Setting Up and Managing Material Parameters

Selecting a material for a job

1. Open the Prepare screen

Go to the Prepare screen in Ruby.
Locate the Material section

2. Choose a material

Click the dropdown arrow to open the material list.
Search by:
- Scrolling through the list.
- Typing the material name in the search bar.
- Using the filters for material type or tags

3. View and edit effects

Effects assigned to the selected material appear below the dropdown.
Click an effect to open its advanced settings.

Editing material details in the Prepare screen

1. Open material details

Click Material Details to open the parameter screen.
Review the pre-defined parameters.

2. Modify and save parameters

Ensure you have permission to edit (set in User Management)
Edit parameters as needed.
Choose how to save:
- Store: Updates the global database.
- Overwrite: Replaces existing material.
- Save as new: Creates a new material.
- Save: For current job only.

3. Reset or cancel

Click Reset to undo unsaved changes.
Click Cancel to close without saving.

Tip: A comprehensive list of all material settings and their descriptions is provided at the end of the page. Please note that separate tables are available for plotters, such as the Speedy, and for Galvo lasers, like the U300.

Creating and copying materials

1. Add a new material

Open the Materials list (requires permission).
Click Add new material.
Enter effects and parameters manually.
Click Save when done.

2. Copy an existing material

Use the Search material field to find a material.
Suggestions may appear based on previous searches.
Ruby searches material names and tags
Click the material, then choose Save as new.
Rename it using the pencil icon.
Update parameters and effects as needed.

Editing and organizing materials

1. Edit material details

Search and select a material.
Edit effects and parameters.
Add:
- Tags (e.g., thickness, lens type). Tags make materials easier to find during a search.
- Notes (visible on the laser’s touch panel as well).
- Favorites (shown by default in the Prepare screen).
- Save to overwrite

2. Import, export, or delete

Import from cloud (requires internet).
Import locally from your computer or network.
Export or delete materials as needed.

Managing material types

1. Add or search material types

Click Add new material type.
Enter a name and click the plus button.
Use the search bar to find existing types.

2. Assign material types to materials

Search and select material.
Choose a material type from the list

Save to keep changes.

3. Edit or delete types

Click Edit to change a type.
Click Delete to remove it.

Managing material effects

1. Add or remove effects

Click + Add effect to material.
Enter a name and process, or choose from the list.
Assign a layer (color) and parameters.
To remove, select and delete the effect.

2. Rename or reorder effects

Rename effects directly in the material details.
Drag and drop to reorder.
- Place engraving effects above cutting effects.

Adjust power and speed settings for queued jobs

1. In the Produce screen

Modify the first two effects directly.
Click Show all effects to view and update the complete list of effects assigned to the material used in the current job.
Click Apply settings to confirm.
Changes appear on the touch panel.

2. On the touch panel

Click Edit material.
Adjust values using sliders or +/– buttons.
Click Apply settings and close.

Note: These changes are temporary and won’t update the material database or affect the Estimated Time of Completion (ETC).

Flatbed lasers / Plotter

Value	Process	Explanation
Process	-	Shows if a layer with a specific color is set for engraving or cutting. Each effect can only be applied once per material.
Layer	Engrave Cut	Specifies the color assigned to this layer’s effect. A single layer can have multiple colors.
Power	Engrave Cut	Percent of the maximum power available.
Speed	Engrave Cut	Percent of the maximum speed available.
Source	Engrave Cut	Indicates which laser (CO2 or fiber) to use. This is important for machines like the Speedy flexx that have both types.
DPI	Engrave	Defines the engraving detail in dots per inch (DPI).
Frequency	Cut	Specifies the laser’s frequency for cutting, measured in Hertz.

Advanced material parameters are shown by clicking on the arrow.

Value	Process	Explanation
Passes	Engrave Cut	Defines how many times the laser will repeat the engraving or cutting process.
Direction	Engrave	Choose whether engraving starts from the top or bottom. Starting from the bottom can reduce cleanup afterward.
Engrave mode	Engrave	Standard: Engraves left-to-right and right-to-left alternately. Unidirectional: Engraves only left-to-right, which takes more time.
High quality	Engrave	Off: Laser moves only the shortest required distance per line On: Laser always moves across the largest area of the entire layout. This can improve engraving quality at high speed.
Relief	Engrave	Adjusts laser power based on graphic shades: White = No power. Light areas = Low power. Dark areas = High power. Black = Maximum power. This is ideal for creating 3D effects using a 64-bit grayscale graphic. Color images are converted to grayscale when imported into Ruby.
Extended overshoot	Engrave	Improves accuracy by adding the entered length in mm as overshoot. This way, the laser only engraves when at full speed.
Z-offset	Engrave Cut	Adjusts the laser focus for each layer: 0: Keeps the table in place. Negative: Moves the table up, focusing deeper into the material. Positive: Moves the table down, focusing above the material.
Process gas	Engrave Cut	Turn on or off air assist or external gas during engraving or cutting. This can improve the results.
Dithering	Engrave	Choose a halftone pattern for grayscale engraving based on the design and desired effect.
Engrave covered layers	Engrave	Typically, the laser engraves visible colors only. If you want to engrave an entire layer before moving to the next, activate this option.
Process splitting	Engrave	None: Processes all designs together. By Design: Processes designs one at a time in the order they are arranged.
Path planning	Cut	Standard: Default mode. Accuracy: Focuses on precision, but cutting takes longer. Throughput: Prioritizes speed over precision.
Links	Cut	Off: Cutting lines are processed continuously without interruption. On: Cutting lines are intentionally interrupted at regular intervals to control heat and material behavior. Settings: Link length: Specifies the length of the segments that are fully cut through. Gap length: Specifies the length of the uncut sections between the cut segments. Power ratio (%): Determines the percentage of the original cutting power to be used during the gap sections. This allows for partial cutting or marking instead of a full cut.

