FLUX Beambox Pro 50W CO2 Laser Cutter Review

[@TheRealGuywithoutaMustache]

It's very pricey, but if I get 4 more stimulus checks, I know what I'm spending it on

[@ataphelicopter5734]

Are you the same guy I see on FakeJake so regularly?

[@frei6913]

Bro you are everywhere

[@UltraNoobian]

4000 USD?! That's going to burn a hole in my wallet

[@danielr9708]

As long as it's less than 8mm thick...

[@sinformant]

@@danielr9708 that's only acrylic, idk many people carrying acrylic wallets. Leather it'd slice through like butter.😜

[@btiller44]

As soon as I heard that, I stopped watching the video. Sorry Angus.

[@Travis_Yu]

@@sinformant This laser need to focus so it can really do something, and laser do have depth of field, so how thick it can cut is not unlimited

[@TheOfficialCzex]

@@sinformant Make sure it's not fake leather or pleather. It releases hazardous fumes when combusted.

[@Moonblade042194]

Short answer: no Long answer:Noooooooooooo

[@henryD9363]

I have some patents from a previous job experience. I can tell you with absolute certainty that patent diagrams and figures are NOT copyright. A Patent is necessarily a fully public document, describing ownership of an invention. It is available to everyone and it's content, like a newly enacted law, cannot ever be restricted by copyright.

[@sinformant]

By engraving I assume you mean raster as opposed to vector😉 it is my understanding if you engrave using vector it is much faster.

[@jordymoors]

It is much faster since it'll then follow the lines, instead of going line by line. That said, that only works if you have an actual vector, which many times isn't the best option for photo realistic images.

[@JadeXyan]

Always happy to see more laser cutting videos, just wish one of these things would be cheap enough to actually afford :P

[@mtenkawa]

I bought a K40 a couple of weeks ago and I'm already half way to paying it off. Once it's paid for itself I'll be saving to buy something like this

[@kendallemory8455]

K40 is a cheap solution but you have to be willing to really learn how they work and what could go wrong. I love my K40 but that's because I enjoy upgrading and customizing. The biggest limiting factor I've run into is my poor artistic skills.

[@mtenkawa]

@@kendallemory8455 I'm in the same boat. My background is electronics so a large reason why I wanted a K40 was to design my own control board. Fiddling is a feature, not a bug for me :p

[@OceanMusings]

@@kendallemory8455 would you mind sharing which K40 you bought? I'm hesitant because of all the options

[@GaryMcKinnonUFO]

The DXFplugin for Fusion : apps.autodesk.com/FUSION/en/Detail/Index?id=7634902334100976871&appLang=en&os=Win64&autostart=true

[@flmk974]

Angus, for wood smokes, use painter masking tape on the top of the wood before engraving. The painter masking tape will be darken instead of the wood. Then, use a strong tape to remove the painter masking tape. 👍

[@MarkArnold-England]

$4K! 😯 I'm out... 😂

[@cimmerian100]

@Guybrush Threepwood First you better stop waving it about like a feather duster.

[@servant74]

I would love to see a similar review of the Glowforge. ... I agree, US$4K is lots of money, and being retired it isn't going to happen. The sketch/trace option is titillating!

[@pen25]

i believe this can be done with lightburn.

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

if we burn in hell, 4K is fine :) it is time to start a DIY small business... retirement is death

[@jordymoors]

Glowforge, Dremel, Muse, flux, they're all much of the same. Small, low power, limited work area, proprietary software/parts, sketchy support, and really expensive for what they are. Some are better than others in certain areas, but that's the gist of it. The Chinese machines offer way more bang for your buck, but have no support but a giant community, and they're easy to work on should you need to. Then there's Aeon/thunder. High quality, US support, good price/performance ratio. (If your machine works with Lightburn, you can add the camera system easily)

[@blackwolfecc]

