The material library is great, but it won't always have your material. Sometimes you've got something it doesn't list, or something you're just not sure about. That's when you run a material test: a grid of the same shape, each one engraved at a different power and speed, so you can see exactly what works.
In this guide I'll take you through the whole thing in xTool Studio: setting up the test, running it, reading the results, and saving the winner as your own custom setting. I did it on a piece of 3D printed black PLA, which has no setting in the library, using my F1 Ultra. The process is the same for any material and any xTool machine.
Jump to: What's new in the test grid · Find a reference · Make a test shape · Build the grid · Check the labels · Run the test · Read the results · Save your setting
Before you start: the test grid has had an upgrade
I filmed this in October 2025. Since then, xTool Studio has moved and improved the test grid, so here's what's different now:
- Where it is: Material test array used to be in the Applications list on the left. It now sits under Useful tools and generators, in the same list as Smart Nesting.
- Passes: you can now set the number of passes for the whole grid.
- Lines per cm: when you switch the grid to engrave, you can set lines per cm right in the test box.
- Material type: you can pick a predefined material, like wood, and start from xTool's recommended parameters for it.
Everything else in this guide still works the same way. One thing you still can't do is edit a grid after it's been made, so get your numbers right before you click Done. There's more on the new options in my xTool Studio update guide.
1. Find a similar material as a reference
Put your material on the bed and click New Project in the top right. You don't need a camera for any of this, so it works on every machine.
Now open the material library and look for something similar to what you're testing. My black PLA is a plastic, so I went to the Plastic category. There are acrylics and plastic sheets in there, and I went for one of xTool's black plastic sheets as my reference. It's a totally different material to PLA, but it gives me a rough ballpark of where to start, and that's all we want from it.
2. Make a test shape
- From the shape tools on the left, pick a shape. I use a star, because the laser has to do long and short paths around it, so it's a good test.
- Size it to suit your material. I usually go somewhere between 5 and 10 mm square. That's a safe size that gives you enough to look at.
- On the right, set it to Engrave.
- Make a note of the reference settings it shows. For my similar material it suggested 40% power and 1,500 mm/s on the Fiber IR laser. We'll build the test around those numbers.
3. Build the material test grid
With your shape selected, open the tools list on the left (the four squares icon) and click Material test array. In the current version you'll find it under Useful tools and generators.
Studio builds a grid straight away, with power along the bottom and speed up the side. By default it runs from 10% to 100% power and 10 to 10,000 mm/s. That's far too wide. If the reference says 40% power, a square at 100% would probably be too much and could melt the plastic.
So use the reference as the middle of your range:
| Setting | What I used | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Power | Min 10%, max 50% | The reference 40% sits near the top, and 5 columns gives round steps of 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 |
| Speed | Min 1,000, max 3,000 mm/s | The reference 1,500 mm/s sits inside, in steps of 500 |
| Columns and rows | 5 and 5 | More columns (say 7) test more combinations, but 5 keeps the numbers round |
| Spacing | 2 mm | Keeps the grid tight. Go closer if your piece of material is small |
Pick numbers that give you round steps. It makes reading the results much easier. When you're happy, click Done and the grid becomes one grouped object.
4. Check the settings on the labels
This is a step a lot of people miss. Right-click the grid and choose Ungroup. Now you can click each star and see on the right that it has its own power and speed, matching the grid.
Then click the text around the grid (the title and the numbers). Those labels get engraved too, and they have their own settings. Mine were set to 90% power and 1,200 mm/s, which I suspected would burn the plastic. I turned them down to 40% power and 1,000 mm/s. Always check these, including which laser they're set to, before you run the test.
A good tip to make that easier: select all the text (click one, then hold Shift and click the rest, or hold Shift and drag boxes around them), right-click and put it on a different layer. I used red. Now clicking the red layer button at the bottom left selects every label at once, and you can change all their settings in one go. You can group it all back together afterwards or leave it ungrouped. It's up to you.
5. Focus, frame and run the test
- Focus the laser. On my F1 Ultra there are two focus dots, and they're not joined up yet in the photo above. I used the arrows on the machine to bring them together (on an F1 you use the knob). The test is only meaningful if the laser is properly focused, otherwise you're not getting true readings.
- Frame it. This is critical. Make sure the whole grid fits on your material before you start.
- Start the job. I wear safety glasses, so I kept the shield up to film it. If you're not wearing them, close the lid.
6. Read the results
Here's my finished test. The bottom right corner (high power, low speed) is the darkest, and at 50% power some of those stars nearly burnt. Most of the others look very similar. I'm really glad I changed the text settings too, because the labels came out nicely instead of burning.
What you're looking for is the result you like using as little power as possible at the highest speed. On this PLA that's the top row. I went with 20% power at 3,000 mm/s, with 30% at 3,000 mm/s as a close second. That's a low power, high speed engrave, which is a really good balance.
| My result | |
|---|---|
| Machine and laser | xTool F1 Ultra, Fiber IR |
| Material | Black PLA (3D printed, Bambu Lab) |
| Power | 20% |
| Speed | 3,000 mm/s |
| Lines per cm | 120 |
| Passes | 1 |
If you want to fine-tune further, run a second test. Keep the power the same and push the speed higher, say 4,000 to 5,000 mm/s, and look at it in more detail. Every new material is worth testing like this, and every time you do it you learn a bit more about your machine.
7. Save the winner as your own setting
- Ungroup the grid again and click the star you liked. Its settings show on the right. Mine was 20% power, 3,000 mm/s.
- Click the little save icon next to the settings dropdown at the top of the panel.
- The Add material setting box opens. Give it a name that tells you exactly what it's for. I called mine Bambu PLA Black.
- Click Submit.
Now, whenever you make a new design, set it to engrave, open the settings dropdown and your saved setting is there. Click it and every value loads in, ready to go. I've got a separate video on custom materials in xTool Studio if you want to go further with this, and the current version also lets you manage and back up your saved settings from the Material setting page on the Home screen.
Want a head start?
A test like this is the best way to learn a material, but you don't always have to start from zero. My free Laser Settings Library has the settings I've tested on xTool machines, including a page just for the F1 Ultra. Use them as a starting point, then test on a scrap to fine-tune for your own material.
If you're brand new to Studio, start with my xTool Studio beginner's walkthrough. And if you've got a material you're stuck on, tell me in the comments on the video.
