xTool M2 Review: Laser, Color Printing, and Rotary in One Machine

The xTool M2 evaluation contains a closed-cabinet desktop laser that, along with slicing and engraving, is able to CMYK printing and—with the RA3 Lite—processing spherical workpieces. For the hands-on check, we engraved and reduce plywood, turned a color-printed sheet right into a snap-together field, engraved a cork coaster, and utilized our Basic Tutorials brand to a whiskey glass. This meant the M2 needed to change between conventional laser slicing, print-and-cut, and rotary engraving in the course of the check. For us, subsequently, the decisive issue was not solely the end result but additionally how a lot setup work was required between these purposes.

Model	xTool M2
Configuration Tested	10W Deluxe Kit with CMYK inkjet module and RA3 Lite
Laser Type	Blue diode laser
Optical Output Power	10 W
Wavelength	445 nm ± 15 nm
Laser spot	0.06 x 0.04 mm
Laser working space	426 x 320 mm
Maximum XY velocity	600 mm/s
Cutting capability in line with the producer	as much as 8 mm of basswood plywood in a single cross
Positioning	Dual-camera system
Air Assist	Built-in air pump
Color printing	CMYK inkjet module
Ink capability	40 ml
Print decision	as much as 1,200 x 1,200 dpi
Rotary Module	xTool Rotary Attachment 3 Lite (RA3 Lite)
Connection	USB, Wi-Fi
Software	xTool Studio
Laser Class	Class 1
Dimensions	610 x 569 x 180 mm
Weight	12.3 kg
Price (MSRP)	649 euros (standalone), 799 euros (Basic Kit), 1,039 euros (examined 10W Deluxe Kit)

Package contents rely upon the chosen configuration

There isn’t any single, mounted bundle for the M2. xTool sells the 10W and 20W variations in several bundles. If you solely want the machine, you should purchase the M2 as a standalone model. There can also be a Basic Kit and a Deluxe Kit. Our check unit corresponds to the 10W Deluxe Kit with a CMYK inkjet module and RA3 Lite. The machine and bundled equipment may be shipped individually. That’s why we acquired two containers.

The commonplace contents of the bottom model of the xTool M2 embody:

• xTool M2
• 10W diode laser module
• Module connection cable
• Power provide and energy wire
• USB cable and adapter
• Exhaust hose
• Hose clamp
• Grease
• Material package
• 4 magnetic clamps
• Allen wrench
• M3x6 screw
• Masking tape
• Safety Instructions
• Instruction card

The CMYK bundle contains the xTool M2 CMYK Inkjet Module, the ink cartridge, the underside cap (protecting cap), humidifying fluid, the retaining plate for the protecting cap, a screw, an A5 calibration card, a ferrite core, and the consumer guide.

The RA3 Lite comes with a chuck, cylindrical clamping jaws, T-shaped jaws, prolonged jaws, an influence module, a base plate, a help module, bolt parts, laser safety, a horizontal laser holder, a positioning plate, a connection cable, and a measuring tape.

Setup is fast and simple

With a footprint of 610 x 569 mm, the M2 requires a devoted workspace. At simply 180 mm tall, the enclosed housing nonetheless seems fairly flat. It weighs 12.3 kg. It’s nonetheless straightforward to maneuver round, however I wouldn’t retailer it in a cupboard each night time.

During setup, there was virtually nothing that gave us any bother. Remove the delivery locks, lubricate the designated guides, connect the exhaust hose, insert the required module, and join the machine. That was finished very quickly.

The connection to the pc labored immediately, too. Especially with units which have cameras, interchangeable processing modules, and their very own software program, the primary startup can usually take some time. With the M2, nevertheless, we reached the purpose the place the primary materials was within the workspace fairly rapidly.

The enclosed housing is a part of the Class 1 security idea. Several security units monitor the lid, amongst different issues. The M2 additionally comes outfitted with an built-in air pump for Air Assist. Therefore, there’s no want to position an extra exterior Air Assist pump subsequent to the machine.

The 10W Diode Module in Detail

Our M2 was outfitted with the 10W diode module. If you commonly wish to reduce thicker wood panels, you can even configure the gadget with 20 W. For our initiatives, nevertheless, we didn’t want the upper energy.

The 10W laser operates at a wavelength of 445 nm ± 15 nm. According to xTool, the focal spot measures 0.06 x 0.04 mm. This is even smaller than that of the extra highly effective 20W module (0.08 x 0.06 mm) and is well-suited for advantageous engraving.

For slicing, xTool specifies that the 10W head can reduce as much as 8 mm of basswood plywood in a single cross. The usable laser space measures 426 x 320 mm. The mechanism can transfer at speeds of as much as 600 mm/s.

However, the 600 mm/s shouldn’t be confused with the velocity at which a whole challenge is accomplished. During engraving, the pinnacle should hint a lot of particular person traces. How lengthy a job takes is subsequently primarily decided by the design, materials, energy, and chosen velocity.

xTool Studio was straightforward to study

We additionally had little or no time to get used to xTool Studio. The interface combines machine management, materials settings, positioning, and challenge modifying. Anyone who has already labored with graphics applications or different lasers will discover their approach round fairly rapidly. But even with out a lot prior expertise, you gained’t be overwhelmed by settings.

An necessary a part of that is the M2’s digicam system. The loaded workpiece may be captured throughout the work space, and the design can then be positioned straight on it. Instead of measuring distances by hand, you possibly can see on the display fairly exactly the place the engraving or reduce ought to be positioned.

For instance, with our light-colored wood board, the system acknowledged plywood and instructed a corresponding materials profile. You can change these settings at any time, however they supply helpful beginning factors for novices.

Studio additionally integrates neighborhood initiatives. If you don’t wish to design your personal SVG immediately, you possibly can seek for templates there. That’s precisely what we did for our later field. It works effectively, although the standard of those fashions isn’t at all times constant.

The First Run: An Ornament Made of Plywood

We intentionally selected a predefined tutorial as our first challenge within the xTool M2 check. The objective was to create a decorative coaster from a sheet of light-colored plywood. The design consisted of quite a few curves, slim bridges, and cutouts, making it a greater first check than a easy rectangle.

xTool Studio calculated a processing time of 11 minutes and 43 seconds for this. The 10W laser reduce alongside the contours; the cutouts may then be faraway from the fabric, and even the narrower sections of the sample remained intact.

For us, this primarily confirmed that the digicam, positioning, focus, and chosen materials parameters have been all working collectively correctly. We have been capable of skip a sequence of extra check squares and transfer straight on to the extra attention-grabbing half.

Our Jungle Box Combines Printing and Laser Cutting

The small wood field turned out to be essentially the most in depth challenge of the check. A skinny, light-colored plywood sheet served as the bottom materials. The plan was not merely to chop it out, however to use a colourful jungle sample to it first.

To do that, we first put in the CMYK inkjet module within the M2. Unlike the older M1 Ultra, this technique doesn’t simply use cyan, magenta, and yellow—it additionally has black ink. The whole cartridge holds 40 ml.

The jungle motif consisted of leaves and floral components in numerous shades of inexperienced, pink, and beige. xTool Studio estimated 5 minutes and 39 seconds for this print.

Afterward, the plywood sheet remained in the identical place. We switched to the diode laser and reduce the person parts of the field straight from the printed workpiece. Studio estimated this step would take 26 minutes and 22 seconds.

This actual course of is what I discover most attention-grabbing concerning the M2 idea. The print design and slicing contours are positioned throughout the similar workspace. This means the printed wooden doesn’t need to be faraway from the machine after which realigned as exactly as doable for the laser.

After slicing, we have been capable of take away the underside, sides, and lid from the sheet. The components are assembled utilizing snap-fit connections. The jungle motif stays seen on the outer surfaces, whereas the lid additionally options its cut-out sample.

There have been solely minimal burn marks on the seen sides. They have been extra clearly seen on the underside of the plywood sheet. However, they’re hardly noticeable on the completed field.