Hey there!! I like the addition of laser cutters/engravers youve added to your content. But I gotta admit, I think you’ve missed the mark on a few important things that I’d consider critical when it comes to these machines. 1. Adjusting mirrors and aligning the beam to the lens is a must learn for any new machine and it does not take very long. Somebody brand new and not technically savvy can do the adjustments within 15 - 30 minutes after watching a few quick KZbin videos, I know I watched my wife do it and she has 0 experience with this tech. It’s nice to have a pre-adjusted machine, but it’s a critical step anyone owning these should know. 2. Power is A SUPER CRITICAL point that HAS to be covered properly. Saying it’s not wise to operate a laser at full power is just way to vague. It’s important to know the upper limit of your five, and for that your machine has to have an analogue mA reader to find that point. I’ll use my 60w laser as for example. It’s rated up to29mA, which is about 87% power, but safe operations for long tube life is recommend to be operated under 28mA. Running the laser above that is just a waste and will provide no additional power and will shorten the life of the tube. That’s the laser I am using, not all tubes are the same and the user should absolutely find the specifications to operate that laser properly. And any machine that costs $4k and doesn’t have a reader on it is just irresponsible imo. 3. @4k this think doesn’t really offer anything that you can’t get from companies like Orion Works that cost half the price, slightly more powerful laser, larger area, and include Lightburn which is a MUCH better piece of software. It’s worth mentioning these kinds of lasers when looking at the $2k+ range (not k40s). 4. Cleaning. Mirrors and lenses need to be cleaned regularly to keep the laser aligned and working to its full potential. This is even more important for the lens, especially if you don’t have a ventilation system. If you aren’t cleaning your mirrors/lense you are going to have a catastrophic failure... I know... I wound up burning right through a lense that had accumulated something on it. Easily prevented if I had cleaned it. Costly mistake!! 5. And the last one on my important list is cooling. Tubes have to be cooled properly to get the most out of them, there are temperature specifications those tubes should be run at. To hot or to cold and you risk losing the tube sooner than expected. I love your videos, avid follower for awhile... but when it comes to lasers, you really should be more focus on proper operation and maintenance (safety first of course). This product, in my mind, is not great at that price. Maybe the tech support is worth the extra $1500 - $2k...

[@TripodsGarage]

I must say, a great read! I have been researching laser for years and still haven't pulled the trigger! All the points you have brought up are very solid, and really should have been covered. Think I have watched all the videos from Sarbar Multimedia and Roger Webb! There is nothing wrong with pointing people to other resources to keep the video under 20min. I think a great opportunity was missed, this product should have been broken up into a series covering everything you pointed out. This is especially valuable information for beginners. Price? Well I have to say looking at the Glowforges and Flux Beamboxes still reminds me of an overhauled K40 (I know it isn't). As for spending north of $5,000 when there are better offerings at half the price, no thank you! I have been looking at Orion lasers as well, possibly the 60w or 80w. Also I believe the Orion has a Ruida digital control panel, and tends to be more of an industry standard for compatibility? Hope to buy my first laser very soon! Thanks again!

[@jordymoors]

While the points mentioned are fair, entire videos could be made around each of them. Choices have to be made to keep it manageable. As for 2. Power, I'm going to assume they limited the PSU at the factory, to put out no more than the safe current. As such, you don't really need the mA meter anymore, though it wouldn't have hurt either.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

Hey Angus, I think you need to test the power output of that. A 50W laser tube should be around 1M long (~39") from tip to tip, and this thing is less than that with the case. It's kinda hard to get around physics, so my guess it that the laser isn't actually capable of putting out 50W. It's most likely closer to 40-45W max, and you really shouldn't ever run these tubes close to full power, it significantly decreases their life. If you have a way to measure laser output, I'd be curious if it's actually putting out that much power. It's a lot of money for only 40W.

[@MakersMuse]

Hey Robert, good call I'll follow up on it. The 100W I ran years ago was indeed huge and overhung the edge of the laser.

[@RobertCowanDIY]

@@MakersMuse Sounds good! I'm curious to see what you find. I need to replace the tube on my 60 watt, and I'd be curious if things have gotten smaller, maybe I can fit a higher powered tube!

[@orephen]

love to see more laser content.

