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[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA — Project made with xTool F2 machine for Laser cut and engrave.

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA — Project made with xTool F2 machine for Laser cut and engrave.

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA — Project made with xTool F2 machine for Laser cut and engrave.

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA — Project made with xTool F2 machine for Laser cut and engrave.

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

[Laser cut and engrave] Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA

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Instruction

Botanical.xcs

Botanical

.xcs

Show 1 more

Application scenario

Laser processing (17min)

Machine & module

xTool F2

5W, 15W

Compatible xTool Machine

F2 Ultra UV

5W

Material used

1/8"(3mm) Black PLA

gift

110

3241

Information

      In this project, I created a floral engraved artwork on matte black PLA using IR Color Engraving (5W IR laser).

The key idea is simple but powerful:

👉 Instead of guessing settings, I used a custom swatch to map colors(https://www.atomm.com/project/108813-pla-ir-engraving-swatch-guide-xtool-f2-portable)
👉 Then used XCS Color Separation to assign those exact tones to different parts of the design

This gives:

Controlled tones (beige, brown, dark accents)
Clean layering
Professional finish without trial & error

lasereverythingcontest

plastic engraving

plastic engraving settings

color engraving

Artistic Design

Instruction

1

Step1: Prepare the Design

Design Type:

Floral line + fill artwork
Multiple tonal regions (not just black/white)

Key Concept:

👉 Break design into color layers, NOT depth layers. Xtool Studio provides a color seperation button on the top that will break down the colors for you. Or use the imag and file required.

2

Step2: Use XCS Color Separation (MOST IMPORTANT)

Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA instruction: step 2 - Use XCS Color Separation (MOST IMPORTANT)

Preview

Midnight Bloom – Swatch-Mapped IR Floral Engraving on PLA instruction: step 2 - Use XCS Color Separation (MOST IMPORTANT)

Preview

This is where the magic happens.

🔹 In xTool Creative Space (XCS):

Import your design
Select image → Enable "Color Separation"
Reduce to:
- 3–5 colors (based on your swatch)

🎯 Example Mapping (From Your Artwork)

Design Area	Swatch Tone	Laser Setting
Petals (main)	Light beige	Low-mid power
Inner petal texture	Slightly darker	Medium power
Leaves	Brown tones	Medium-high power
Outlines	Dark	High power (controlled)

👉 Each color = one engraving layer

3

Step3: Assign Swatch Values

Now match each separated color to your swatch:

Example (based on your result):

Light tone → ~30–40% power
Mid tone → ~50–60% power
Dark tone → ~65–75% power

⚠️ Avoid:

80% power → melting/gloss effect

4

Step4: Engraving Process

Settings:

Mode: Color IR Engraving
DPI: 300–350
Passes: 1 (important for color consistency)

Order:

👉 Engrave from light → dark layers

Why?

Prevents overheating early
Maintains color contrast

5

Step5: What’s Happening Physically

PLA reacts to IR laser through:

Micro melting
Surface texture change
Light reflection variation

That’s why:

Light tones = shallow thermal change
Dark tones = deeper heat effect
Too much heat = glossy black (loss of detail)

6

Step6: Pro Techniques (For Better results)

1. Hybrid Engraving

Use Color IR for fill
Use Normal IR for outlines
👉 Gives extra sharpness

2. Contrast Boost Trick

Slightly exaggerate differences between tones in XCS
👉 Improves final visual separation

3. Texture Control

Increase DPI for smoother tones
Lower DPI for more “grainy” artistic look

🏁 Final Result

You’ve effectively:

Turned PLA into a multi-tone engraving material
Used data-driven swatch mapping
Leveraged XCS color separation like a pro

👉 This is how you move from hobby → professional output

7

Step7: Social Media Share

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid023ncLMLvfe6R88EXKw3JDEpSydEvVTsjzy1ZW24xkJhjTWwX5R5ANhEVC8pTSMBsZl&id=1628374474&mibextid=Nif5oz

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