Laser cutting machine Mr Beam II Dreamcut

Many 3D printer users need to complement their production with different machines to cover their entire market and to be able to offer a service that stands out from the rest. One of these machines is the laser cutter, a tool that complements the work that a 3D printer can perform, with which a large number of materials can be cut and engraved. The conventional laser cutter is usually a machine for industrial use, with a high price and complex software that makes it difficult to use for personnel who are not specialised in this type of machinery.

Image 1: The anatomy of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut laser cutter. Source: Mr Beam

Mr Beam, a German company specialising in the development of laser cutting equipment, is renowned for the development of Mr Beam II, a desktop laser cutting and engraving machine that is compact and very easy to use even for inexperienced users. This machine is an alternative to traditional laser cutters, applicable to a wide variety of jobs and materials. Mr Beam has gone on to develop upgraded versions of this machine, leading to the launch of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] and Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x].

Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s]

Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] is a laser cutting machine with a 5W (450 nm) shortwave laser, class 1, free of danger for the user, a large working area of 500 mm x 390 mm x 38 mm, metal housing with a transparent safety cover covered with a protective film, integrated camera and CE certificate. The Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] laser cutter is delivered practically ready to use, only the laser head and the air filter system (if selected at the time of purchase) need to be connected. It is therefore considered plug and play.

Video 1: Mr Beam II Dreamcut laser cutter [s]. Source: Mr Beam.

One of the advantages of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] laser cutter is that the designs or shapes to be cut or engraved can be made using any program or application. Once the design is finished, it must be exported with one of the following extensions: dxf, svg, g, gcode, gif, jpe, jpg, jpeg, bmp, nc, pcx, png and webp. After exporting the file, it has to be uploaded to the web application "Mr Beam Laser bench". Thanks to the integrated WLAN of the Mr Beam II laser cutter, the connection to the machine is fast and uninterrupted from any location - a perfect feature for trade fairs and markets.

Image 2: Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] laser cutter and air filter. Source: Mr Beam

To make the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] laser cutter easier to use, it has an integrated camera in the safety cover that makes it easy to align the design to be cut or engraved with respect to the sheet material. When the lid is open, the camera takes a picture of the work surface every few seconds and transmits the image directly to the web application.

Image 3: The Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] Starter Pack Bundle. Source: Mr Beam

This allows the position and size of the design to be adjusted directly, which is a novelty for this type of machine. This also makes it possible to engrave exactly the desired area or to make maximum use of the material to be cut, avoiding pieces of material that cannot be reused.

Bundle with Air Filter II or Starter Pack Bundle

Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] is also available in a bundle with the Air Filter II or in a Starter Pack Bundle containing the Air Filter II, an XXL Welcome Box, the Mark Solid Spray, the Cleaning Pack, a Beamie mascot and a Mr Beam mug.

Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x]

The Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] laser cutter differs from the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] only by the laser head. Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] uses the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] laser head. With this powerful laser head it is possible to cut wood even faster, cut thicker materials and process white acrylic or plywood up to 8 mm thick. This laser head uses a 10 W shortwave laser (450 nm), class 1, non-hazardous to the user.

Video 2: Mr Beam II Dreamcut laser cutter [x]. Source: Mr Beam.

Due to the power of the laser head of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] laser cutter, the cutting mat is not suitable and a suitable alternative, such as the Mr Beam magnetic clamps, should be used instead for the safety of the user. It should be noted that higher performance also means higher abrasion of the material. Users of the Mr Beam air filter should therefore empty the filter more frequently when working with Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x].

Bundle with Air Filter II/III or Starter Pack Bundle

Similar to Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s], Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] is also available in a bundle with the Air Filter II or in a Starter Pack Bundle containing the Air Filter II (including main filter and 10 pre-filter mats), an XXL welcome box (including a cutting mat), the Mark Solid Spray, the Cleaning Pack, a Beamie mascot and a Mr Beam mug. Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] can also be purchased in a bundle with the Air Filter III or Air Filter III and controller to ensure compatibility with third-party laser cutting and engraving machines.

Compatibility with a wide variety of materials

The Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] and Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] laser cutters have been tested (cutting and engraving) on more than 15 different materials with fantastic results. It must be taken into account that each material behaves in a particular way with the laser, which makes it necessary to vary the configuration. 

The following table shows the main materials that can be used with these laser cutters and whether it is possible to cut and engrave them:

Material		Cutting	Engraving
	Plywood	Up to 3 mm [s] Up to 8 mm [x]	Yes
	Balsa wood	Up to 5 mm	Yes
	Leather	Up to 1 mm	Yes
	Kraftplex	Up to 3 mm	Yes
	Paper	Yes	Yes
	Felt	Up to 6 mm	Yes
	Fabric	Up to 3 mm	Yes
	Grey cardboard	Up to 1 mm	Yes
	Foamboard	Up to 6 mm	No
	Acrylic (except clear, white or blue)	No [s] Up to 8 mm (white acrylic, [x])	Yes
	Cardboard	Up to 5 mm	Yes
	Latex	Up to 1 mm	No
	Anodised aluminium	No	Yes
	Foam rubber	Up to 20 mm	No
	Mirror	No	Yes
	Basalt fabric	Up to 1 mm	No
	PVC	No	No
	Polypropylene (except transparent)	Up to 3 mm	Yes
	PET (except transparent)	Up to 3 mm	Yes
	PLA (except transparent)	Up to 1 mm	Yes
	ABS (except transparent)	Up to 1 mm	Yes

Table 1: Compatible materials. Source: Mr Beam.

One of the advantages of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s]/[x] laser cutter is that it backs up the user-defined media configuration. In this way no materials are overwritten and no information is lost.

A safe working environment

Inevitably, while the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] and Mr Beam II Dreamcut [x] are cutting and engraving, smoke is produced. For this reason it is recommended to purchase the version with the air filter system - Mr Beam Air Filter II Bundle or Starter Pack Bundle, or Mr Beam Air Filter III Bundle (with or without controller). These air filtering devices keep the air inside the room where the cutter is located clean, odour and smoke free.

The air filtration systems have a combined HEPA and activated carbon filter inside, which removes all possible odours and harmful particles generated during the laser cutting or engraving process.

Image 4: The Mr Beam Air Filter II (right) and III (left). Source: Mr Beam

This type of air filtration is also widely used in industrial 3D printers, where parts are made with advanced materials that release fumes and odours that are harmful to people. Each laser cutter is supplied with a hose that connects directly to the filter system. 

Retrofitting the Mr Beam II Dreamcut

It is important to note that users of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut laser cutter can upgrade their machine by installing either the [s] or the [x] laser head. The same rule applies to users of the Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] laser cutter who can upgrade their machine by installing the [x] laser head.

Image 5: The Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] and [x] laser heads. Source: Mr Beam

Laser heads [s] and [x] can be purchased separately and can be easily installed on the user's machine to improve the speed [s] or increase the cutting power for thicker materials or for woodworking [x].

The perfect tool for your workflow

Mr Beam II Dreamcut [s] and [x] are laser cutting and engraving machines ideal for people working in the industrial sector (architects, designers or engineers), users who make models, artistic pieces or final products, or educational centres where, thanks to the characteristics and safety offered by this equipment, students can carry out various projects encouraging their creativity.