[@macrumpton]

I got a glowforge when it was a Kickstarter project, and at $1900 it was the best money I ever spent. I am a somewhat technically inclined artist, and having the nicer user experience of a smart laser cutter really helped me enjoy the experience of learning to use it a lot. See my stuff here: www.etsy.com/shop/ArtFormFunction BTW if you have some experise with Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, that will increase the value you get from your laser a lot. On the other hand the cutting area 11"x 19" is a bit small and cutting anything more than 5mm thick is an exercise in patience. I have been toying with the idea of getting a larger more powerful laser maybe 600 x 900mm and 80 or 100 watts to be able to cut thicker, faster, engrave metals better, and the LightBurn Software which has a lot of the features I have gotten used to in the glowforge.

[@jonathanstringer4313]

Can you engrave ASA 3D printed parts? Specifically white numbers on black ASA?

[@aadvaithmandampully3279]

It's LASER TIMMMMMEEEE!!!!!

[@RomanoPRODUCTION]

No it is Resin time and it's Angus (Evan) and Katlyn

[@cho4d]

judging how they charge over a grand for a "carbon filter in a box" i'm going to go out on a limb and say this is an absolute rip.

[@originaltrilogy1]

Compare it to Trotec or similar at $50K and it's not a bad deal.

[@dj13579100]

4000 bucks !!!! That's a Honda civic

[@ttititrov1672]

You're right, but think how much money you spend on the Honda in one year, and how much money you can make with this laser. You can't really compare making money with spending money.

[@vincentguttmann2231]

4:08 Print bed on a laser cutter? You are truly a 3D printer guy!

[@hallenw]

You have a very unique and wonderful voice. I especially like the way you say “Bye” with a hearable smile at the end. ❤️

[@sion-dafyddlocke9913]

Chrome tanned leather should be on that Do Not Cut list too. While it’s not toxic, it’s very carcinogenic.

[@mobileapperture]

Angus, you lost me at "4000$" price tag 😲😉

[@stanrogers5613]

You're either buying this because it works out cheaper than an alternative process (such as low-volume die cutting, where the setup costs will kill you) or because you can make the price back in next to no time on custom work. Not everything needs to be for hobbyists.

[@richardcampbell4506]

Yes please! More laser cutting. I already trust your judgement regarding 3D printing and love your recent move into the world of excited photons 👍

[@daviddeitrick27]

You can also use masking tape to "dry run" your project. With the real material covered in one layer of tape, turn the speed all the way up and the power down very low, and you will get a white image on the tape, but the tape is not burned thru. Makes a great way of testing a file on expensive material. If all goes well, send the file again using the appropriate laser settings to mark and cut you material.

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

K40 user here... I do love the camera option but honestly, I have lived without it, and do not think it would improve things for me. The focusing option they chose to go with is also pretty kool. I am a big fan of keeping things simple. But the 4K price... I could get an import 80W for around 1500.. that still 2500 left over.. @MakerMuse YES more videos on Lasers. And anything related to making.. expand your channel and add things like drawing devices like BamBoo or hobby level power tools ... ETC Thanks!!

[@jordymoors]

If you want to improve your K40, consider upgrading its controller for something like a Cohesion3d board. That gives you true power control, smoother motion, and most importantly, let's you use lightburn. The latter is pretty much the best laser software out there, and allows you to install a camera as well. Swapping the board is ~10 minutes, installing the camera doesn't take much longer. You won't regret it.

[@linuspauly2380]

@@jordymoors you can use lightburn with the k40 by exporting its gcode and then putting it into k40 whisperer

[@OtherWorldExplorers]

@@jordymoors I did upgrade to AW706 (I think that's what it's called). Updated power supply... I need to get better than stock mirrors... I might look into Cohesion 3d. LaserCad is pretty basic IMO. Thank for the pointer!

[@jordymoors]

Henrik Linus Pauly then you're not really using Lightburn for the control though, which is where it shines. It has some nice design functions, but I wouldn't use it solely for that (yet). You'd also miss out on the power control, and other goodies that come with a better controller. Other World Explorers, if I'm not mistaken, you should be able to use Lightburn with that controller as well, no need for the C3D board in that case. There's a free 30 day trial. Just give it a shot :)

[@patrickhochstein9359]

Several people who are partial to Glowforge feel the Beambox is nothing more than a slight upgrade to the cheap Chinese 40W laser cutters out there. How do you feel this stacks up to Glowforge? The cutting area alone seems hard to beat and it seems to be the only cutter with air assist. Are the differences in the software enough to make such a big difference?

