CONTENTS & ASSEMBLY 9/10

You can read the spec sheet as many times as you’d like but you do not appreciate the size of this thing until it shows up on your doorstep. The crate dimensions measure 68″ x 44 1/4″ x 29″ and when it shows up packaged it weighs a whopping 560lbs. Shedding the packaging doesn’t lighten the load much for you either. The machine itself measures 51 3/8″ x 40 3/4″ x 21 1/8″ and clocks in at just over 500lbs. You can opt for an additional stand to set this bad boy on but we chose to go with these wooden workbenches from Amazon which are the same ones we use everywhere else in the shop. After a terrifying experience in which Jimmy almost crushed me with the machine we were able to get it up on the benches. Definitely did not do this the smart way and unfortunately I didn’t record video of the transfer but be smart when you’re planning on moving this thing because lifting it is serious business.

Included standard is a simple little toolbox with everything you need to get started including an air hose to connect an external air assist, exhaust ducting, an ethernet cable, acrylic beam alignment targets, safety glasses, lens wipes, your machine key, a hex wrench set, triangle key, a couple depth gauges and extra mirrors among other things. The package also included some extra auto focus spring pins as well as extra bb’s for mounting the third mirror in case you lose yours. 

Once uncrated and on the workbenches it took about 20 minutes to get set up including running the USB and power cables and attaching the extractor vent. Unfortunately upon closer inspection I did find that the inner coolant lines of the laser tube had shattered in transit. It was shipped in January and I suspect that while warm in Florida where these are built the water froze in transit to New York at the height of our winter season. I’m not sure if it’s standard to ship the unit with water in it or if they forgot to drain it but it’s definitely something to look out for. Thankfully Aeon’s customer service is on point. I got to talk to a real human being right away and five minutes later a new tube was being prepped to ship out. I had it at my door less than 48 hours later. After that was taken care of it was just a matter of turning it on and we were ready to bite into this thing and see what it could do. 

HARDWARE & SPECS 9/10

Let’s take a quick tour around the outside of the machine and get to know our way around. The front of the machine is pretty bare however we do have the main door, the front access panel and the WiFi module. On the right side we can see our emergency stop button, keyed on/off switch, blower power button, udisk port for loading jobs via flash drive and USB port for connecting to the computer. 

Around the back we’ll find our chiller tank and its control panel as well as our exhaust unit. The chiller is a 5000 series vapor compression water chiller which means it uses active refrigeration to actually cool the water flowing through the system. Right beside it is that 330W downdraft exhaust system which moves some serious air. One of the goals of the Mira Pro lasers is a small footprint and compact size. Having these units built directly into the machine means you don’t need any extra hardware laying around the floor or on the walls in order to operate this unit - a huge plus if you’re tight on space but need a big laser. The backside of the unit is also where we can find the port for the power cable. The Mira 9 draws 1200W and runs off 120V AC Single Phase power so no need for 220 or god forbid 3 phase power.

Thanks to its fully interlocked case and keyed ignition the Mira 9 definitely classifies as a Class 1 laser. The heavy duty lid is fire resistant tempered glass and is fitted with gas shocks and rubber seals so if safety is your number one priority this unit is definitely up to the task. Right next to the lid we’ll find Aeon’s custom control panel for the RDC6442S-B Ruida Controller used in this machine.

The first thing you’ll notice when you open the lid is the extra large laser bed. The platform features a motorized z-axis which is super easy to use right from the ruida control panel. The bed consists of a high quality aluminum blade table which is excellent for cutting as well as a standard honeycomb bed topper which is perfect for engraving applications. It has a 600mm x 900mm or 23.625 x 35.5in work area which is extremely comfortable to work in for most projects. Unfortunately to keep the machine compact and achieve it’s all-in-one design with the chiller and exhaust fan the laser lacks any pass through panels so whatever you want to mark will have to fit in through the front door only. Thankfully 600mm x 900mm is huge so it shouldn’t be an issue too often. The z-depth on the other hand is only about 150mm or 6in which is painfully shallow if you’re coming from something like an OMTech machine which can eek out just about twice that. You may not notice if this is your first laser but coming from something with a much deeper body I do find myself wishing I had more space for taller objects fairly often. Again, the name of the game with the Mira Pro lasers is compact. The z-depth sacrifice definitely has its advantages if you’re tight on space as the vertical footprint of this machine is quite small when compared to similar models from OMTech and Thunder Laser.

Moving on we can take a look at what really makes the Mira Pro lasers shine. It all comes down to their linear rail gantry system which features their Clean Pack design. Aeon’s Clean Pack technology attempts to use the drive belts to enclose the rails to prevent smoke and debris from collecting on the rail path which should reduce the frequency of maintenance required. I haven’t gone crazy hard on the cutting with my Mira 9 yet so we’ll see how this holds up but so far the rails look nice and squeaky clean to me. The linear rails are absolutely rock solid and offer higher load capacity, better precision and absolutely vital rigidity which is key when considering the ridiculous speeds this laser is capable of achieving.

Up to 1200mm/s engraving speeds and 680mm/s cutting speeds are available to you thanks to the High Speed Digital Step Motors and extremely lightweight laser head design. By using premium stepper motors and engineering the laser head to be absolutely as light as possible this thing can absolutely fly when you need it to. This wouldn’t be possible without the linear rails as the force exerted on them during use is immense and the acceleration distance required for the head to change directions is virtually nothing. All of these features culminate into a show that’s nothing short of impressive when you push this equipment to its limits. 

