Wood ornaments appear in various forms in the field of decoration or furniture. The intensification of the digital era has brought a lot of challenges to the woodworking industry. How to adapt to the trend of the times faster, better and more accurately to complete woodworking projects has become a major problem in the woodworking field. Laser cutting technology has revolutionized the field of woodworking, providing unparalleled precision and efficiency. EM-Smart Dual desktop laser engraver, the laser key cutting machine, officially launched by EM-Smart, is an innovative hybrid fiber and diode laser cutting machine that combines cutting-edge technology with user-friendly design, making it an ideal tool for amateurs and professionals alike. This article will explain why EM-Smart Dual desktop laser engraver is the laser key cutting machine for laser cut wood, the sorting of wood types suitable for cutting, detailed steps, and its wide range of commercial applications.

1. Why is EM-Smart Dual desktop laser engraver the laser key cutting machine?

• 20W Fiber+20W Diode, dual light sources with smooth switching, saving time in the laser cutting.
• Multi-power adjustable to help users easily cope with wood precise engraving, deep engraving and cutting processes.
  
• 230mm*230mm(Fiber)/200mm*200mm(Diode) large working area, 135% larger than the similar.
• Finest spot size 0.15mm×0.3mm (Diode) / 0.06mm×0.06mm (Fiber) achieves 0.9mm minimum character height, ±0.002mm repart accuracy, and 0.15mm cutting slit width, providing precise and detailed cutting for your process.

2. Wood commonly used for laser cutting

As a natural organic composite material, wood shows a unique charm in laser processing. Low-density wood (such as basswood and pine) has become the first choice for carvers because of its loose fiber structure and low thermal conductivity-the laser can quickly penetrate the material and achieve efficient cutting at lower power, while reducing edge carbonization and retaining delicate texture details. Resin-rich hardwoods (such as walnut and red sandalwood) bring another creative possibility: the resin undergoes a coking reaction at a high temperature of 200-300℃, giving the carved area a natural gradient of dark brown to black, just like the wood's own “ink”, adding a retro texture to the wood ornaments.

The following are several common types of laser cut wood:

Basswood

• As a low-density wood, basswood is soft in texture, leaving no scorch marks or residues when cutting, and the cutting effect is clean. Basswood is generally light white or light brown, easy to color, paint and polish, and high resin content, with high stability, is one of the best choices for laser cutting and making wood ornaments.

Cherry wood

• Cherry wood is native to the United States and has become a popular quality wood in the field of furniture manufacturing due to its excellent physical and aesthetic characteristics. Its texture is hard, which presents straight lines, the color is mainly reddish brown or brown, and has a natural luster. In addition, cherry wood performs well in the laser cutting, is not easy to crack when cutting, and has a smooth and flat surface after engraving, which is highly compatible with laser cutting technology.

Birch

• The wooden structure of birch is stable, there are no hard joints and texture mutations, the ignition point and thermal decomposition temperature are low, and it can quickly vaporize under the high temperature of the laser, reducing energy loss and improving cutting efficiency. In addition, the birch wood has a softer texture, the incision is smooth and there are fewer burrs after cutting. Without the need for complex post-processing, it can meet the processing needs with high requirements for cutting accuracy and surface quality, which makes it one of the best choices for laser cutting wood ornaments.

(Red/Oregon) Alder

• The wood material of alder is soft, processing difficulty is low, so does the process requirements. Resin content is rich, laser cutting, under the action of heat, so that the cutting parts show a deeper color. The background color of alder wood is light, the wood texture is delicate, the carved pattern lines are clear, and the contrast is extremely high. However, it should be noted that there may be tree knots inside the alder poplar tree. In the process of carving and cutting, it will lead to uneven stress, deviation of carving lines, and the cutting surface is not smooth enough, which seriously affects the quality of finished products.

Plywood

• Plywood is made of veneer or veneer glued by adhesive, belongs to three-layer and multi-layer board, the surface is flat, and it is not easy to deform. Because it has good processing adaptability, it is suitable for laser cutting. However, because plywood contains adhesive, special attention should be paid to preventing open fire and controlling smoke during laser cutting. Plywood raw materials are different, and there are differences in characteristics. In order to ensure the processing effect and safety, it is recommended to give priority to the selection of plywood for laser cutting and engraving. Among all kinds of plywood, birch plywood has become the most popular material in the field of laser cutting and engraving by virtue of its excellent comprehensive performance.

3. Guide of EM-Smart Dual Laser Cut Wood

Choose suitable wood for cutting, here take 10mm plywood as an example.