[@MakersMuse]

I use it heaps and find the software capable enough. Path planning could be better.

[@startedtech]

Jesus Christ $4-$5000 for a 50W laser and a 600x375 build volume?????

[@drumbum7999]

lol volume

[@CarsSimplified]

I'm not looking to get any laser cutters any time soon, but that is quite an impressive machine!

[@walkermckeag88]

Would you do a review on the Muse laser by Fullspectrumlaser??

[@SimonMarkDawson]

Hi Angus. With the etching onto pine (Or most other substances actually) if you put a layer of masking tape down first you won't get any burning effects at all and the image produced is much cleaner. The laser cuts right through the masking tape as if it wasn't there. It's a few more seconds involved to apply and then remove the tape but well worth it for the imrovement in quality imho. Love all the videos! Simon

[@mikkan39]

«But is it worth $4650 price tag?»... No. No it’s not.

[@macrumpton]

Unless you can make $2k a month with it. Unlike 3d printers you can crank stuff out very quickly on a laser.

[@jordymoors]

Michael Crumpton there are better options out there for that budget. The fact that it can pay for itself is something I've never understood as an argument. A scrollsaw will do the same job, with a much quicker ROI. Does that make it worth it? No. No it does not ;)

[@yurilemming4130]

Ridiculous price for tiny unit.

[@data357]

Probably a bit late now but when cutting thicker materials like the 8mm ply it helps to focus the beam down into the wood about %30 to 40 of the depth. So with 8mm I would set the focus to 5mm above the bed. It does cut better and cleaner and overall a thinner exit line. As your probably aware the beam after the focus point starts to spread out in a cone shape. Good video but I watched it to see how they cooled the tube? Oh well off to look at another video. Oh and on material 4mm or less I would just focus on the top.

[@allthegearnoidea6752]

It’s far too expensive unless your getting paid etc. I’m not a laser cutters fan. If I need bits of burned wood I will save myself some money and buy a blow torch. I mean there isn’t anything much in a laser cutter apart from the tube etc. My comments are negative but I would like to see you review more of them.

[@jeremycbarnhart2305]

Interested to know exactly a side by side comparison with Glowforge. Anyone?

[@GeorgeDolbier]

Would love to see a quick video tutorial on adding kerf to an existing shape and exporting it as a DXF. I use a larger 60 watt laser cutter at the PDX Hackerspace, I also have my own Silhouette drag knife cutter. I often use the Silhouette software to create shapes (rather than adobe). I am fairly proficient using it. Currently my workflow uses inkscape to generate DXF files for the hackerspace laser cutter.

[@davidmcdonald3314]

I'm a bit late to the party I expect, perhaps someone else will have mentioned this, but... Isn't fake leather "PU leather" - or "poly urethane leather" - not PVC??? I realise that a heck of a lot will depend upon the cloth underneath the surface, but I'm guessing that this would be variable, depending upon the manufacturer or something like that

[@Yukicanis]

I have been working in an IR laser lab before. Aligning those invisible laser beams is usually done with a detector card. It has a special coating that lights up where it is hit by the laser. They make things much easier than just trial and error. If you have such an expensive laser cutter, another $100 for a detector card (from e.g. Newport or Thorlabs) is not a lot of money if you need to adjust the laser.

[@jordymoors]

Or instead, you just stick a piece of painters tape in front of the optics, which will give you a nice burn mark on low power :) Keep it simple.

[@DarthWaderFC3S]

Labsnacks are my favorite

[@francismason8907]

Do you recommend bringing a glowforge to Europe knowing if anything goes wrong it would have to be sent to the US again? Or is the Flux pro worth it comparing both in quality

[@avcomth]

This is a total ripoff. All these guys did was taking generic Chinese K40 units and upgraded it's cosmetics and making some software. I could tell that many parts came from the K40 machines. For a decent Chinese laser engraver of this price, check out "AEON" brand. That is really worth the price.

