The xTool F1 Ultra FAQ: Specs, Glass Engraving Settings, and the 40W Dual-Laser Question

I handle production laser orders for a small manufacturing shop in Australia. I've been running the xTool F1 Ultra since the first batch arrived in early 2024—or rather, I got mine in February 2024, the first allocation my reseller received. I've personally made (and documented) 14 significant mistakes, totaling roughly $19,000 in wasted budget. Now I maintain our team's checklist so nobody repeats them.

If you've ever watched a $600 piece of glass come out of a laser with a grey smear where the engraving should be, you know the feeling. The $1,900 order in April 2024 changed how I think about laser settings: I'd just upgraded, figured I didn't need to test, and ended up with a batch of ruined tumblers.

So here's what I'd tell a new operator: check more, assume less, and write down the settings you actually tested.

What this FAQ covers

• xTool F1 Ultra laser specifications
• xTool F1 Ultra glass engraving settings
• Is it really a 40W laser cutter?
• Can you laser cut rubber with an F1 Ultra?
• What Australians should check before buying a laser machine
• The rotary attachment mistake that costs me the most
• Accessories worth buying

What are the xTool F1 Ultra laser specifications?

According to xTool's official product specifications (xtool.com, accessed January 2025), the F1 Ultra combines a 20W fiber laser at 1064nm and a 20W diode laser at 455nm. It's often called a 40W unit, but that's total optical power from two laser sources, not one 40W beam.

What does that mean in practice?

• The fiber laser is best for engraving or marking metals, plastics, and ceramics.
• The diode laser cuts and engraves wood, leather, acrylic, and some glass.
• The work area is compact, so I plan my layouts in xTool Creative Space before anything touches the bed.

The spec sheet lists all the numbers, but the one that actually matters is the focal height for each laser. That's where I lost my first full day with the machine.

Wait, is it actually a 40W laser cutter?

Technically yes, if you're counting optical power. But it's not the same as a 40W CO2 laser cutter, and I made that assumption before buying. A 40W CO2 tube will cut thick acrylic and wood with a faster, smoother edge. The F1 Ultra's two lasers are for precision, speed, and material variety—not for pushing through 12mm boards all day.

If you're deciding between the F1 Ultra and a CO2 cutter, ask what materials you actually process. If the answer is thick acrylic every day, buy a CO2 machine. If the answer is metal marking, small parts, glass, and the occasional rubber sheet, the F1 Ultra makes more sense.

xTool F1 Ultra glass engraving settings: what actually worked for me

People think the fiber laser handles glass. Not in my experience. The 1064nm fiber beam passes through most clear glass without doing much. The diode laser is the one I use for glass—and even then, it needs a surface that can absorb the light.

My starting point for flat 10mm clear glass:

• Laser: diode (455nm)
• Power: 70–80%
• Speed: 800–1200 mm/min
• Surface prep: wet paper towel or a thin layer of dish soap and water
• Air assist: on, low enough not to blow the water off

Before you write these numbers on your whiteboard, run a test grid. Seriously. Glass from different suppliers behaves differently. I buy 6mm float glass locally, and 75% power at 900 mm/min gives a solid white mark. The same settings on tempered glass looked like a smudge.

I still kick myself for not running a full test grid before that 12-piece order in April 2024. Five minutes of verification beats five days of correction.

Can you laser cut rubber with an F1 Ultra?

Short answer: yes, on certain rubber compounds, with the diode laser, and only if you keep the sheet thickness reasonable. Longer answer: check the material data sheet before you cut.

We cut 0.8mm and 2mm natural rubber gaskets on the F1 Ultra. The settings that work for us:

• Laser: diode
• Power: 85%
• Speed: 300–500 mm/min
• Air assist: on

Rubber isn't one material. If your supplier says rubber without a material code, ask again. Here's the short version:

• Natural rubber / NR blends: cuttable
• Neoprene (CR) or PVC-containing rubber: avoid with a laser
• Silicone: don't even try it

Chlorine-based rubbers release corrosive gas when heated. Use an enclosure with exhaust to the outside, keep the lid closed, and expect to wipe the protective lens afterwards.

People think laser cutting rubber is complicated because the laser is weak. That's not the real problem. The real problem is the compound.

What should Australians know before buying a laser machine?

If you're comparing laser machines Australia resellers, the most important thing isn't the unit itself—it's the after-sales support. A few things I'd put on your list before you click buy:

• Voltage: the AU version runs on 240V, 50Hz. Don't order a US unit and hope a plug adapter solves it.
• Ventilation: the enclosure filters smoke but doesn't replace airflow. I vent through a window kit, and I still use a smoke extractor fan.
• Warranty: buy through a seller that offers an Australian warranty. A warranty you can't use from another time zone is worth less than it looks.
• GST: on imported machines, the price on the website is often ex-GST. Budget for it.

Oh, and check local laser safety requirements. ARPANSA publishes the Australian laser product classification standard (AS/NZS 60825.1); the F1 Ultra's enclosure helps, but you're still responsible for safe operation.

Why do so many people get the rotary attachment wrong?

The rotary attachment isn't add material, press start. The most common mistake: using the wrong focusing reference. A cylinder's surface moves as it spins; if you focus at the center of the chuck gap instead of the material's top surface, the engraving drifts or blurs around the curve.

What saved us was a simple centering test: put a line on a sacrificial cup, rotate 180 degrees, mark again, and compare the overlap. The first time I did that, the two lines were 3mm apart. One of my biggest regrets is not doing this test earlier.

That's when I added a 12-point pre-order checklist. That checklist has caught 47 potential errors in the past 18 months. It's not glamorous and it costs 15 minutes before every big run. It's still cheaper than the alternative.

What settings should you save for metal and acrylic?

Metal marking works best with the fiber laser. I use the presets in xTool Creative Space as a starting point—90% power, speed around 200 mm/min on stainless steel—but I always run a small ramp test on scrap first. Coated and brushed finishes behave differently.

Acrylic is a diode laser job for me. I cut 3mm clear cast acrylic at 80% power, 250 mm/min, with air assist and the paper masking left on. Transparent and white acrylic can be a problem with a 455nm diode because the beam often passes straight through. Test a corner before you run a batch.

I didn't fully understand the difference between cast and extruded acrylic until a 3mm sheet bubbled along every cut line. That was a $90 sheet and a three-hour evening wasted.

What accessories are actually worth buying?

The rotary attachment pays for itself if you do cups, bottles, or handles. I use it mostly for stainless steel tumblers. The air assist is not optional for rubber or acrylic; it keeps the lens clean and reduces charring. The honeycomb bed? I'd skip the fancy one and use a solid aluminum base with a scrap sheet under the material.

If I had to choose only one accessory, it would be the air assist. The second is a decent fume extractor, not a stronger laser. That's the kind of lesson I learned the expensive way.