The Snapmaker 2 enclosure obviously offers a reduction in intensity for the laser strength when in use.
What I wanted to know is, with the 1600mw laser (I’d imagine it’d be a different story with the 10w), is it safe to look at your laser project whilst the laser is active through the enclosure walls and door, or should I be putting the goggles on if I’m looking directly at the machine in addition to the enclosure?
Discussed a lot of times - see here:
or here:
and there’s more.
Great, thanks!
So what my takeaway from this is:
Thanks for the links!
An acrylic enclosure will never provide the level of OD that proper goggles/glasses can. So enclosure should always be considered secondary protection and goggles used as primary protection.
-S
I’ve just ordered this BBQ cover which, when the length has been cut down, should be the perfect size to slot over my A250T enclosure with the added bits I’ve got attached the sides. So, hopefully, the enclosure, plus this material over the top should provide sufficient protection to work in the room when the laser is running without needing to wear goggles all the time.
That should work fine.
And if you want to laser some steak or ribs, you’re set for that too.
-S
Curvature of the ribs might cause some problems, but a steak of uniform-ish thickness is probably doable. 
I’ll definitely post on the side for ‘safety first’ – definitely use goggles – but from experience it might be a little bit of overcaution.
Everyone else has already commented on the lack of rating of the enclosure walls and the gaps. When I built mine and placed it on my desk my enclosure actually overhangs and leaves an ‘air gap’ along one side of the machine and the desktop, and I was paranoid as heck, 3d printed a bunch of little panel pieces to fill that as much as possible.
Then realized with the 1.6W laser at proper focal distance from a surface being lasered, with the lens shroud on…there’s almost no way for laser light to get far out of that little gap to down below the platform around the housing perimeter.
If you’re lasering metal with some sort of coating, there can be weird specular reflections in all sorts of directions off the metal surface roughness…you’ll see what almost looks like “lightning flashes” light up the panels if you just look at them kind of defocused, whereas lasering say plywood all you see is the actual hotspot. So those gaps do matter.
I’ve since upgraded to the 10W and definitely wear goggles, and have “watched” the burn spot with them and the enclosure between me … kind of interesting to actually see how the adhesive layers in plywood scatter more than the wood thickness as it’s going thru, when your cuts are only 1/4 or 1/8 inch from the edge of the stock. But I also videoed it with my camera on my cell thru the enclosure walls, and all it sees is this blue blaze full height thru the ply…it’s kind of scary to realize how much the goggles are still adding to the filtration!!
I think walking around with your eyes closed and trying to do things by feel, covering it with a grill cover, are all overkill. But goggles plus enclosure, definitely worth it. There’s no downside except for the purchase cost of rated goggles, and perhaps a little behind-the-ear headache sensation if those silly earbows are tight and you wear them a long time.
Not too far fetched 
- and yet… see yourself:
Can you explain your thoughts here? I’d have thought if you really seal the enclosure light-tight and use OD4 or better acrylic for the panels, you should be fine, as long as you do door detection.
This video can be helpful in using a webcam for your laser printing: K40 eBay Chinese CO2 Laser Cutter & Engraver - Monitoring with a Cheap Webcam! - YouTube
There lies the problem. Try finding OD4 or better acrylic. If you can find it the expense is prohibitive. Finding OD6+ goggles is easy.
You can wear goggles while adjusting your workpiece - you can’t get to it with doors closed. Door detection isn’t fool proof.
I’d rather recommend people be overly cautious. The SM wasn’t a toy with the 1.6 and even less with the 10w.
-S
imho yes because i only have two eyes and i like them both. additionally the glasses that came with my first snapmaker weren’t even the correct colour. i put mine in the enclosed box with the dark brown panels, then put on the crappy green glasses that came with the og snap, then put on the actually marked as rated orange goggles that came with snap 2, then i just don’t look at the box ever while it runs >_>
I agree with your comments. I would just add that even with the new 10 Watt laser, the actual beam is often not visible when you stand beside the enclosure and look down at the job, due to the lens hood and the angle. However I always wear my OD6 goggles anyway.