[@XOIIOXOIIO]

LOL wtf, 4k for a 50w laser? I'd much rather go for a higher power aliexpress one, damn. You'd probably still have enough to add your own camera setup and get a better board.

[@TheTrophyStore]

Great review, My lasers are 10 times that cost and designed for fast engraving. I would be keen to have a close look at one of these as glass tubes are ment to cut acrylic better than metal or ceremic tubes. Any chance of personel review post Covid19 I live in Sydney.

[@bobtnailer]

Roy de Visser, what lasers do you have? From your profile pic, I’m going to assume that you are in the awards and engraving industry (as am I). Our first laser was a little 35W Epilog TT. We outgrew it within a couple of years, and traded up to a Helix 75W. We needed more capacity about 3 years ago, and added a 75W Fusion M2 (both of these are Epilogs, of course). We looked at the other major players in the industry (Universal, Trotec, Xenetech), but we found that Epilog and our local Epilog rep could provide the best service for us. The tube alone on a “vocational” laser engraver would cost almost as much as the whole system in this video. If you didn’t have to depend on it to make your living, this one might be okay for hobby cutting. Maybe.

[@TheTrophyStore]

@@bobtnailer I have 2 Trotec's 25w and 60w , the 25w is a synrad tube and the 60w is a Raydon tube, I replaces the Synrad a few years ago for about 4,000 and the 60w was 8,000. you are right in you wouldn't make this a production machine. I'm intrested in it only for cutting acrylic I have my own range of trophies and can see a need for the glass tube. My business is The Trophy Store in sydney, I assume you have felt the Covid effect in your business, I will be pushing my trophies on the return to normal, I bought a CNC a little while back and now I'm using that on Acrylic as well. Where are you based ? Roy

[@sinformant]

Where I work they have 20kw and 30kw cnc lasers to cut steel plate into parts. It slices through 0.75" steel plate like butter and only leaves 0.0625" cut behind that is very smooth. I was blown away when I saw them working.

[@bobtnailer]

sinformant, what brand lasers do you have there? I used a Trumpf at a factory YEARS ago. If memory serves, it only about 3300W, and it used different gases for cutting different metals. That thing cut 1” steel plate in nothing flat!

[@tonyburzio4107]

The drawback is it warps the metal. Most metal parts needing precision use waterjet.

[@mubashirahmad9694]

I saw the trace in action at a big laser shop. (03:26) the trace option moves the laser head throughout the path without firing the laser so one can see if there's any anamoly at any point and resolve the issue. It helps a lot when working with expensive acrylic.

[@canaydin9523]

Can you also review the k40 style cheap lasers

[@seabreezecoffeeroasters7994]

Fairly much done to death and why review the A8 equivalent of Lasers (they also catch fire)? There is some really good value in the middle ground but also some gotcha's for the unwary.

[@juandraONE]

Great video as always, can you make one about the BuildOne from Kickstarter, the project is about 3 years old and the creator at one point said he would do weekly updates just to break that promise repeatedly, it's probably a dead project now but it would be cool if you put a spotlight on it!

[@aerball]

I am very conflicted here. I bought a K40 for 400 bucks from OMTech. I didn't have to do any adjustment to the laser as they had done it already and hot glued the parts in place. I spent a few bucks on a mgn12 rail for the main head and created some 3d printed parts that I designed for the rail system. Based on my experience, I can't see paying 4K for what we see here from FLUX. I think you can have most of the same features if you do it yourself for about 60-80% less money; but admittedly it would take quite a bit of messing around to get it. You're trading manhours for cost and depending on how handy you are, it might be worth it. That being said, FLUX has some incredible software by the looks of it and the out of the box features/upgrades look pretty fantastic. Again though, I just don't see myself spending 4k on that.

[@mikabreto]

50W?... but the website sez 40W. However on the tube I see that it’s rated for 50W. Hmm...why the discrepancy I wonder?