Not each mannequin works with neighborhood templates

The field didn’t come collectively on the primary attempt. We checked out numerous designs from the xTool neighborhood and needed to attempt a couple of earlier than deciding on a mannequin whose snap-fit connections labored with our sheet.

With containers, rather a lot is dependent upon the precise materials thickness. If the slot width and the board don’t match, the connections are both too unfastened or barely match collectively. Community fashions don’t at all times specify these particulars in such element.

That wasn’t a serious impediment for us, nevertheless it does present that simply because a template is prepared doesn’t imply it’s best to begin printing it with out checking it first. Especially with designs that use snap-fit connections, I’d advocate checking the fabric thickness and supposed dimensions beforehand.

Once we discovered the best file, the remaining went easily with none additional points.

The CMYK module required guide intervention as soon as

Our solely technical hiccup occurred throughout shade printing. The inkjet module has a magnetic protecting cap on the underside. It protects the print head and prevents the nozzles from drying out throughout extended durations of inactivity.

In the traditional workflow, the M2 robotically removes this cover earlier than printing after which places it again on afterward. That’s precisely what didn’t work on the primary attempt.

After some trial and error, we eliminated the cap by hand and reinserted it. After that, the automated course of labored because it ought to. The drawback didn’t happen once more throughout the remainder of the assessments.

xTool additionally describes this error in its personal documentation. Among different issues, computerized elimination can fail if the protecting cap or holder just isn’t seated appropriately. Our method thus adopted the producer’s supposed troubleshooting process fairly carefully.

The CMYK cartridge is a value issue

Color printing inside a laser challenge is handy, nevertheless it comes with consumables. The CMYK cartridge incorporates 40 ml of water-based ink and is designed as a sealed consumable.

A alternative cartridge at present prices 99 euros. For smaller designs and particular person initiatives, one cartridge ought to final a correspondingly very long time. However, anybody who commonly prints on massive, full-surface areas or desires to supply small batches with the M2 ought to nonetheless issue within the ink prices.

Since the ink is water-based, a printed piece of wooden doesn’t robotically change into waterproof because of the printing course of. If an object is anticipated to be commonly uncovered to moisture in a while, the floor requires a post-treatment appropriate for the fabric.

Engraving on cork requires no extra modules

After the print-and-cut challenge, we went again to the usual diode laser. For this, we positioned a spherical cork coaster within the work space. The design consisted of the saying “It’s never as hot when you eat it as when you cook it” and a small chili graphic.

xTool Studio estimated the engraving would take 29 minutes and 49 seconds. At first look, this seemingly small challenge really took longer than some slicing initiatives. The motive lies within the design: many letters and graphic traces require quite a few actions of the laser head.

This creates a noticeably darker space on the cork, so neither paint nor any extra processing steps are wanted. The textual content remained clearly legible, and even smaller components throughout the design have been distinguishable.

Projects like this are probably among the many most typical makes use of for a tool just like the M2. Coasters, identify tags, pendants, or customized wood items may be ready and engraved straight with out altering modules.

RA3 Lite expands the M2’s capabilities to incorporate spherical workpieces

In our newest main check, we moved away from the flat work floor. The xTool Rotary Attachment 3 Lite was developed particularly for the M2 and accommodates spherical or rotationally symmetric workpieces.

The system doesn’t simply use two rollers. The bundle features a chuck, numerous units of jaws, a base plate, a help module, and different parts. Depending on the workpiece, clamping may be finished on the within or the surface.

For the preliminary setup, we adopted the directions from xTool. There’s a QR code on the packaging that hyperlinks to a video, amongst different issues. The video demonstrates the right way to assemble the RA3 Lite and set up it within the M2.

This saved us a number of trial and error. After meeting, Rotary mode is activated in xTool Studio, and the clamping methodology acceptable for the workpiece is chosen. The RA3 Lite is then calibrated, and the clamped workpiece is measured. We manually moved the probe to the measurement factors for this. For cylindrical workpieces, xTool Studio additionally affords an computerized diameter measurement function as a substitute, although we didn’t check it throughout our evaluation.

