Atomstack A5 Pro — 3mm Basswood Plywood

5 passes at full power barely cuts 3mm basswood — results are unreliable and edges are heavily charred. The A5 Pro is not a cutting machine at 5W. For anything thicker than 2mm balsa, use the A5 Pro for engraving only and cut on a more powerful machine.

At 5W the A5 Pro engraves beautifully — its limitation is cutting, not engraving. 60% at 3000mm/min gives a warm brown mark on basswood. For photo engraving drop to 50% and use Stucki dithering in LightBurn. A great beginner engrave machine at this price point.

Decent engrave quality for a budget machine. 254 DPI sweet spot.

Budget entry-level machine. 3 passes needed for 3mm. No air assist on stock unit.