[@vivilaineroosen7676]

My cheap one just broke after a really short time. definitely going to get this one or something similar in the future

[@charlesroycroft2017]

Hi I own a small laser engraving shop. I have a Epilog EXt 36 120 watt CO2 in addition a Rofin Powerline 20 watt fiber with this unit "Flex" will provide good quality photo images? Presently I use photgrav and corel draw

[@neuranicslab3959]

Bought this a year ago. It's not for professionals and for the price tag it has. It has got a rpi inside and the power supplies are too cheap and get broken within 3 months and to add to the woes the components are too costly by their authorised distributors to be replaced. Pathetic service. Better to go for Epilog USA.

[@pavelgajdik7486]

I dont see why to spend 4k+ for laser with such small working area that lack basic functions like autofocus and motorized bed height adjustment. I would rather spent 2-3k on good brand laser from china like Robotec which offer much more functions including autofocus, 4 times bigger working area, up to 150w laser, option for dual laser heads etc. Like glowforge this is just overpriced small laser which maybe nice for office or school, but is not worth for normal use as you could get cheaper and more capable lasers.

[@ldabkey]

Needs auto-focus. That manual focus set-up, albeit easy, looks like a disaster in waiting to break that little acrylic arm. Also, a question...can you print directly from CorelDraw files or do you have to import them into their interface?

[@sweetholz]

Hi! Which would you prefer between beam box and makeblock laser box? I can’t decide which is a better investment Thank you

[@naguoning]

Not really amazing that it was not getting delayed a lot other than for shipping. It is from Taiwan. Basically the least virus affected country in the world thanks to the good handling of it by the Taiwan government. The price here is high but they do have less optioned up pricing.

[@naguoning]

Beamo is from Taiwan. Taiwan is the country least affected by the virus in the world and had no shut down etc but shipping to many places is a nightmare now.

[@Kevin-tc3ob]

As an African grey owner, i love the parrot toy ! Although £4,000 for a laser cutter is a tad beyond my budget lol

[@MakersMuse]

With some patience, you can make them with hand tools!

[@FullMetalFox2]

4k for a 50w Cutter? Okay, I'm getting the feeling that "Prosumer" is just a marketing name to sell good looking but overpriced tools to people who are either too lazy to set up an industrial system, value ease of use above everything else, are easily persuaded by marketing or want to "impress" their customers with their flashy tools. It gives me the same Vibe as Festool tools, overhyped, overpriced tools for "professionals", but you only see them in the hands of KZbinrs, people who fell for the marketing or those "presumptuous semi-professionals". I once fell for the hype, bought a 300€ Festool Drill, and an 800€ Miter Saw, said drill got outclassed by a mere half as expensive Metabo Powermaxx Drill, same quick-change system, even more compact and more power. Since then I buy tools from various manufacturers depending on the manufacturer's history.

[@grahamharper8883]

I'm here because FDM is a cheaper hobby. The only thing that laser will burn is my wallet!

[@dhezirable]

i tried cutting 3mm acrylic and the smell is really strong and bad. is this normal? it’s sitting in the garage and hose going out the garage door

[@andrewrobotbuilder]

Can't wait to see what puzzles you design for the cockatoos. I remember I had designed a puzzle bird feeder for a BBC competition back when I was younger - didn't win, but it was fun nonetheless.

[@adamarzo559]

Might as well get a hobby CNC machine for about $1,000 more.

[@Jesters3DTabletopGaming]

oh man, having this machine in my house would be the bee's knee's

[@Hereforlols]

Great video Angus! If you haven't already, try laser cutting PETG sheet. It lacks the brittleness of acrylic and is only marginally more difficult to calibrate for clean edges :)

[@TheOfficialCzex]

You can laser cut carbon fibre, but it must be non-laminated.

[@rewatkargaurav3787]

Want to see some more laser cutter videos. How about a thin metal sheet laser cutter?

[@jordymoors]

This one is on the pricey side already. Metal cutting machines would get you over $10k easily :/ The cheaper option would be a CNC plasma, or that desktop waterjet cutter (pretty pricey as well)

[@usafa1987]

More laser cutting content, please. Especially project work. Enough reviews

[@HELLADJ]

Second

[@salbahejim]

Their website links to this video and another of yours as customer reviews!

