{
  "version": "1.0",
  "last_updated": "2026-06-25",
  "methodology_url": "https://lasertinkerer.com/methodology/",
  "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0",
  "notes": "Settings are calibrated starting points sourced from manufacturer documentation and named community results. Each row carries provenance. energy_index_j_per_mm = (power_pct * wattage_optical * 0.6) / speed_mm_min. Source types: A=manufacturer official, C=derived-scaled from anchor, D=community-verified (corroborated, named source).",
  "columns": ["id","material_id","thickness_mm","operation","mode","machine_wattage_class","machine_example","speed_mm_min","speed_mm_s","power_pct","passes_range","air_assist","energy_index_j_per_mm","result_summary","confidence","source_type","source_ref","last_verified"],
  "rows": [

    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-aa-5w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "5W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 5W, Sculpfun S5",
      "speed_mm_min": 200,
      "speed_mm_s": 3.3,
      "power_pct": 100,
      "passes_range": "10-15",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 1.50,
      "result_summary": "Possible but slow; significant char on edges. Not recommended for production use.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community consensus across r/diylasers, r/lasercutting, r/xtool; multiple independent reports corroborate pass counts",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-aa-10w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "10W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 10W, Sculpfun S10, Ortur LM3",
      "speed_mm_min": 250,
      "speed_mm_s": 4.2,
      "power_pct": 90,
      "passes_range": "4-6",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 2.16,
      "result_summary": "Clean cut on quality laser plywood in 4-6 passes.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community consensus across r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; xTool D1 Pro 10W user reports; corroborated independently",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-aa-20w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "20W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 20W, Sculpfun S30 Pro Max",
      "speed_mm_min": 350,
      "speed_mm_s": 5.8,
      "power_pct": 85,
      "passes_range": "2-3",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 2.91,
      "result_summary": "Good results with minimal char in 2-3 passes.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community consensus across r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; xTool D1 Pro 20W user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-aa-33w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "33W",
      "machine_example": "xTool S1 40W (33W optical), Sculpfun S30 Ultra",
      "speed_mm_min": 500,
      "speed_mm_s": 8.3,
      "power_pct": 80,
      "passes_range": "2",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 3.17,
      "result_summary": "Clean cuts in most cases in 2 passes.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community consensus; Sculpfun S30 Ultra and xTool S1 user reports across r/diylasers",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-aa-40w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "40W",
      "machine_example": "Atomstack A40 Pro, Sculpfun S40",
      "speed_mm_min": 600,
      "speed_mm_s": 10.0,
      "power_pct": 75,
      "passes_range": "1-2",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 3.00,
      "result_summary": "Fast, clean cuts in 1-2 passes on quality laser plywood.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community consensus across r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; Atomstack A40 Pro user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },

    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-noaa-5w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "no-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "5W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 5W, Sculpfun S5",
      "speed_mm_min": 150,
      "speed_mm_s": 2.5,
      "power_pct": 100,
      "passes_range": "15-20+",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 2.00,
      "result_summary": "Very difficult; significant fire risk. Supervised only. Not recommended.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports; r/diylasers fire-safety thread; generally discouraged",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-noaa-10w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "no-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "10W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 10W, Sculpfun S10",
      "speed_mm_min": 200,
      "speed_mm_s": 3.3,
      "power_pct": 90,
      "passes_range": "6-10",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 2.70,
      "result_summary": "Possible with supervision; more char than with air assist.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports; r/diylasers; fire-risk warnings noted",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-noaa-20w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "no-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "20W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 20W",
      "speed_mm_min": 280,
      "speed_mm_s": 4.7,
      "power_pct": 85,
      "passes_range": "3-5",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 3.64,
      "result_summary": "Works but char-heavy; supervision required.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports; r/diylasers",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "plywood-3mm-cut-noaa-40w",
      "material_id": "basswood-plywood",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "no-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "40W",
      "machine_example": "Atomstack A40 Pro",
      "speed_mm_min": 500,
      "speed_mm_s": 8.3,
      "power_pct": 75,
      "passes_range": "2-3",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 2.70,
      "result_summary": "2-3 passes; supervision required. Air assist strongly recommended.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports; r/diylasers, r/lasercutting",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },

    {
      "id": "leather-vegttan-engrave-standard-5w",
      "material_id": "leather-veg-tan",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "standard",
      "machine_wattage_class": "5W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 5W, Sculpfun S5",
      "speed_mm_min": 2000,
      "speed_mm_s": 33.3,
      "power_pct": 35,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.053,
      "result_summary": "Clear dark mark; most common use case.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, r/lasercutting leather threads; multiple corroborated results",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "leather-vegttan-engrave-standard-10w",
      "material_id": "leather-veg-tan",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "standard",
      "machine_wattage_class": "10W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 10W, Sculpfun S10",
      "speed_mm_min": 3000,
      "speed_mm_s": 50.0,
      "power_pct": 28,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.056,
      "result_summary": "Clear dark mark.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers leather threads; corroborated",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "leather-vegttan-engrave-standard-20w",
      "material_id": "leather-veg-tan",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "standard",
      "machine_wattage_class": "20W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 20W, Sculpfun S30 Pro Max",
      "speed_mm_min": 4000,
      "speed_mm_s": 66.7,
      "power_pct": 22,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.066,
      "result_summary": "Clear dark mark; reduce power if using full-focus lens.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, xTool community forums",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "leather-vegttan-engrave-standard-33w",
      "material_id": "leather-veg-tan",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "standard",
      "machine_wattage_class": "33W",
      "machine_example": "xTool S1 40W (33W optical)",
      "speed_mm_min": 4500,
      "speed_mm_s": 75.0,
      "power_pct": 18,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.079,
      "result_summary": "Clear dark mark; high-power machines engrave fast and light at low %.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; xTool S1 user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "leather-vegttan-engrave-standard-40w",
      "material_id": "leather-veg-tan",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "standard",
      "machine_wattage_class": "40W",
      "machine_example": "Atomstack A40 Pro, Sculpfun S40",
      "speed_mm_min": 5000,
      "speed_mm_s": 83.3,
      "power_pct": 15,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.072,
      "result_summary": "Clear dark mark; check minimum power threshold on your module.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; Atomstack user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },

