How to Laser Engrave on Glass Tumblers with a Diode Laser (xTool F1, M1, S1)

You can laser engrave on glass cans and tumblers with a diode laser! The trick is to use frosted glass like the frosted libbey cans.

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What's even better is if you have a sublimation printer and are used to sublimating onto frosted glass cans, these are the same ones. Read on for how to laser engrave on glass with an xTool laser.

To laser engrave on clear glass - without any lengthy prep and post work - you'll need a more powerful CO2 laser. You'll get the opposite effect by engraving on frosted glass which will work with any xTool laser!

In this example I'm going to show you how to use the xTool F1 portable laser engraver to engrave frosted libbey glass cans.

This can also be done with the xTool M1 10w and 20w or 40w S1 laser and of course the P2. The S1 and M1 will both require a riser to lift the laser to accommodate the height of the rotary.

Using the xTool Rotary Attachment with F1

I suggest using the xTool rotary attachment with the chuck rather than the rollers. This tutorial assumes you have already set up the rotary chuck and are familiar with how to use it. If you're not, check out this xTool Rotary beginner tutorial first.

Before placing the glass on the rotary, use a tape measure to measure around the glass and take note of the perimeter measurement. The glass cans I'm using have a perimeter of 9.75".

Place the glass can on the chuck and use the leveler to hold the bottom of the glass. Make sure the glass is level.

With the F1 you'll want to manually focus by turning the knob on the right side of the machine until the blue and red dots are in the same position.

Best Settings for Laser Engraving Glass with xTool Diode Laser

Open xTool Creative Space and set up for using the rotary by making the following changes:

Connect the F1 (or other xTool laser)
Change the dropdown to Laser Cylindrical
Set Mode to "Chuck"
Enter the perimeter into the field (the diameter will automatically be set)

Import your design into the work area by going to Import Image. Rotate the image 90 degrees and set the Y axis position to 0.

Scale the design as needed. I sized this Raise Them Kind design, from So Fontsy, to about 3x3".

Click the Framing option so you can see where the image will be engraved on the glass. Make any adjustments to the size or position now.

Select the design so you get the processing options. With the xTool F1, the best settings to engrave glass are:

Processing Type: Engrave

Laser Type: Bluelight

Power: 100%

Speed: 50

LCM: 140

When you're ready, click Process to begin the laser engraving.

Do not look directly at the laser during the processing unless you are wearing protective glasses!!

This design took 20 minutes to engrave with the F1 laser.

I actually went one step further and then sublimated on this glass as well using a sublimation wrap I printed on my Sawgrass SG1000. It came out so cute!!

I've used this same process with a full wrap laser engraving and it comes out beautiful - but I will tell you it takes a LONG time. You can learn how to do full wrap laser engraving with the xTool F1 in this beginner tutorial or how to do a full wrap laser engrave on tapered tumblers with the xTool P2 here.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!

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