This page describes a laser engraving setting published for Acier doux / brut at 0.5 mm, tested on a Gravotech LW2 fitted with a Infrarouge 10W (1064nm) source (1064 nm infrared, 10 W). It states the exact machine, source, material, thickness and operation of the test; power, speed and number of passes are shown with a Premium pass.
Why those four facts matter: a engraving setting that works on Acier doux / brut at 0.5 mm does not transfer to another thickness, nor to another source. A 1064 nm infrared rated 10 W does not deposit the same energy as a stronger module, and the speed has to be adjusted accordingly. Copying a number without checking those four points is the first cause of a ruined part.
Published by LaserSettings (estimation). No other workshop has confirmed it yet: treat it as a starting point, and confirm it from your account if you reproduce it.
No photo comes with this setting yet. If you reproduce it, publish yours from your account: a picture of the result is worth more than a line of numbers.
Recommended routine before running the part: clean the lens, redo the focus, engrave a small test grid on an offcut of the same Acier doux / brut, then adjust the speed rather than the power. Work with fume extraction and air assist, wear glasses rated for 1064 nm infrared, and never leave the machine unattended.
Gravotech (Gravograph) comes from mechanical and industrial engraving and offers CO2, fibre and UV solutions, often integrated into a production line. On these machines the setting is part of a documented process: the useful value is the one validated with the same optics and the same certified material.
Mild steel is the easiest and cheapest metal to mark with a fibre: it absorbs the beam well, reacts at low power and accepts both black marking and deep engraving. It is the reference material for tooling, industrial plates and mechanical parts.
Three different results depending on settings: black marking (moderate power, high speed, several close passes), light grey annealing (low power, very fast) and recessed engraving (full power, low speed, many passes).
A reasonable starting point with a 20 W fibre: 80% at 500 mm/s, 30 kHz frequency, for contrast engraving. To dig in, drop the speed to 200 mm/s and stack passes.
Mild steel rusts: annealed marking lasts better than surface marking, because it changes the material instead of removing it.
Common thicknesses: 0.5 to 3 mm sheet, with no limit on solid parts since you only mark. A marking fibre does not cut steel: industrial fibre cutters are multi-kilowatt machines, unrelated to a workshop engraver.
Common pitfall: paint or a zinc coating. On galvanised steel the laser vaporises the zinc and releases hazardous zinc fumes. Strip the area to be marked or change material.
The protective oil on new sheet smokes and dirties the mark: always degrease.