[@iq0099]

US is loosing the market because china is always behind in producing competitive products.. $4K is not a good price for the Avg. tinker-man!!

[@wargamemodelmods]

Very nice looking machine. Cutting 8mm wood on my 80w laser looks horrible its going to be so burnt on this. A note on ventilation if cutting mdf you will clog a filter very quick.

[@electronic7979]

Excellent product

[@themystery5614]

Is it suitable for Cutting delrin sheet for corporate seal ?

[@TMS5100]

delrin/acetal is the PETG of laser cutting.

[@maximthemagnificent]

I can never think of what I'd personally do with a laser cutter that has such a limited range of materials (if it could do more types of plastic that'd be another story). Too bad.

[@HELLADJ]

I cant believe this industry isnt further along by now. This is still so expensive. Youre way better off getting a membership to a makerspace

[@christopherleblanc5187]

I have the FLUX Beamo .... can't get it to burn or engrave a single item reliably. And Flux support takes about 7 days to get back to you about anything. This time they gave me a very text book and cruddy answer and just said "check the focus distance of the laser". Well no kidding. The book tells you that. So far I have burned through almost an entire side of leather (roughly 125$ of product) just trying to print wallet template pieces and not a single piece is useable for a finished piece. Seems that turning the power up or down just 5% in Beam Studio ENORMOUSLY affects the strength. And they only allow you 5% incremements. If I set the power to 20% it barely scratches the leather... if I put it to 25% it blasts through the back and leaves carbon scoring in the shape of the metal grid. Just a heads up though... FLUX support is almost non existent. I've asked for a live support session that actually moves at the speed of business and they have yet to get back to me.

[@tonyburzio4107]

Wet the leather.

[@jimh6754]

PETG sheets cut nice too. It isn't brittle and thermoforms well. I have the K40 and it gets the job done, but you get what you pay for. This looks a little too much like an upgraded K40 with some cloudray parts thrown on it. If I'm stepping up to this price range, I might as well go glowforge. Thanks for your work.

[@dbooker3182]

It doesn't have cutter comp?! Bogus.

[@javierguzman6030]

HEY FORGOT THE MACHINE START PASSWORD HOW CAN I RECOVER IT?

[@ThomasReichenbach]

I bought a 5030 50W Laser with a movable z-axis, ruida controller, rotary engraver, honeycomb bed, ethernet, for 1600 USD, shipped in 2 weeks without additional customs duties, and it worked perfectly fine from the start. Setting up Lightburn including the camera, is pretty easy and the software is really great. I would not spend 4000€ for the Flux Beambox that looks more like a K40 painted black, with less capabilities and what seems an unfinished software.

[@Arckivio]

You said not to cut polycarb because of poisonous fumes. I've worked in the lighting industry for ages & I remember years ago, the UK government banned acrylic in indoor lighting because of poisonous fumes in case of fire. It didn't please manufacturers as polycarb was more expensive. Either they got that wrong or I'm remembering it wrong!!!

[@MakersMuse]

The polycarb debate is ongoing. Some people say it's safe to cut, but it will have a charred / yellowed edge compared to the clean acrylic edge.

[@Arckivio]

@@MakersMuse I suppose no smoke is safe but weird hearing you say that acrylic was safer than polycarb. I think I'd trust a hobbyist telling me whats safe rather than any government!!!

[@tonyburzio4107]

Polycarb can cut well, but you need to change the settings. The yellow is sulfur from vaporizing the material. If you do it right, you will be melting the plastic, much like a knife in butter. Makes a great cut, and doesn't create the smoke many find objectionable. I use polycarb to get thin and strong pieces.

[@wilmercb]

I guess you have to catch up on your laser projects? ;)

[@Beauty.and.FashionPhotographer]

Suggestion for a very cool Review/Comparison (also to attract loads of viewers): Materials which are very, very Soft, even down as soft as to silicon materials. And also soft results done mechanically, and resulting in Sponge / Foam-like materials, those then printed through 3D-honeycomb-cube-shaped bubble-Construction inside a printed body , would be cool to see .... not many have done this "Soft" material Topic on KZbin, but usually, they got a huge crowd that has watched those videos....