Our whiskey glass first wanted a coat of shade

We used a whiskey glass as our check object and engraved the Basic Tutorials brand on it. However, clear glass is a particular case for the blue diode laser. Clear glass absorbs the wavelength of the 10W module poorly. Without preparation, a big portion of the laser mild would cross proper by the fabric.

That’s why we first utilized a uniform coat of gouache to the world the place the brand would go. The layer of paint absorbs the laser’s vitality on the floor, thereby enabling the glass to be engraved. After it dried, the whiskey glass could possibly be clamped into the RA3 Lite.

For our mixture of clear glass, gouache, and a 10W module, we couldn’t discover a materials profile that we may merely use as-is. For the preliminary settings, we subsequently additionally relied on AI and adjusted the parameters to go well with the experiment.

During engraving, the RA3 Lite rotates the whiskey glass in a managed method. This ensures that the laser doesn’t merely course of a set part of the curved floor. The rotational motion and laser place are managed collectively in order that the design is created throughout the curve.

For our Basic Tutorials brand, the engraving course of took 20 minutes and 29 seconds. Afterward, we have been capable of take away the gouache and consider the engraving on the glass.

Especially since this was my first time utilizing the rotary software, I had anticipated it to take considerably longer to arrange. In truth, getting ready the clear glass was the extra time-consuming half. Thanks to the directions, the RA3 Lite itself was assembled and arrange comparatively rapidly.

Three cameras deal with positioning and monitoring

The indisputable fact that we have been capable of work with such all kinds of workpieces can also be as a result of M2’s digicam system. For the precise positioning, xTool makes use of two cameras: A distant-view digicam captures the workspace, whereas the close-view digicam, mounted straight on the transferring module, permits for nearer pictures of the workpiece.

This mixture is especially useful when a design isn’t purported to be centered on an oblong clean. For coasters, pre-printed surfaces, or scrap items, you possibly can visually align the graphic over the workpiece and change to the close-up view for smaller areas.

In addition, the M2 contains a third, side-mounted digicam. It just isn’t used for traditional positioning in xTool Studio however primarily serves to detect flames throughout processing.

The cameras don’t substitute each type of management. Perspective, workpiece top, and the precise course of nonetheless play a task. In the traditional workflow, nevertheless, we needed to measure and manually align the workpiece a lot much less often than we’re used to with easier laser programs.

10 watts have been enough for our initiatives

After testing a wood field, cork, and a whiskey glass, I didn’t really feel the necessity to always look towards the 20W model in the course of the xTool M2 check. Our supplies have been comparatively skinny, and the main target was on engraving and shade printing along with slicing.

Here, the small focal spot of the 10W module is well-suited to the supposed use. If, alternatively, the M2 is primarily supposed to chop by thicker plywood sheets, I’d be extra inclined to go along with the 20W configuration. xTool specifies a better slicing efficiency for the extra highly effective module, however this comes at the price of a barely bigger laser spot.

For inventive initiatives involving skinny wooden, cork, engraving, and occasional print-and-cut duties, I contemplate the 10W model to be a stable alternative primarily based on our check. It additionally lowers the entry-level value of the M2.

The M2 and M1 Ultra Have Different Focuses

A comparability with the xTool M1 Ultra is clear. We’ve already examined this gadget as effectively, and there, too, xTool combines laser processing with inkjet printing.

The M1 Ultra, nevertheless, is designed extra as a craft machine. In addition to laser and inkjet, it will probably additionally use cutters and pens. For instance, if you wish to reduce or draw on transparencies, it affords options that the M2 doesn’t.

The M2 focuses extra narrowly on laser processing, shade printing, and associated extensions. To that finish, the laser working space measures 426 x 320 mm, in comparison with 300 x 300 mm on the M1 Ultra. The most motion velocity can also be increased, at as much as 600 mm/s as a substitute of 400 mm/s.

xTool has additionally made modifications to the printing capabilities. Instead of CMY, the M2 makes use of CMYK, giving it its personal black ink. The cartridge holds 40 ml, and the print decision will increase to as much as 1,200 x 1,200 dpi.

