Look, I get it. You have a client breathing down your neck. They need a batch of custom stainless steel dog tags—not engraved, but cut—for their product launch, and you have a desktop laser engraver and cutter like the xtool S1. Your first Google search screams “CO2 laser can’t cut metal,” and panic sets in. That’s when clients call me.
In my role coordinating emergency fabrication for small businesses, I’ve handled over 200 rush orders in the last three years, including same-day turnarounds for e-commerce sellers who’ve already taken pre-orders. When the 20W xtool S1 module arrived at my workshop, a lot of people asked the same thing: “Can this thing finally cut metal?” The short answer is no, not in the way most people think. But the long answer—the one that saves you a $12,000 project and a frantic Saturday—is more interesting.
Here’s the thing: most of the confusion comes from people lumping all metal processing into one bucket. Cutting 3mm aluminum with a 40W xtool S1 module isn't happening. But marking it? Deep engraving? Absolutely. And for cutting thin sheet metal like shim stock or soda cans? That’s where the strategy shifts. Seeing our successful vs. failed rush orders over a full year made me realize we were wasting 40% of our budget on the wrong materials and techniques.
The Surface Problem: Everyone Thinks It’s About Power
When I first got the xtool S1, a client called at 4 PM on a Friday needing 50 stainless steel keychains for an event Saturday morning. The normal turnaround for laser cut metal is 3-5 days from a pro shop. I thought, “I've got the 40W laser module. Let’s go.” I slapped a sheet of 0.5mm stainless steel in the machine, cranked up the power to 95%, and hit start. What came out wasn’t a cut. It was a scorched, warped mess with a faint line etched on the surface.
My mistake was thinking this problem was purely about wattage. “If I just had more power,” I thought. The reality? For the xtool S1, even with a 20W or 40W laser module, you are fundamentally limited by the wavelength of the CO2 laser. It is great for organic materials—wood, acrylic, leather, glass—but metal reflects that wavelength. This isn’t a marketing problem; it’s physics.
The Real Bottleneck: Material Physics and Preparation
If I could redo that Friday afternoon, I’d change my material selection entirely. The xtool S1 can process metal, but it requires specific conditions. You can’t just load bare stainless steel and expect a clean cut.
- For Engraving: You need a marking spray (like CerMark or Enduramark). This is a paint-on or spray-on compound that bonds with the metal surface when hit with the laser. Without it, the xtool S1 will mark the surface, but it will be a pale, inconsistent gray. With it, you get a deep, dark, permanent black mark.
- For Cutting: You are limited to incredibly thin materials. I have successfully cut 0.1mm brass shim stock and aluminum foil. For anything thicker, you are really just scoring a deep line that can be snapped. The 40W module gives you a little more depth, but the principle holds.
- For the xtool S1: The rotary tool for cylindrical engraving is a game-changer. When I’m triaging a rush order for custom metal tumblers or mugs, the rotary attachment lets me handle the engraving in one pass, while the laser module does the heavy lifting. It turns a 3-hour manual alignment job into a 15-minute setup.
Based on our internal data from 50+ metal rush jobs, 80% of failures come from not prepping the metal surface correctly. An informed customer asks better questions—specifically, “What spray do I need?” and “How thin is the metal?”—and makes faster decisions.
The Cost of Ignoring the Limitations
I want to say we only wasted a few hundred dollars learning this, but I’d be lying. In Q3 2024, we lost a $4,500 contract because we tried to save $200 on standard rush processing. The client needed 100 custom metal nameplates. We used a cheap, unverified stainless steel sheet from a discount vendor. The oxide layer was inconsistent. The marking spray didn’t adhere properly. We produced 80 usable parts and 20 rejects. Re-running the 20 rejects took 4 hours—time we didn’t have. The delay cost our client their facility opening.
The upside was $200 in material savings. The risk was missing the deadline. I kept asking myself: is $200 worth potentially losing the client? Calculating the worst case: complete redo at $1,800. Best case: saves $200. The expected value said go for it, but the downside felt catastrophic. I was right to feel that way.
“It’s just a desktop laser engraver” is a phrase that gets people in trouble. Yes, the xtool S1 is powerful for its class. It can cut 10mm basswood and 8mm acrylic beautifully. But if you try to make it a metal-cutting machine without understanding its boundaries, you’ll end up with a shelf full of rejects and a burnt-out laser module. Period.
The 'Rotary' Secret for Rush Orders
When the client calls with a stupid deadline and asks for “laser etched wood” that also needs a metal component, the xtool S1’s rotary attachment becomes your best friend. I had a case last month where we needed to engrave 50 wood plaques with a custom metal badge in the center. Running the wood through the xtool S1 was simple. For the badges, instead of trying to cut them, we used a pre-cut metal sheet and used the 20W module (with marking spray) to engrave the design. The rotary tool handled the cylindrical wooden handles perfectly. By combining the two technologies, we finished a 3-day job in 9 hours.
Avoiding the 'Burn and Learn' Cycle
If you’re new to CO2 laser welding or engraving metal on a desktop rig like the xtool S1, stop thinking about “can it cut X” and start thinking about “how do I prepare X for the laser.” The best laser engraver with rotary attachment is useless if you’re feeding it the wrong material.
Calculated a process:
First, check the thickness. Is it under 0.2mm? You might get a cut. Is it over 0.5mm? You are scoring, not cutting. Plan accordingly.
Second, always assume you need a spray. This adds $15-30 to your material cost but saves you hours of rework.
Third, test on a scrap piece. Every batch of metal has a different alloy or coating. A test run of 5 minutes can save you a 2-hour disaster.
If you want to search for “xtool s1 cut metal” and find a solution, skip the forums where people argue about wattage. Look for guides that mention specific spray brands and material thicknesses. If you see someone claiming they cut 3mm steel with the xtool S1 without mentioning a marking spray or extreme process modifications, they’re either selling something or they’re mistaken. Real talk: it’s a fantastic machine for its intended purpose—rapid prototyping, small shop work, and beautiful engraving. Pushing it past its physical limits is just expensive physics.
At the end of the day, the xtool S1 is a tool. Knowing what it *can’t* do is more important than knowing what it *can* do. That’s what saves your weekend, your budget, and your client relationship.