[@JAYTEEAU]

Great overview Angus, expensive for sure, impressive for sure. Good to see this sort of continued coverage from an interest point of view more so than a purchase. Cheers, JAYTEE

[@amberyoung1675]

Hi Angus, Brill video - does this machine have to work through the internet and can other software be used to operate it please? I have had so many issues with Glowforge that I'm now looking for an alternative and the ideas of A) Camera dependability and B) Teathered to software in the web just doesn't do it for me. Appreciate your thoughts please, Thank You Very Much :-)

[@victorvanmunster1057]

Hi, I’am getting a lot of flames when cutting wood on my Beambox Pro (and it’s almost melting my air assist hose). I’ve tried to adjust all sorts of things, but it does not have much effect...Please advise?🤔 And keep up the good work, greetings from Holland.

[@jamesrguk]

Angus, just a quick one for you.... I 3D print mainly in PETG and have a laser cutter coming in a few weeks time. The laser cutter is actually for wood work projects in the main, but it got me thinking... From your experience can you laser engrave onto a PETG 3D printed surface? I know you have all the gear I wondered if you had given it a go? I like the idea of engraving/etching a logo into a finished flat surface after a print has completed rather than having to try and print the logo into the item itself. I'd love to hear your thoughts. James

[@cpace123]

You can probably get a thicker cut using a different lens. I have 3 laser myself for my business

[@TheTrumanZoo]

cool stuff, little too expensive but its coming. a second laser with different angle could create a nice bevel, or soft edge.

[@jordymoors]

That laser would then have to be able to rotate if you want the bevel in more than a single direction ;)

[@sergiohinojosa9097]

Hello can say me what type of water you use with it? blue refigerant water for chiller?? please if somone can send url of buy it i apreciate it, is for span and need some solution because with destilated water the temperature is elevated. Thanks for your help and your time.

[@sergiohinojosa9097]

spain**

[@FusionSource]

Great looking cutter, but expensive though. Exciting looking machine. 50 Watts, WOW, that is quite a serious machine. Love the alignment setup,. that is very cool. Thanks Angus, great video.

[@magomat6756]

Its a K40 with display and software but most of the mechanic’s are the same as a K40. I am in the process to upgrade my K40 i wil never reach the 1000 € with laser and all the upgrade parts. So 4000 is way to much.

[@pen25]

for that price you could buy 10 of the cheap 40 watters. and pick up a nice reci laser and cohesion board. or better yet pick up a 100 watt with a reci tube and dsp and add a camera. is this locked to companies software? or could you use say inkscape or lightburn?

[@SAILxKamal]

nothing beats a K40 laser with some upgrads like cohesion3d board and air assist , does the job very well and fraction of the cost Flux beambox = No thanks

[@RinksRides]

K40's are fine. That's what Flux starts with actually. and after changing out a few known faulty parts ends up with the Beambox Pro. True story bruh.

[@ImmuneToKnives]

I've been wanting a laser cutter for a while, but for one of my hobbies... $ 4,599.00 too pricey for just a hobby lol maybe one day

[@rpavlik1]

Is it all local, or cloud dependent like the glowforge? They're all a bit pricy for me right now, but the cloud dependence is a total fail in my mind. If I wanted cloud dependent 2d cutting, I already have a Cricut I got at a great discount.

[@thenegotiator9701]

I’d like it for co2 lasers to be cheaper in the future

[@jordymoors]

They already are, just not the 'smart' ones. You can get an equivalent 50W machines for around ~$1500, with a Ruida controller, which let's you use Lightburn, which in turn also allows you to install a camera.

[@TheMrSzony]

Patent itself is null yes, but drawings in it, and whole article is still subject to copyright, you can't just copy paste something and claim it as your own.

[@TheGeeMan]

600x375 is good, considering a lot of acrylic companies tend to use 600x300 as the average small sheet size.