Step One: 

• Material and equipment preparation:

  10mm plywood, EM-Smart Dual, cutting panel, protective goggles

Step Two:

• Graphic design:

  Connect LightBurn, the side toolbar can draw shapes, the first operation can be done simple design, such as heart, circle or teardrop shape, and then add details on the basis of the shape (depicting patterns, geometric lines or personalized text), in the design must ensure that all lines are solid lines to prevent insufficient cutting. Or you can download the file directly from the laser cutting file sharing websites and import it to LightBurn to adjust the graphic size to the ideal size.

Step Three:

• Electric focusing:

• Place the material on the panel, use the electric lift to focus by adjusting the height, and when the two focuses on the board are completely coincident, the focus is over. Precise focus allows for a more concentrated laser density for faster, cleaner cuts.

Step Four:

• Parameter settings:

Step Five:

• Switching light sources:

  Switch between fiber and blue light in the cutting layer, non-metallic materials and acrylic cutting need to use blue light, turn on "use laser 2" to switch successfully, if you want to switch back to fiber, turn off this function.

Step Six:

• Complete marking design in LightBurn software, including patterns, text and other content. Click the "Preview" button on the software interface. The software displays the path of the laser spot, usually with lines of different colors to indicate the different marking paths. Check that the path matches expectations and that there are no missing or wrong parts. If problems are found, adjustments can be made in the preview, such as modifying the path order, adjusting parameters, etc.

Step Seven:

• Connect machine to PC using included Type-C cable. Make sure that the camera of the laser marking machine is connected correctly and turned on. In LightBurn software, click the "Camera Control" button and switch into "USB Camera". The software interface will display images of the work area captured by the camera. Place the material on the workbench and adjust the position of the material with the camera preview so that it aligns with the marking of the design. You can use software aids such as grids, etc. to help with precise alignment. After confirming that the material position is correct, turn off the camera preview and prepare for actual marking.

Step Eight:

• Make sure the equipment is connected correctly before starting the trial laser cutting, wear protective goggles, pad the cutting panel under the material, and close the protective enclosure before starting the trial laser cutting.

Step Nine:

• Material Testing:

• The test mainly focuses on two aspects: whether the scorch depth is consistent with and whether the cut is clean and there is no carbonization. The laser key cutting machine, EM-Smart Dual desktop laser engraver comes with LightBurn software material testing function, just need to set the power and speed range, test the number of rows and columns of squares, the operation is very convenient.

Step Ten:

• Start Laser Cutting:

  Set the processing sequence in the optimization settings: first start with high power high speed cutting, slowly reduce the speed blue light cutting to avoid overheating of the material damage wood surface caused by flames. Use the red preview border to observe the machining position. Click on the mark to wait for processing to complete. After the system stops working completely, open the protective enclosure and take out the finished product to observe the effect.

4. Projects of Laser Cut Wood

• Wood Ornaments

  1. Personalized jewelry: wood cut earrings, pendants, bracelets, with laser engraving patterns or text.
  2. Theme pendants: animation IP wooden plate, zodiac key chain, commemorative badge, and so on.
  3. Holiday gifts: wooden bookmarks engraved with surnames/greetings, laser cut wood Christmas tree ornaments, wedding gifts.
  

• Wood decorations

  1. Wood decorations of home: wooden wall embossed, lampshade pattern, carved photo frame.
  2. Art decoration: multi-layer three-dimensional collage, miniature landscape model, candle box decoration.

• Utility Items

  1. Tool assistance: woodworking positioning fixture, measuring ruler template, DIY toolbox partition board.
  2. Functional furniture: mortise and tenon splicing storage box, lamp bracket, customized wooden mobile phone bracket.
  3. Environmental protection packaging: engraved wooden box, tea pot, jewelry display rack.

• Puzzle Category

  reddit.com
• 1. Educational puzzles: geography puzzles, animal anatomy models, Chinese character stroke practice boards.
  2. STEM teaching aids: mechanical gear sets, bridge structure models, wooden parts of solar cars.
  3. Adult decompression toys: Luban lock, three-dimensional maze, movable wooden organ box.

5. Conclusion

Laser cut wood has a wide range of applications, providing unlimited possibilities for creativity and design. Whether it is a craft enthusiast or a small studio, you can use the laser key cutting machine, EM-Smart Dual desktop laser engraver to achieve efficient and accurate wood ornaments, improve production efficiency and product quality. In short, EM-Smart Dual, laser key cutting machine, is the right-hand man for laser cut wood and creative design. If you are looking for a reliable laser cutting equipment, EM-Smart Dual is definitely worth considering. It will help you turn ideas into reality and bring new breakthroughs and opportunities to your projects and business.