Laser cutting Fabric (medium): speed, time and cost
Fabric (medium) cuts at about 60 mm/s on a 100 W CO2 laser in one pass. Below: what that means in time and money on common machines, plus settings tips. Price your own file in the calculator — it runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded.
Open the calculator preset for Fabric (medium) →Fabric (medium) at a glance
| Material group | Fabric / Felt |
|---|---|
| Reference cut speed (100 W CO2) | 60 mm/s × 1 pass |
| Air assist | low air assist |
| Diode lasers | yes, slower (5–10×), more passes as thickness grows |
Time and cost by machine (100 × 60 mm part, €60/h)
| Machine | Speed | Time | Machine cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| xTool D1 Pro 10W | 12 mm/s | 27 s | €0.44 |
| xTool D1 Pro 20W / S1 20W | 18 mm/s | 18 s | €0.30 |
| OMTech K40 (40W CO2) | 30 mm/s | 11 s | €0.18 |
| OMTech / Gweike 60W | 45 mm/s | 7 s | €0.12 |
| OMTech / Thunder / Gweike 80W | 54 mm/s | 6 s | €0.10 |
| 100 W CO2 (workshop reference) | 60 mm/s | 5 s | €0.09 |
Speeds scale from the workshop reference by machine class. Material, setup and margin come on top — open the calculator to add them and nest parts on your sheet.
Settings tips for Fabric (medium)
pin the material flat or it lifts in the airflow; synthetic felt fuses its own edge (no fraying). Test-cut a small square first: dial speed, not power, until it just cuts through — cleaner edge, less char.
Fabric (medium) FAQ
How fast can you laser cut Fabric (medium)?
On a 100 W CO2 laser about 60 mm/s in a single pass. Diode lasers are roughly 5× slower (and need more passes above 3 mm). A 100 × 60 mm part (320 mm of cutting) takes about 5 s at 60 mm/s.
How much does laser cutting Fabric (medium) cost?
Laser cutting is priced by machine time: cut length ÷ speed = time, × hourly rate (€60/h typical for a small shop) + setup + material. At 60 mm/s a 100 × 60 mm part is about €0.09 of machine time before material and setup.
What settings do I use for Fabric (medium)?
Start from your machine's fabric / felt preset, use low air assist, and do a test cut: if it doesn't cut through, slow down 10–15% before adding power. pin the material flat or it lifts in the airflow; synthetic felt fuses its own edge (no fraying).
Other Fabric / Felt: Fabric (thin) · Felt 2mm · Felt 3mm