Material Test¶
About the Material Test Generator¶
LightBurn has a built-in test pattern generator to help you find the best settings for your laser and material combination. You can find it in the LightBurn menus by going to Laser Tools → Material Test.
Material Test Example¶
On the left side, each row is labeled with the engraving speed. Along the bottom, columns are labeled with the power level used. At the top, the sample shows additional relevant settings—in this case, Interval, Passes, and Frequency.
Using The Material Test Generator¶
After opening the Material Test Generator, you'll be able to configure your test pattern. By default, the Material Test Generator will create a 10x10 grid of boxes with varying Power and Speed. Use the Params dropdown if you wish to change which values are changed in the test.
Test Configuration¶
The settings below will enable you to configure your test grid. The parameters tested can be Power, Speed, Interval, Passes, or Frequency. Q-Pulse can also be tested, if using a galvo laser with the appropriate source.
| Test Grid Settings | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Count | How many rectangles are in each row/column |
| Param | The setting being tested along this axis |
| Min | The lowest value to be used for this setting |
| Max | The highest value to be used for this setting |
| Height/Width | The height/width of each rectangle in the test grid |
| Y Center/X Center | The position of the center of the test grid |
Cut Settings¶
The three buttons at the bottom of the dialog box open the Cut Settings Editor for you to adjust the settings to use in your test.
| Button | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Edit Material Setting | Base settings for the test—the two settings chosen in Param will be varied in the grid, but other settings will be left unchanged |
| Edit Text Setting | Settings to use for the text labels |
| Edit Border Setting | Settings to use for the border around the shape—available in LightBurn 1.5 and higher |
Running The Test¶
The buttons on the right side allow you to preview the test grid, adjust location, and run the laser.
| Laser Controls | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Preview | Generate a preview of the test grid |
| Frame | Frame the test grid to see its position on the material |
| Start | Start running the material test |
| Pause | Pause the material test |
| Stop | Stop running the material test |
| Save RD File/Save GCode | Device-dependent—if available, saves the test grid in RD or GCode format |
Saving and Exporting¶
At the top are buttons allowing you to save, delete, export, and import presets. There is also a dropdown allowing you to select a saved preset. This is useful if you have custom settings you like to run frequently, for instance a smaller test pattern you want to use on metal tags or a range of settings you want to test on different woods.
To locate the presets saved on your computer, go to File → Open Prefs Folder. You'll find the material_test_presets.lbmt file inside the presets folder.