For us, nevertheless, the sensible distinction was essentially the most noticeable. During our earlier M1 Ultra check, we needed to spend considerably extra time on connection and setup. With the M2, these duties have been accomplished rapidly. It’s arduous to say precisely how a lot of that is as a result of new {hardware} and the way a lot to the software program, which has been additional developed within the meantime. Ultimately, what issues for this check is that we have been capable of get began a lot sooner this time.

What are the alternate options to the xTool M2?

In a direct market comparability, the choice rapidly narrows as quickly as shade printing turns into a part of the necessities. There are a number of enclosed diode lasers obtainable with cameras and rotary equipment. The mixture of shade printing adopted by laser slicing throughout the similar gadget is far much less widespread.

Model	xTool M2 10W	xTool M1 Ultra 10W	WeCreat Vision 20W
Laser	10W Diode	10W Diode	20W Diode
Color printing	CMYK (non-compulsory)	CMY (non-compulsory)	No
Laser working space	426 x 320 mm	300 x 300 mm	approx. 400 x 270 mm
Max. velocity	600 mm/s	400 mm/s	600 mm/s
Camera positioning	Dual-camera system	Photo and Pin-Point Positioning	Integrated digicam
Rotary obtainable	Yes, RA3 Lite	Yes	Yes
Additional instruments	3W IR module	Knives, pens, and different craft modules	Optional IR module
Good for	Laser, CMYK print and reduce, engraving	Laser plus in depth craft initiatives	Laser and engraving with out shade printing
Price	Starting at 649 euros; examined Deluxe Kit: 1,039 euros	relying on the module and bundle	Approx. 1,299 euros for the 20W Rotary Package

Those who completely wish to mix shade printing straight with processing ought to primarily contemplate the M2 and M1 Ultra. The M1 Ultra helps extra crafting methods with cutters and pens. The M2 focuses extra closely on laser slicing, CMYK printing, and engraving.

The WeCreat Vision takes a unique method. It can also be a closed-enclosure desktop laser with a digicam and an non-compulsory rotary system, nevertheless it doesn’t provide built-in shade printing. However, the present 20W mannequin additionally operates at speeds of as much as 600 mm/s and may be upgraded for rotary engraving with the suitable equipment. The 20W rotary bundle at present prices round 1,300 euros.

For our “Jungle Box,” not one of the devoted laser machines would have been a viable different. This is exactly the place the M2 shines, leveraging its mixture of printing and subsequent laser processing.

Our Conclusion on the xTool M2 Review

With the xTool M2, we reached the purpose the place the know-how took a again seat unusually rapidly. Setup and connection have been a breeze, we rapidly obtained the dangle of xTool Studio, and even the primary tutorial challenge labored with none main changes. After that, we have been capable of dive proper into our personal initiatives.

For me, the Jungle Box greatest illustrates this. First printing a chunk of plywood in shade on the M2, then slicing out the person components with the identical gadget, and eventually assembling them right into a completed field actually highlights the attraction of the system. The cork coaster then showcased the basic engraving facet, whereas the whiskey glass made with the RA3 Lite required yet one more fully totally different workflow.

The one technical hiccup got here from the CMYK module. The magnetic protecting cap didn’t launch robotically on the primary attempt. After eradicating it manually and reinserting it, the mechanism labored. For the neighborhood initiatives, it additionally took us a couple of tries to discover a field template that labored with our materials.

The 10W model was greater than enough for our initiatives. If you primarily wish to reduce thicker sheets, you possibly can go for the 20W module as a substitute. As for the print module and RA3 Lite, there’s no must buy them when you don’t require them. The M2 at present begins at 649 euros, whereas our 10W Deluxe configuration is available in at 1,039 euros. It’s exactly this tiered pricing that makes the system interesting, since you don’t essentially need to pay for options that can later sit unused in a field.