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Project Notes

#779 xTool S1 Laser Cutter

Using the laser cutting services available in Singapore’s National Libraries - xTool S1.

Build

Notes

Last year I accidentally discovered that Singapore’s library service - the National Library Board (NLB) - has been running “MakeIt” centres in their libraries where a range of tools are available to citizens to use (including 3D printers, laster cutters, digital cutters, and sewing machines). This is an amazing service. They don’t (yet) have 3D resin printers, but these tools make rapid prototyping readily available to all residents at no cost.

For most of these services, they do require users to first complete a free starter course. These help make sure you can keep yourself safe, and save the machines from damage.

I’ve completed the training for the laser cutting facilities, so I can now book and use the devices available at currently 4 of the libraries (Jurong, Punggol, Tampines, Woodlands).

Note: as of July 2025, the xTool S1 units have replaced the Lionsforge Craftlaser devices previously available.

About the xTool S1

The library provides xTool S1 40W Enclosed Diode Laser Cutter devices. See the xTool S1 User Guide, the English PDF available here Note: laptops are provided all the required software pre-installed.

Features:

  • Switchable laser modules satisfy the processing of almost any material.
  • Pin-point™ positioning: 10 times more accurate than single-camera systems.
  • Larger bed size than others: 23.93’’ x 15.16’’ for efficient batch processing.
  • AutoPassthrough™ and 3D Curve™ Engraving.
  • Class 1 Safety: 5-direction flame detection, emergency stop, lid-open safety stop and laser key lock.
  • Available in 40W, 20W, 10W, 2W versions

In practice, the xTool S1 is a huge advance over the previous cutters:

  • finely controlled engraving, making it possible to render greyscale images quite accurately
  • easy setup
  • very quiet and clean
  • modern software that can combine engraving, cutting and scoring tasks in a single job

Specifications (40W)

  • Laser Power : 40W
  • Spot Size : 0.08 x 0.10 mm
  • Working Speed : 600 mm/s
  • Working Area : 19.6” x 12.5” (498 x 319 mm)
  • Working Area with Automatic Conveyor Feeder : 18.5” x 118” (470 x 3000 mm) Additional transmission rail is required
  • Output Voltage : 25V 11A
  • Connection Way : USB/Wi-Fi
  • Support XCS System :
    • Phone: Android & iOS
    • Tablet: iPad
    • Computer: Windows 10 or above & macOS
  • Software : XCS/Lightburn
  • Support File : SVG/DXF/JPG/JPEG/PNG/BMP/TIF
  • Product Weight : 20KG
  • Product Size :
    • 30.12” x 22.09” x 7.2” (765 x 561 x 183 mm) Excluding riser base
    • 30.12” x 22.09” x 10.55” (765 x 561 x 268 mm) Including riser base

Software

The xTool Creative Space software is a huge improvement over the old Inkscape extensions used to generate separate engraving and cutting CNC G-code.

  • Integrated vector editing support
  • Integrated laser cutter control
  • Runs on Android & iOS, iPad, Windows 10+, MacOS (Intel and Apple M)
  • optional Cloud Storage account
  • DesignFind: A curated collection of ready-to-edit designs and tutorials
  • Material EasySet Library: library covers all xTool machines and materials, tested in our labs to ensure the best result.
  • Software Learning Center

Credits and References

About LEAP#779 NLB MakeItLaser Cutter

This page is a web-friendly rendering of my project notes shared in the LEAP GitHub repository.

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About LEAP

LEAP is my personal collection of electronics projects - usually involving an Arduino or other microprocessor in one way or another. Some are full-blown projects, while many are trivial breadboard experiments, intended to learn and explore something interesting.

Projects are often inspired by things found wild on the net, or ideas from the many great electronics podcasts and YouTube channels. Feel free to borrow liberally, and if you spot any issues do let me know or send a pull-request.

NOTE: For a while I included various scale modelling projects here too, but I've now split them off into a new repository: check out LittleModelArt if you are looking for these projects.

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