Here, we show that a plate heated by a moving beam can be cooled effectively by fluid that flows through a vasculature of channels embedded in the plate. The vascular designs studied are radial, grid and hybrid (radial grid). The peak temperature of the plate changes with the path and direction of the moving beam. The strength, size and speed of the beam vary. The peak temperature increases as the beam strength and size increase and as the speed of the beam decreases. The grid and hybrid designs are robust because of loops present in the flow structure. The pressure difference that drives the fluid flow varied. The channel diameter ratios that provide greatest flow access are reported. The cooling performance of the multiscale grid structures is less sensitive to the changes in beam path than the cooling performance of the other structures studied. The effect of adding a vascular structure to the design is dramatic. © 2012 American Institute of Physics.