    {
      "id": "acrylic-opaque-3mm-cut-5w",
      "material_id": "acrylic-opaque-cast",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "5W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 5W",
      "speed_mm_min": 400,
      "speed_mm_s": 6.7,
      "power_pct": 100,
      "passes_range": "12-18",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.75,
      "result_summary": "Dark/black acrylic only. Borderline feasible — not recommended for 5W.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; limited 5W acrylic cutting reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "acrylic-opaque-3mm-cut-10w",
      "material_id": "acrylic-opaque-cast",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "10W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 10W, Sculpfun S10",
      "speed_mm_min": 500,
      "speed_mm_s": 8.3,
      "power_pct": 100,
      "passes_range": "8-12",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 1.20,
      "result_summary": "Dark and black acrylic only. 10 passes as starting point.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; multiple 10W acrylic reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "acrylic-opaque-3mm-cut-20w",
      "material_id": "acrylic-opaque-cast",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "20W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 20W",
      "speed_mm_min": 800,
      "speed_mm_s": 13.3,
      "power_pct": 95,
      "passes_range": "4-6",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 1.43,
      "result_summary": "Good results on dark colors; lighter colors need 6-8 passes.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; xTool D1 Pro 20W acrylic reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "acrylic-opaque-3mm-cut-40w",
      "material_id": "acrylic-opaque-cast",
      "thickness_mm": 3,
      "operation": "cut",
      "mode": "with-air-assist",
      "machine_wattage_class": "40W",
      "machine_example": "Atomstack A40 Pro",
      "speed_mm_min": 1200,
      "speed_mm_s": 20.0,
      "power_pct": 85,
      "passes_range": "2-3",
      "air_assist": true,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 1.70,
      "result_summary": "2 passes on black; 3 on medium colors.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; Atomstack A40 Pro user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },

    {
      "id": "anodized-al-engrave-logo-5w",
      "material_id": "anodized-aluminum",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "logo-text",
      "machine_wattage_class": "5W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 5W, Sculpfun S5",
      "speed_mm_min": 2500,
      "speed_mm_s": 41.7,
      "power_pct": 65,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.078,
      "result_summary": "Crisp white mark on black anodize. Focus is critical.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers, r/lasercutting; multiple 5W anodized Al reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "anodized-al-engrave-logo-10w",
      "material_id": "anodized-aluminum",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "logo-text",
      "machine_wattage_class": "10W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 10W, Sculpfun S10",
      "speed_mm_min": 3500,
      "speed_mm_s": 58.3,
      "power_pct": 45,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.077,
      "result_summary": "Crisp white mark; keep DPI at 254-300 for vector work.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; xTool community forum posts on anodized Al",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "anodized-al-engrave-logo-20w",
      "material_id": "anodized-aluminum",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "logo-text",
      "machine_wattage_class": "20W",
      "machine_example": "xTool D1 Pro 20W",
      "speed_mm_min": 4500,
      "speed_mm_s": 75.0,
      "power_pct": 30,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.080,
      "result_summary": "Reduce power significantly — 20W easily over-powers anodize. Start conservative.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; xTool D1 Pro 20W anodized reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "anodized-al-engrave-logo-33w",
      "material_id": "anodized-aluminum",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "logo-text",
      "machine_wattage_class": "33W",
      "machine_example": "xTool S1 40W (33W optical)",
      "speed_mm_min": 5500,
      "speed_mm_s": 91.7,
      "power_pct": 20,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.072,
      "result_summary": "Very low power at high speed. Confirm test on scrap.",
      "confidence": "medium",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; xTool S1 user reports",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    },
    {
      "id": "anodized-al-engrave-logo-40w",
      "material_id": "anodized-aluminum",
      "thickness_mm": null,
      "operation": "engrave",
      "mode": "logo-text",
      "machine_wattage_class": "40W",
      "machine_example": "Atomstack A40 Pro, Sculpfun S40",
      "speed_mm_min": 6000,
      "speed_mm_s": 100.0,
      "power_pct": 15,
      "passes_range": "1",
      "air_assist": false,
      "energy_index_j_per_mm": 0.060,
      "result_summary": "Check module minimum power threshold — 15% may be near it. Test first.",
      "confidence": "low",
      "source_type": "D",
      "source_ref": "Community reports: r/diylasers; Atomstack A40 user reports; limited data at this wattage",
      "last_verified": "2026-06-25"
    }

  ]
}