Setting Up and Managing Material Parameters

Table of contents

Selecting a material for a job
Creating, editing, copying and importing materials in materials list
Managing material effects
List of all material settings and their descriptions

Selecting a material for a job

Go to the Prepare screen.
In the material section, click the dropdown arrow.
Search for a material by:
- Scrolling through the list.
- Typing the material’s name or associated tags into the search bar.
View the effects assigned to the material displayed below the selection dropdown.
Click on an effect to open its advanced settings.

Viewing and editing material details in Prepare screen

Click the Material Details button to open the parameter screen.
Review the pre-defined parameters in the database.
To modify parameters:
- Ensure you have permission to edit material parameters (set in User Management).
- Edit the parameters as needed.
Save changes:
- Save: Saves changes only for the current job.
- Store: Updates the global database.
  - Overwrite: Replaces existing material parameters.
  - Save as New: Creates a new material with the updated parameters.
Click Reset to undo any unsaved changes.
Click Cancel to close the screen 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, editing, copying and importing materials in materials list

Access the Materials List (requires user permission). Choose one of the following options:

Add New Material:

Manually enter the material effects and parameters.
Click Save when done (you will be prompted if you forget to save before exiting).

Copy materials:

Use the Search Material field to locate existing materials.
Suggestions may appear based on previous searches.
Ruby searches material names and tags.
Click on the material you want to copy
Click Save as new to get a new material based on a copy.
Change the material name by clicking the pencil icon.
Update material parameters and effects and explained in the Edit material details section.

Edit material details

Use the Search Material field to locate existing materials.
Click on a material to view its assigned parameters and effects.
- Edit the material effects and parameters.
- Add one or more tags to organize materials (e.g., material thickness, lens type, owner’s name).
- Tags make materials easier to find during a search.
- Click on the heart icon to mark a material as a favorite.
- Favorite materials are shown by default on the Prepare screen.
- Save to overwrite the selected
Import from cloud (machine must be connected to the internet):
- Ruby will check for and import new materials available in the cloud.
- Suggested alternative materials are displayed if no exact matches are available for your machine.
Import materials locally (saved on your computer or network)
Export or delete materials as needed for backups or clean-up.

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.

Managing material effects

View the list of effects assigned to a material.
To add a new effect:
- Click the “+ Add effect to material” button.
- For a new material effect, enter the effect’s name and process Click OK to save it.
- Or click on the arrow to choose one of the effects available in the list
- Assign a layer (color) and parameters to the effect or copy parameters from existing effects.
To remove an effect:
- Select the effect from the list and delete it (this doesn’t remove the effect from the system).
Reorder effects using drag-and-drop:
- Ensure engraving effects are placed above cutting effects.

Additional notes

Engraving first: Engraving processes cannot be placed below cutting or marking processes.
The order of colors/layers of geometries assigned to the same process is ignored.
Export and backup:
- Export materials for backups.
- Delete materials permanently if no longer needed.

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.
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.

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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