The Mira laser head also features a custom auto-focus module which is a fast and easy way to find focus for most jobs. Thankfully the autofocus pin is easy to remove and get out of the way when you’re engraving in tight spaces or inside curved objects. My only gripe with the design is how far up inside the head the lens resides which can make it difficult to mark inside walled objects where you’d normally get a little more play. That said it’s a fair trade off for those Mira speeds we’re able to accomplish.

Unfortunately, Aeon has opted to go with a GX16-6 pin connector for their rotary port. Four pins are used for their two phase stepper driver and two are shorted to switch the machine to rotary mode. While this is convenient for hot swapping to rotary without a lot of work from the end user I feel a physical switch could have done just as well while still maintaining compatibility with industry standard four pin connectors. Beware that the use of the six pin connector here locks you into either Aeon’s in house rotary hardware or the extremely expensive high end Rotoboss without substantial rewiring by the user.

LASER MODULE 10/10

Opening up the rear door reveals a beautiful Reci Glass CO2 Laser Tube. The Mira 9 is available in 75, 90 and 100w configurations. My unit sports the Reci W4 which is the 100w 117w (peak) variant. The laser setup also includes a very much appreciated inline beam combiner. That means absolutely no fiddling with an angled red dot and guessing where your mark is going to start. I upgraded my OMTech with a beam combiner after purchasing it and installing it was a massive pain in the butt. Having this one arrive preconfigured was so amazing and a beam combiner really is a must have feature for me. Once you start using one it’s really difficult to go back, just such a quality of life improvement. The Reci name is well known for quality and reliability over the long term and I’m extremely glad that Aeon chose to go with them as their standard laser tube for their glass tube units. I thoroughly enjoy the peace of mind from knowing there’s a quality tube driving my system.

PERFORMANCE 9/10

We tested the Mira 9 on a wide variety of materials and in a multitude of different situations to gauge its performance both in an experimental and professional capacity. It met my incredibly high expectations in every test and real world project we threw its way. The laser is blazing fast, extremely powerful and beautifully precise whether you’re trying to cut your way through half inch acrylic or achieve fine details in a photo engraving. The lightburn camera integration works flawlessly and the ruida controller makes it easy to use the system's powerful features whether you’re an experienced laser master or a total newbie. 

SOFTWARE & USABILITY 8/10

All of this powerful hardware can be controlled from a PC if using RDWorks or PC and Mac if you’re purchasing Lightburn. Lightburn is not included in your purchase so be sure to factor in the $120 price tag if desired. Of course I highly recommend Lightburn for the best experience with this machine. Also,if you plan on using Lightburn, the Lightburn camera is available as an added upgrade and it’s amazing having it installed at the factory. The installation is flawless and it’s difficult to tell how they even have it wired because everything is tucked away so neatly. The camera is mounted right underneath the handle and the sturdy build of the lid and case help make sure the camera ends up in the same exact position every time it’s used.

You can send jobs via USB, Ethernet or WiFi with the included WiFi module and the Mira 9 comes with 256mb of onboard memory so you’re able to send and execute jobs directly on the machine without tying up your laser software. Alternatively you do have the option to run programs straight from a USB Flash Drive if you prefer that method instead.

The most disappointing aspect of this machine's usability is definitely the decision to go with a proprietary 6 pin port for rotary connections. I understand the desire to make hot swapping to rotary mode easy for users but I still think a switch would have sufficed while still maintaining compatibility with industry standard two phase rotary solutions. While the lack of passthrough access and limited z-depth definitely pains me the tightly condensed footprint of this machine could prove absolutely vital for some operators and I can definitely appreciate the vision.

The exhaust system is powerful and does a great job at keeping the engraving compartment and components free of build up, I’ve hardly had to do any cleaning since uncrating the machine. Likewise, the 5000 series chiller has no problem keeping our water at a brisk 17 degrees celsius even during the most demanding cutting jobs. Top that off with stellar optics and sharp beam quality from the Reci tube and you’ve got a power house system that dominates every time you press the start button.

COST & VALUE 8/10

There’s no arguing that the Aeon Mira 9 is an absolutely gorgeous machine that’s had a ton of thought and care put into its design. The machine is certainly premium and definitely comes at a premium cost. The base price of the Mira 9 is $9995.00 and its smaller sibling the Mira 7 starts at $7495.00. My configuration with the 100w upgrade, rotary device and lightburn camera integration comes in at $12,189.00. You’ll be paying for shipping and taxes on top of that of course so this isn’t the complete picture. 

All Aeon lasers are backed by a 2 year factory warranty and their Lifeline Plus care plan, which includes remote startup training and unlimited US based phone support. As I mentioned earlier their phone support is absolutely supreme and the value of that absolutely should not be underestimated. If you’d like to review what their warranty covers and expiration dates on individual components I’ll leave a link to their warranty statement down in the description.

Link to Warranty Statement

The Mira 9’s higher cost to similarly sized machines is certainly at least partially justified by the amazing support and solid warranty you’re entitled to with your purchase. You’re also getting a massive amount of features standard that would normally be costly and time consuming upgrades for less expensive machines. Having them all done for you, in advance, perfectly definitely adds to the value offered by Aeon here. For users on a tight budget, there may be less costly machines that will save users a good chunk of change if they’re willing to put the time and effort into making these types of upgrades on their own, but ultimately you get what you pay for. The Mira 9 and Aeon’s offerings in general are absolutely top of the line as far as Ruida controlled CO2 lasers go. If these machines are within your budget  you’re in for a treat when yours arrives from the factory.