Atomstack recently launched the S30 Pro. This is the new laser engraving and cutting machine, now with 6-core 33W laser modules, the most powerful diode lasers on these model machines. It also comes with an excellent air assist system that gives you a really clean cut.
First, let's unbox it and test it a bit to see how it performs.
Atomstack S30 Pro Unboxing
The Atomstack S30 Pro arrives partially assembled, with everything well protected by a separate foam tray and insert.
They include everything you need to get up and running, including tools, safety glasses, and a manual. They also include some plywood and acrylic samples for testing the laser, along with software and test cut files on a USB flash drive.
Assembly is very simple, no need to fully pre-assemble the machine. A major part of the assembly process is assembling the aluminum profiles that make up the y-axis frame. So you should be able to have your laser up and running in less than an hour.
The screws are even placed in packaging that matches each step in the manual's assembly section.
I have assembled many of these machines in the past and it took about 15 minutes to have it all assembled and ready for some test cutting.
Key selling points of the S30 Pro
The new 33W diode laser module combines light from six 6W lasers into a single focal point, a 50% improvement over the previous flagship S20 Pro.
The actual laser module itself isn't much larger than on the S20 Pro, although you can see the size increase.
The increase in power allows you to cut thicker materials, or cut thinner materials faster. It can even cut 0.1mm stainless steel sheet, so it is a very powerful machine.
In my opinion, apart from the more powerful laser, there are two other things that set this machine apart from the competition, the first being the display screen that allows full offline control of the machine.
So you can insert a microSD card into the controller and control positioning and cutting directly on the machine without connecting to a computer. I actually use it a lot with the S20 Pro and it has its limitations, but for simple jobs it works well.
The second is the air assist system.
There are other machines that offer air assist, but the air assist on the Atomstack machine is pretty good. So much so that I'm actually using an old Atomstack S20 Pro to cut all the plywood parts for my projects and products in my Etsy store instead of the more powerful CO2 laser. My CO2 machine also has air assist and this machine does a better job of making the cuts look really clean.
Plywood Cutting and Engraving Test
The air assist compressor is adjustable and is attached to the top of the laser module, which then directs the airflow around the lens and down to the cutting area. It actually performs a secondary function - airflow around the lens keeps it clean too.
For the cutting surface, you are provided with a stainless steel plate to protect your desk or work surface from the laser, but you will need to use some prisms or a honeycomb bed to elevate the workpiece a bit while cutting. This way you don't burn the back of the workpiece and have some room for the smoke to escape. I'm using an Atomstack honeycomb surface that I bought to use with the S20 Pro.
Wearing safety goggles is very important when using these open gantry lasers, if something goes wrong, this high power laser can permanently damage your vision in a fraction of a second. Atomstack offers a pair of safety glasses with the S30 Pro kit, but you really should buy a pair from a reputable optical company that has tested the glasses and offers some form of certification.
I'm going to do some cutting and carving tests on a piece of 3mm plywood. I use Lightburn on a connected laptop to run the tests. The laser will cut a series of 5mm blocks at different speeds and laser powers, and we will then be able to see which settings produce the best quality cuts.
Cutting test
First, I will do a cutting test with speeds ranging from 10 to 100 mm/s and power from 0 to 100%.
From that test, we only managed to cut some of the higher power settings at low speeds in the lower right corner, so I set the speed a little too high for this material.
You'll also notice that the digital engraving at the bottom of the vertical axis looks much cleaner without the air assist. So, keep this in mind - don't use air assist when carving, only use it when cutting.
These boards are not the 3mm basswood boards commonly found online for laser cutting, they are better quality construction grade plywood. Therefore, more force is required to cut them. Let's slow down a bit and try a second test.
So we had better success on the second test, with most of the bottom right half of the test being breached. This gave me a good idea of what settings could be used to get through the plywood. To cut these sheets for a project, I'd probably choose something with a higher laser power - let's go for 90% power and 15mm/s speed.
Engraving test
Next, let's try running an engraving test to see which settings will engrave the logo onto the Cyberdeck. This is very similar to a cut test, but the laser runs back and forth across the entire area of the square to mark it.
Obviously the bottom row was too low a speed and completely burned through the wood, but we got some good results in the middle of the range.
Cutting project components on the S30 Pro
After material testing I wanted to try cutting some plywood components for my cyberdeck project. I set up Lightburn to engrave the logo first so the part doesn't move while cutting. I would turn off the air assist while carving, then turn it on when I started cutting.
As with any of these open gantry machines, one of the biggest drawbacks is the large amount of fumes that can be produced while cutting. There really isn't an easy way to catch or direct it away from your work area, so you'll need to work in a well-ventilated space.
Atomstack also sells an enclosure for the laser that makes it easier to attach to an extraction fan, so if you're using it in a smaller space, this is definitely something you need to consider.
Looking closely at these parts, you can see how well the air assist works on the S30 Pro. There is little char or smoke marks on the cut surface.
Cutting other materials on the Atomstack S30 Pro
I also tried cutting some other material with the Atomstack S30 Pro to test its functionality.
As I mentioned before, the plywood I'm using is much stronger than the basswood boards usually sold for these machines, and the S30 Pro can cut these boards very easily and at high speed. It will pass through the attached sheet at approximately 60% power and a speed of 15 mm/s.
It can also cut black or dark opaque acrylic sheets. This requires higher power, about 80% power at a cutting speed of 3 mm/s.
Finally, I wanted to try a stainless steel plate. I have these spacers with the thickness engraved on them, so I tried the 0.05mm spacers first. The recommended settings for the Atomstack are 16mm/s and 60% power, which I thought sounded a bit too fast and too low power, but it managed to cut the stainless steel perfectly.
It did warp the metal edges a bit due to the heat, but the result was better than I expected.
I also tried using a 0.1mm sheet which was twice as thick as the first sheet and even with different settings I couldn't get it to cut all the way through this sheet. It went through some areas, but I couldn't get a full clean cut. This is high-grade stainless steel, so it does the trick too. I'm honestly impressed with how well it can go through 0.05mm board.
Final thoughts on the S30 Pro
I was really impressed with the results of the cut test, the S30 Pro is a very powerful and capable machine. The increased laser power means I can cut plywood parts about 30% faster than the S20 Pro, which is a significant savings.
I don't use this machine very often to cut stainless steel, but it's impressive what it can do.
The air assist on the Atomstack machine is probably my favorite feature. As I mentioned earlier in the article, it even produces better cuts than my CO2 laser, which costs more than twice as much.
It's an expensive machine, but it's the perfect workshop companion if you do a lot of panel work or if you need to make custom components. If you are going to be running this in a small workshop space or in a bedroom then you will definitely want to use a vented enclosure so that fumes and fumes can be properly vented from the work surface.
