Monport Effi 16S — Material & Settings Library¶
Reference cut/engrave settings for the Monport Effi 16S (150W CO2). Speed is given in mm/s (LightBurn); where settings were converted from Trotec's percentage scale, the original % is shown alongside for reference.
Test-cut anything not in section 1
Only the settings in 1. Proven Settings have actually been run on this machine. Everything in 2. Imported from Trotec Q500 is a calculated starting point, not a verified value — always run a small test cut before committing a full job, and adjust from there. Always run air assist and exhaust ventilation regardless of material.
General notes for reading these tables:
- Always order engrave layers above cut layers in Lightburn — this way engraving happens before a cut has a chance to shift or dislodge the material.
- "Passes: 1" in a row below means that setting is meant to cut all the way through in one pass. For material thicker than what's listed, increase the pass count and lower the Z-focus offset between passes rather than pushing power up or speed down indefinitely.
- Fill direction is a separate choice from power/speed: Bidirectional (fires moving both directions) is fastest; Unidirectional (fires one direction only) is slower but can look more visually consistent; Crosshatch (a pass in each direction) gives the most uniform, deepest engrave.
1. Proven Settings¶
Tested on the Monport and safe to use as-is.
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birkensperrholz (birch plywood) | — | Engrave | 16% | 240 | Engrave settings |
| Birkensperrholz (birch plywood) | 4 mm | Cut | 70% | 38 | Cut settings |
| HDF (water-resistant) | 3 mm | Cut | 25% | 12 | Cut settings for water-resistant HDF |
| HDF (water-resistant) | — | Engrave | 16% | 240 | Engrave settings for water-resistant HDF |
| MDF (white) | — (engrave/fill) | Engrave | 20% | 230 | Fill mode, bidirectional; air assist off (kept off deliberately to avoid blowing white MDF dust around); line interval widened from Lightburn's 0.1mm default since this laser's focal spot is ~0.15mm |
| MDF (white) | 3 mm | Cut | 26% | 9 | Line mode; air assist on (required for all cuts). Arrived at live during training — [NEEDS VERIFICATION: exact speed/power heard as "9mm/s at 26%" from Monport's quarter-inch birch chart, not an MDF-specific value — confirm] |
| MDF (white) | 5 mm | Cut | 26% | 9 | Same quarter-inch-chart settings as the 3mm cut, reused to ensure a full through-cut — [NEEDS VERIFICATION: confirm depth and consider dedicated MDF settings once available] |
2. Imported from Trotec Q500 (120 W) — needs test cuts¶
Converted from happylab's Trotec Q500 settings (happylab_q500_material_library.csv). Speed was converted from Trotec's 0–100% JobControl scale to mm/s using the Q500's rated max processing speed of 2000 mm/s (speed_mm/s = %/100 × 2000).
Per Monport's tube-life guidance, power is capped at 70% — any setting that came in above 70% has been clamped down to 70%, with speed reduced proportionally (same power/speed ratio) to keep roughly the same cutting energy per mm. The Monport is 150 W versus the Q500's up to 120 W, so there's real headroom even at the 70% cap — treat every row below as a starting point, not a final value.
