30% Power (1.5W) · 500mm/s · 200 LPCM
Scan Configuration
The Parameter Matrix
On the xTool F2, Direction, Pattern, and Design Size interact to determine heat accumulation.
Travel Direction
Bi-directional doubles heat stress at edges because the laser returns to the boundary immediately. Uni-directional allows more cooling time between lines.
Fill Pattern
Crosshatch adds a vertical pass. This creates bidirectional edge effects at the Top and Bottom boundaries and often results in a Hot Corner where the two passes meet.
Design Size
Smaller shapes (1-4mm) reach critical temperatures 10x faster. The "Thermal Return" time is so short that heat compounds before it can dissipate.
Number of Passes
Multiple passes on small shapes cause runaway heat. Repeated cycles also allow thicker oxide layers to build, shifting the interference color spectrum (e.g., from Gold to Blue on SS304).
Density (LPC)
Higher LPC means more overlapping scan lines. At 1000 LPC, you are hitting the same spot 3 times per pass (0.01mm spacing vs 0.03mm spot).
200
Render Mode
Animated shows the laser progress to help understand heat application. Instant allows quickly checking peak heat while rapidly exploring settings.
IR Laser Size
The xTool F2 IR module has a focused spot size of 0.03mm. This is the physical "brush stroke" width.
0.030 mm
Line Spacing
Distance between scan lines. Spacing < 0.03mm results in overlapping passes (Overdraw).
0.050 mm
Scan Gap
Calculates the spatial relationship between scan lines. Overdraw means the 0.03mm laser spot covers the same area multiple times. Scan Gap means the laser lines do not touch, leaving raw material visible.
40%
Est. Job Time
Physically calculated duration based on 500mm/s scan speed and travel distance.
0.00 s
Total Passes
Cumulative count of laser traversals (Pattern Passes × Repeat Passes).
1
Thermal Return
Time taken for the beam to return to the same X-vicinity. Under 50ms is high stress.
0.00 ms
Heat Compounding
Predictive warning based on return speed, size, and density. Extreme implies potential burning.
Normal
Peak Heat Stress
Small Size Warning: At 1mm, the laser travels such a short distance that it returns to the start of the next line almost instantly. This concentrates heat so aggressively that the material may burn even at low power.
F2 Features
Advanced Pathing Concepts
Crosshatch vs. 2nd Pass
Crosshatch is a second pass at a 90° rotation. By integrating it as a single operation, the xTool F2 keeps the material hot between passes, which helps "trap" the heat for a deeper, darker finish than doing two separate jobs.
The Turnaround Heat
In Bidirectional mode, the laser head must stop and reverse at each edge. This tiny "dwell" (and the proximity of the start of the next line) causes heat to build up faster at the edges of your design than in the center.
Dot Duration
In "Dot" or "Bitmap" modes, this controls how many microseconds the beam dwells on a single coordinate. Higher duration = more "thump."
LPC Overlap
At 1000 LPC, lines are 0.01mm apart. Since the spot is 0.03mm, you are hitting the same spot 3 times per pass. This is high thermal stress.