![]() ![]() ![]() That's the exhaust, which you are expected to route somewhere outside the room. The Beamo is loud, really, really loud, mostly due to the huge fan strapped to its back side. All the actual guts of the machine and most notably the big CO2 tube are cooled by an internal water loop and that just tickles our inner-geek the right way. Moving on to Beamo's cooling and ventilation systems. Our main gripe is the 45mm height allowed really isn't enough for some of the stuff we wanted to engrave. ![]() Either way, the default working area of 300mm x 200mm was big enough for our (and probably most others') needs. Plus, Flux might not even include said feature in the US, since it might create some potential health concerns for classroom use. That sounds neat, but we didn't really get to test it since we don't really have huge surfaces suitable to engrave around the office, nor the required ventilation conditions to accommodate such an operation indoors. The Beamo lets you detach the bottom along with the grate and place the unit onto a bigger working area so you can engrave larger objects over several runs. Our best guess on why Flux went with a thin honeycomb pattern is that it's geometrically unlikely to get in the way of most common engraving shapes. Inside there's a huge honeycomb pattern grate that is meant to support whatever you are working on, while also providing enough distance from the bottom of the unit to defocus the laser beam enough so that it doesn't damage the bottom plate. The working area is covered by a big bent acrylic piece that provides ample visibility (not that you should really be staring in) and easy access to the internals. It has that confident industrial look and feel to it without really looking bad. It is built like a tank, its 615mm x 445mm x 165mm body made out of bent thick metal. If reading 30W on the specs sheet isn't enough to keep you on your toes, the thick metal casing and industrial-sounding fans of the Beamo should convince pretty much anyone that this isn't a toy. That is kind of the main point that Flux drives home pretty thoroughly in its instructions. Things are a little bit more complicated than simply - "don't stare at the bright light". Protective eye wear and ventilation to consider. There are safety precautions and rules to follow. No laser that can cut though actual materials is to be taken lightly. There is certain user-friendliness to enjoy about Beamo, but not any room for carelessness. Hardware overviewÄespite all the playful and child-friendly imagery in the PR materials, Beamo is not a toy and definitely shouldn't be treated as such. That being said, Beamo could use some polish to the experience in certain areas. There is plenty of value-packed in this affordable, in relative terms, package. Having spent some time with the Beamo and thoroughly tested it, we can safely say we are impressed. Well, if you manage to catch one of the early bird specials, at least. On paper, Beamo is a pretty powerful 30W CO2 laser cutter and engraver, with impressive 1,000 DPI resolution, a relatively portable form factor at sub $1000 price tag. It's the latest project by Flux - a company that first made a name for itself with the sub $1000 Delta personal 3D printer. And having seen a few decent reviews, we thought we'd share our impressions by this latest one Beamo, which we found particularly exciting. Yet having acquired a few around the office for various reasons recently, we have been fairly immersed and quite interested in the field. Laser cutters and engravers are not our usual forte. ![]()
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