Papier & Karton (Paper & Cardboard)¶
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed % | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graupappe | — | Cut / Score | 10% | 2% | 40 | |
| Graupappe | — | Engrave | 20% | 20% | 400 | |
| Graupappe | 4 mm | Cut | 70% | 1% | 16 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 20→16 mm/s to compensate |
| Graupappe | 3 mm | Cut | 70% | 1.2% | 19 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 24→19 mm/s to compensate |
| Graupappe | 2 mm | Cut | 70% | 1.2% | 19 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 24→19 mm/s to compensate |
| Graupappe | 1 mm | Cut | 70% | 2% | 31 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 40→31 mm/s to compensate |
| Finnpappe | — | Engrave | 15% | 20% | 400 | |
| Finnpappe | 2 mm | Cut | 70% | 1.5% | 26 | Fabstore; capped from 80% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 30→26 mm/s to compensate |
Holz (Wood)¶
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed % | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pappelsperrholz (poplar plywood) | 4 mm | Engrave | 15% | 20% | 400 | Fabstore |
| Pappelsperrholz (poplar plywood) | 4 mm | Cut / Score | 12% | 0.8% | 16 | Fabstore |
| Pappelsperrholz (poplar plywood) | 4 mm | Cut | 70% | 1.2% | 19 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 24→19 mm/s to compensate |
| Hartfaserplatte (hardboard) | 4 mm | Cut | 70% | 1% | 16 | Bauhaus; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 20→16 mm/s to compensate |
| Hartfaserplatte (hardboard) | 5 mm | Cut | 70% | 0.3% | 4 | Bauhaus; capped from 100% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 6→4 mm/s to compensate |
Kunststoffe (Plastics)¶
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed % | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | — | Engrave | 20% | 15% | 300 | |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 2 mm | Cut | 70% | 2% | 31 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 40→31 mm/s to compensate |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 3 mm | Cut | 70% | 2% | 31 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 40→31 mm/s to compensate |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 4 mm | Cut | 70% | 1% | 16 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 20→16 mm/s to compensate |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 5 mm | Cut | 70% | 0.8% | 12 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 16→12 mm/s to compensate |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 6 mm | Cut | 70% | 0.6% | 9 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 12→9 mm/s to compensate |
| Acrylglas (acrylic/PMMA) | 8 mm | Cut | 70% | 0.3% | 5 | Fabstore; capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 6→5 mm/s to compensate |
| Laserply | — | Engrave | 15% | 20% | 400 | For 600 DPI |
| Laserply | 0.6 mm | Cut | 40% | 2% | 40 | Fabstore |
| Laserply | 1.5 mm | Cut | 40% | 2% | 40 | Fabstore, 2 passes |
| Kapa schwarz (black foam board) | 5 mm | Cut | 70% | 4% | 62 | Capped from 90% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 80→62 mm/s to compensate |
Textilien & Leder (Textiles & Leather)¶
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed % | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lederband (leather strap) | 2 mm | Engrave | 15% | 15% | 300 |
Leather reminder
Only untreated / naturally (vegetable) tanned leather belongs on this machine — chrome-tanned leather is on the unsafe materials list. Confirm tanning method before cutting any leather of unknown origin.
Stempel & Gummi (Stamps & Rubber)¶
| Material | Thickness | Process | Power | Speed % | Speed (mm/s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stempelgummi (stamp rubber) | 2.3 mm | Engrave | 30% | 20% | 400 | 600 DPI |
| Stempelgummi (stamp rubber) | 2.3 mm | Cut | 70% | 1% | 18 | Capped from 80% → 70% (tube-life limit); speed slowed 20→18 mm/s to compensate |
Check the rubber type first
Only cut rubber known to be free of chloroprene/neoprene content — see unsafe materials list for "Moosgummi" and fluoroelastomer rubbers, which are not safe to laser cut.
3. Incomplete in Source Data (no settings yet)¶
These materials appeared in the Trotec CSV but had no power/speed values recorded, so no setting could be derived. Test-cut manually if you need to use one of these, starting well below the proven/imported settings for a similar material above, and consider adding your result back to this page.
| Category | Material | Process | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Papier & Karton | Bristolkarton 1mm | Cut | AM |
| Papier & Karton | Bristolkarton | Cut / Score | Relatively dark |
| Papier & Karton | Finnpappe 1mm | Cut | Fabstore |
| Kunststoffe | Polystyrol 1mm | Cut | — |
| Kunststoffe | Acrylglas 10mm | Cut | — |
| Stempel & Gummi | EPDM 2mm | Cut | Sealing rubber ("Dichtungsgummi") |
| Stempel & Gummi | Moosgummi 2mm | Cut | Modulor |
Polystyrol and EPDM/Moosgummi need a safety check, not just a test cut
Polystyrene (Polystyrol) foam is one of the most common causes of laser fires and its smoke contains styrene — see the unsafe materials list before cutting it. EPDM and Moosgummi rubbers can contain chloroprene depending on the specific product — verify the datasheet before treating either as safe, regardless of what's written here.
Source: Lightburn_Material_Library.clb (proven settings) and happylab_q500_material_library.csv (Trotec Q500 import), converted for the Monport Effi 16S.