Fokoos FE10 Laser Engraver Cutter Assembly and First Impressions Review

Fokoos FE10 Laser Engraver Cutter Assembly and First Impressions Review

Buy it at Amazon: Fokoos FE10 Laser Engraver Cutter Assembly and First Impressions [Affiliate Link]

Takeaway: Sets up quickly, easy to use, cuts deep on various materials, detailed engravings over a large work area.

This machine requires a little bit of assembly, but it's fairly straightforward and you can have it ready to start cutting and engraving in under 30 minutes. After assembly, it’s probably a good idea to secure the cables out of the way, so they don’t interfere will the motors are moving, but this step is optional and you need to make sure to leave enough slack for the motors to reach their full ranges. You can plug the machine into your computer using the included USB-C cable, or connect with it wirelessly by adding it to your home WiFi network through its controll panel, though you may need to install additional drivers like a virtual COM port to communicate with it over your network.

You can find software needed to run the machine on the microSD card in the folder labeled “Softwares.” If you’re using a Mac, LaserTool is your only choice among the bundled programs. Windows users can select from LaserTool, Laser GRBL, or LightBurn, though the last one, is only free to use for 30-days, after which you’ll need to purchase a license. LightBurn is also available for Mac and Linux users by downloading the software from their website. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the Lightburn software to detect the machine, however, I did get it to connect with GRBL.

I’m not going to go too in-depth with a software tutorial, but basically once the machine is connected, you’ll load in an image, for example an SVG, JPG, or PNG. Then you’ll set the parameters for speed and power based the material you’re using. The faster/slower the speed, the lighter or draker the image will be accordingly, and the more power you set, the deep the engraving/cut will be. The recommended values for cutting and engraving various materials are in the Materials Profiles file found in the Manuals Folder on the SDcard.

Once you have the laser head over your material, set the focus height using the metal gauge column by lifting the laser and setting it under the housing at the back. Fix this position by tightening the thumbscrews at the front all the way, then you can remove the gauge. When you’re ready to start, click the Play button in the software and be sure to put on your safety goggles as the blue laser light could damage your eyes if you look directly at it. For my first attempt engraving cardboard, the laser power was probably too high as I had some areas where it cut all the way through the material. I also learned that if your surface is not completely flat, your lines will not come out straight. I ran the program again with slightly different settings and achieved much better image clarity, a finer etch with clearer details, and by taping down the cardstock, was able to flatten it's surface for straighter lines.

I tried a couple more tests of the laser including a filled text engraving into pine. The unit does have a built-in flame sensor that will stop the machine automatically if it detects a flame, but you should always be present to monitor its progress to avoid a fire. The other thing you’ll notice is that there is quite a bit of smoke and fumes produced, so you’ll definitely want to work in a well-ventilated area, invest in a fume hood, or have some kind of exhaust to quickly remove any harmful aerosols produced. There are also materials that you should never engrave or cut like PVC or vinyl which emit deadly toxic gasses when exposed to the laser.

Lastly, I tried cutting a circle out of one of the wood blanks but because the template I chose was a thick bordered circle, the wood started to burn which wasn’t ideal. I switched the setting to no fill but still ended up with 2 circles for the outline and at 80% power the laser didn’t go all the way through. On my third attempt, I switched to centerline at 100% power and that did the trick. The laser cut all the way through and I was able to remove the shape from the blank.

Overall, I found the assembly of the machine to be quite straightforward, and you can get up and running in about 30 minutes. If you’re new to laser cutting and engraving, like me, this is a great machine to get started with as it’s simple to put together, well-made, and feels pretty durable. It’s got a nice, large working area of 400x400mm, max speed of 10,000mm/min, 10W laser output, and 0.06mm laser spot for fine details. Learning all the intricacies of using the software and finding the right settings for different materials is probably the most difficult and time consuming part other than creating your own designs. However, there are plenty of stock images and templates available online and a number of laser-safe materials that you can work with like wood, denim, leather, glass, acrylic, and ceramic, so I’m pretty excited to play around with this machine some more and try it out on different things.

Buy it at Amazon: Fokoos FE10 Laser Engraver Cutter Assembly and First Impressions [Affiliate Link]