No, it’s chromed plastic not aluminum. it is quite strong, but if/when you do this just be cautious not to put too much force on the tabs.
I strongly recommend you don’t do this as long as you have considerable warranty left.
Aha, thanks for the clarification. Very significant.
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Looking at the photo either that is a basic or you have removed the cooling stuff?
So to remove do you slide the tool between the top & side and tilt the back of the tool up (pushing the side out & presumably the cleat out from the tab)?
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You insert the tool between the tab and the case, and you are simultaneously deflecting the tab inwards as the heel of the tool (with downward pressure) pushes out on the case.
@rbtdanforth, yes, mine is a basic.
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I despise all manner of tabs like that. As well as car body trim panel inserts. 
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Me too. 
Those door panel plug-in fasteners are a profit builder for the dealers. The 5 cent plastic pins cost $12.
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Try Ace Hardware
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Or Advance Auto or Amazon.
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Thank you for your write-up and photos!
Unfortunately … This will no doubt be a must do for everyone in the future. It’s a real shame.
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It’s really no big deal, it was just unknown. Removing the cover is slightly more effort than removing a switch plate cover.
I saw the grill as a hindrance to the machine’s efficiency, required due to a product’s liability in the hands of incompetence.
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I am going to assume that Dan and Co. are aware of this sort of thing, perhaps there are other considerations that are at play here. Given that there is a DANGEROUS laser in the case, perhaps it was a deliberate design choice to make sure there were as few holes and gaps in the case as possible? The lid is guarded by a kill switch, but what happens if you leave the fan access port open? Do they need to build a kill switch into that too? How much does that add to cost, and incidental fail rate? Tech support costs? (“Sir, did you FIRMLY tighten down the fan access screws after you cleaned it”?)
I doubt that this was an accidental oversight, since anyone who builds computers knows fans and power supplies are the two most common points of failure.
Perhaps, but I believe it has to do with the liability of an unguarded fan. The grill reduces the machine’s ventilation. Period.
Even if you would squat down and peer into the fan opening while operating, it is below the level of the side rail. It’s a physical impossibility for the beam to be reflected out of it (what is your exhaust port pointing at anyway?), then there is the vent tube covering the opening. In the case of the exhaust grill missing, IMO, It is redundant and a restriction in the machine’s ability to breathe, requiring the fan to blow against an obstruction and enducing turbulence, The beam is convergent to the focal point and diverges after that. By the time it reaches a foot away the heat it deposits is minimal, besides, the grill causes the eventual need of maintenance in having to clear it. I’m quite sure your safety is not compromised by removing the grill… unless you stick your fingers into the running fan.
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Great write up. Did you by chance take a look at the laser tube for possibilities of replacing it when it is time?
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With both of the sides off access is easy, and the retaining hardware is simple enough. The alignment and calibration are the questions I have.
Yo, where is that inrepid tear-down of the machine linked? I can’t find @scott.wiederhold’s topic on that.
This is all at your own risk, not an endorsement, don’t remove mattress tags, etc.
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Has anybody else been able to remove the left top panel? I tried, I had dental tools to get under the tabs, but I had no luck getting the lid off. They would barely bend for me.
I believe @PrintToLaser did that. He can pipe up. Not sure dental picks are effective for this though. Once you peel the foil that hides the tab I think a large flat bladed screwdriver would be better. But that’s supposition and @PrintToLaser will be definitive 
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Those thick plastic tabs aren’t easy to deflect. The tool I used (pictured above) was 3/4" wide. A dental tool is really light weight to do the job.
There are also 3 screws on the lid side, one in the front and two in the back that are under that black rubber lid edge seal.
I also had to put a bend on the blade of the tool to get under the tabs well enough.
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