Galvo laser / Marking lasers

Value	Process	Explanation
Process	-	Shows if a layer with a specific color is set for engraving or cutting. Each effect can only be applied once per material.
Layer	Engrave Mark	Specifies the color assigned to this layer’s effect. A single layer can have multiple colors.
Power	Engrave Mark	Percent of the maximum power available.
Frequency	Engrave Mark	Specifies the laser’s frequency for cutting, measured in Hertz.
Speed	Engrave Mark	Indicated in mm per second or inch per second (depending on settings)

Advanced material parameters are shown by clicking on the arrow.

Value	Process	Explanation
Source	Engrave Mark	Fiber is the default value
DPI	Engrave	Shows the resolution used for engraving. This value is defined by DPI or dots per inch.
Bitmap line per pixel	Engrave	Sets how many lines are engraved per inch. Higher values give more detail but take longer.
Dithering	Engrave	Choose a halftone pattern for grayscale engraving based on the design and desired effect.
Engrave covered layers	Engrave	Typically, the laser engraves visible colors only. If you want to engrave an entire layer before moving to the next, activate this option.
Process splitting	Engrave	None: Processes all designs together. By Design: Processes designs one at a time in the order they are arranged.
Passes	Engrave Mark	Defines how many times the laser will repeat the engraving or marking process.
Line distance	Mark	Sets the spacing between marking lines. Shorter distances increase marking time.
Z-offset	Engrave Mark	Adjusts the laser focus for each layer: 0: Keeps the table in place. Negative: Moves the laser head down, focusing deeper into the material. Positive: Moves the laser head up, focusing above the material.
Use Contour	Mark	Adds a contour (outline) around the completed marking.
High quality	Engrave	Off: Laser moves only the shortest required distance per line On: Laser always moves across the largest area of the entire layout. This can improve engraving quality at high speed.
Bitmap auto speed	Engrave	The engraving speed is automatically determined based on the settings for power, frequency, and DPI. The speed value is fixed (greyed out) and cannot be manually adjusted. Instead, it is calculated in the background to ensure optimal performance based on the chosen parameters.
Processing angle	Engrave Mark	By default, engraving starts from the top and moves down. The processing angle lets you rotate the engraving direction.
Processing mode	Engrave	Bidirectional: Engraves left-to-right and right-to-left alternately. Unidirectional: Engraves only left-to-right, which takes more time.
Cross fill	Mark	Fills the contours with a 90° rotation after each pass.

Relief/Deep engraving parameters are only accessible when checkbox ticked.

Value	Process	Explanation
Relief Process Mode	Engrave	Creates a relief from a depth map – different relief modes can be selected
Relief min. power	Engrave	In power relief mode Grey values are matched to different power levels e.g. 0% to 100% Each pixel gray value is processed with a different laser power – min power sets the lower end of the power distribution e.g if set to 5% the greyscale values will be dirstibuted between 5% and 100%
Rotation per pass	Engrave	Sets how much the design rotates after each engraving pass.
Z-offset increm ent	Engrave	Specifies the refocus setting for the laser.
Focus every n passes	Engrave	Defines after how many passes the re-focus shall be executed.

Only applies if wobbling is needed for contour marking.

Value	Process	Explanation
Wobbling width	Mark	Gives the width that is used to „wobble“ around the path of the line.
Wobbling intensity	Mark	Gives the offset at the touching point of two „wobbles“ along a straigt line

Laser delays are only accessible when “Overwrite laser defaults is ticked.

Value	Process	Explanation
Laser on delay	Engrave	This is the time the laser waits before turning on, even though the scanner head has already started moving for marking. It’s used to prevent burning by allowing the mirrors to reach the correct speed or to "preheat" materials that take longer to react to the laser.
Laser off delay	Engrave	This defines how long the laser stays on after the scanner head stops moving. It ensures clean and complete line or shape endings by compensating for any slight lag in the scanner's movement.
Jump delay	Engrave	This is the extra time added when the scanner moves the laser beam quickly (jumps) between two points without marking. It allows the galvo mirrors to settle into position after moving, avoiding overshooting or misalignment. This ensures the next marking starts accurately at the intended position.
Mark delay	Engrave	This is a short pause before starting or resuming marking at a new segment of a design. It ensures the mirrors have reached their precise target position before the laser begins marking.

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