Local onlyThe math runs in JavaScript in this tab. Your figures are remembered in this browser's local storage, and nothing is uploaded.
A raster engraving fills an area by scanning back and forth, and how long that takes comes down to how much area, how closely the lines are packed, and how fast the head moves. This estimates the job time from those, so you can quote a piece, plan a batch, or decide whether a finer, darker setting is worth the extra minutes.
Time is travel over speed
Engraving time is really a travel problem. The head scans line by line across the area, stepping down by the line interval each time, so the total distance it travels is the area divided by that interval. Divide that distance by the engrave speed and you have the time. Double the area and you double the time; halve the line interval for a finer, darker result and you also double it, because you have packed in twice as many lines.
Line interval is the big lever
After the area, the line interval, sometimes set as lines per inch or a density, swings the time the most. A fine interval lays down more lines per millimeter for a smooth, dark engrave, and each extra line is extra travel and extra time, in direct proportion. A coarse interval is faster but shows scan lines. So the choice of density is a direct trade of time against darkness and smoothness, and this lets you see the minutes each setting costs before you start.
Why real time runs a little over
The pure scan time assumes the head moves at full speed the whole way, but it has to slow down, stop and reverse at the end of every line, and many machines overscan past the edge to keep the speed steady across the work. On a tall engraving with thousands of short lines, that turnaround adds up. This estimate includes a margin for it, but your machine's acceleration, your overscan setting and the controller all shift the real number, so use it as a planning figure.
Raster, not vector
This is for raster engraving, the back-and-forth area fill. Cutting or scoring an outline is a vector job, where the head follows the path of the line once, and the time depends on the total path length and the cut speed, not the filled area. If your job is mostly outlines, this will not fit; if it is a filled photo, logo or block of text, it will. For a mixed job, estimate the raster fill here and add the vector passes separately.
More MakerKiln tools
- laser settingsLaser Engraving SettingsStarting power and speed for engraving and cutting by material.→
- laser safetyLaser Material SafetyWhich materials are safe to cut and which give off dangerous fumes.→
- stepoverStepover and Scallop HeightThe ridge a ball-nose bit leaves between passes, and the stepover to hit a finish.→
Put this calculator on your site
Free to embed, and welcome. It runs the same way, in your visitor's browser, and it sizes itself to fit. Paste this where you want it, and it stays current on its own:
Prefer to host it yourself, offline or on an intranet? Download the file above. Keep the MakerKiln credit and it is free to use.