Hey everyone,
I recently picked up an AtomStack A24 Pro and ran into a concerning issue right out of the box. During a quick test engraving, I noticed something strange: vertical lines were coming out noticeably blurry and wide, while horizontal lines were sharp and clean.
To investigate further, I engraved multiple 1cm x 1cm squares at various speeds and power settings. The results were consistent — vertical lines always appeared fuzzy and significantly thicker than their horizontal counterparts.
When I tried cutting a square in 3mm plywood, the issue became even more obvious. Horizontal cuts went through cleanly at 90% power / 650 mm/min, but to get the vertical cuts to match, I had to slow it down to 90% power / 350 mm/min — a big difference.
I ruled out mechanical issues and checked the lens — it’s crystal clear, no dirt or damage. That’s when I decided to examine the laser spot itself.
After a few attempts on different materials, I got the clearest laser spots on thermal receipt paper. I pulsed the laser manually at low power (3–6%) and photographed the spots using a 1:1 macro lens. The photos confirmed my suspicion: the laser beam is visibly deformed — more of a long oval than a tight point — which perfectly explains the engraving and cutting anomalies I’ve been seeing.
From what I can tell, this is a textbook case of diode laser astigmatism.
Unfortunately, when I contacted AtomStack support, they initially seemed helpful, but in their most recent message, they claimed this behavior is “normal.” I’ve since asked to escalate the issue and I’m still waiting for their response.
Why I’m Posting This:
To get feedback from the community — I know many of you have far more experience than I do, and I’d appreciate any insights or confirmation on my diagnosis.
To help others — I spent hours searching online for similar symptoms and found very little. Hopefully, this thread helps someone else who’s troubleshooting a similar issue.
To add visibility — Having this issue documented and discussed publicly could support my case if AtomStack continues to push back on a warranty replacement.
I’ve attached the images below for reference. Any thoughts, advice, or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance!