How Long Does A Laser Engraver Last?
A laser engraver kit is assembled with many parts, and each part plays an indispensable role. At present, the common laser engraving machines are composed of five parts: control system, transmission system, optical system, auxiliary system, and mechanical platform.
The mechanical system is composed of mechanical accessories such as guide rail, cover, mirror frame and so on.
The auxiliary system is composed of air compressors, water pumps, and exhaust fans.
The transmission system consists of linear guides, stepping motors, belts, and gears.
The optical system consists of power supply, laser tube, mirrors, and lens.
As the parts of consumables, they all have a certain service life. Today we mainly talk about the lifespan of the laser tube and lens, and how to extend the service life of the whole laser engraving machine?
Laser Tube Lifespan
The laser tube is a consumable of the laser engraving machine, so the lifespan has become the most important purchase indicator for users. How long can the laser tube work continuously? Many users work with the machine for 8 to 10 hours a day. In fact, the damage to the laser tube and other key components is very large. The laser tube that should have been used for more than one year was scrapped after half a year. So how long should the laser tube work continuously before taking a break?
The general life of the laser tube is 5,000-10,000 hours. In the state where the current ratio is relatively small, it is no big problem for the laser tube to continuously emit light for 4 hours, and it will not cause too much damage to the laser tube itself. However, when the laser tube works continuously for more than 4 hours, the temperature inside the laser tube will gradually increase. When the speed of temperature rise exceeds the speed of heat dissipation of the laser tube, the load of the laser tube will increase, and the laser tube will work continuously under high temperature conditions, its lifespan declines rapidly.
Although the water cooling of the laser tube can take away the internal temperature and dissipate heat to the laser tube in time, the heat dissipation effect is often not enough for a long time of continuous use. This is the case for many electrical appliances. After a long time, it will make it too late to dissipate heat and continue to heat up. There is something wrong with the laser tube, and can't stand the heat. Therefore, it is recommended to turn off the power for a while after four hours of continuous work, about half an hour.
In addition, when the laser tube works continuously for more than 4 hours, the burden of the laser power supply will also increase, and the control board will also be damaged to a certain extent. It is recommended to operate the laser engraver. Do not work with high current and high percentage of power, which will shorten the service life of the laser tube and other key parts of the laser engraving machine. High current or high percentage of operating time is not recommended or shortened.
Although the laser tube of the laser engraving machine is a consumable, we always hope to replace it less in order to prolong the service life of the laser tube and reduce the cost of use.
Laser Lens Lifespan
There is no specific time for the life of the lens, it may be one or two years, it may be 1 minute, pay attention to protection, so as not to be damaged, often wipe the lens, do not get dirty, handle it with care.
During the replacement process of the lens of the laser engraving machine, the placement, detection, installation and other processes of the lens, it is necessary to pay attention to the lens from being damaged and polluted. After a new lens is installed, it needs to be cleaned regularly. The process is fairly simple. Correct operation will effectively extend the service life of the lens and reduce the cost. On the contrary, it will reduce the service life.
When the laser machine is working, it is inevitable that the optical components in the laser tube will come into contact with the suspension. When the laser engraves, cuts, welds, and heat treats materials, a large amount of gas and spatter will be released from the working surface, which will cause damage to the lens. When contamination falls on the lens surface, it absorbs energy from the laser beam, resulting in a thermal lensing effect. If the lens has not developed thermal stress, the operator can remove it and clean it. Of course, some method should be used to avoid damage to the lens and further contamination.
How to Extend the Service Life of Laser Engraver?
Good Grounding
The laser power supply and the machine bed must have good grounding protection, and the ground wire should be a special ground wire less than 4Ω. The necessity is: to ensure the normal operation of the laser power supply, to prolong the service life of the laser tube, to prevent the machine tool from bouncing due to external interference, and to prevent accidental circuit damage caused by high-voltage discharge. Good grounding, by all means.
Smooth Cooling Water
Whether using tap water or a circulating pump, the water must be kept flowing. The cooling water takes away the heat generated by the laser tube. The higher the water temperature, the lower the optical output power (the water temperature of 15-20°C is the best). When the water is cut off, the tube end will burst due to the heat accumulation in the laser cavity, or even damage the laser power supply. Therefore, it is necessary to check whether the cooling water is smooth at any time. When the water pipe has a hard bend (dead bend) or falls off, and the water pump fails, it must be repaired in time to avoid power drop or even damage to the equipment.
Cleaning & Maintenance
The cleaning and maintenance is a necessary condition for the normal operation. Just imagine that the joints of people are not flexible, how can they still move? In the same way, the guide rail is a high-precision core component. After each work is completed, it must be cleaned and kept clean and lubricated. The bearings should also be regularly filled with oil, so as to make the drive flexible, process accurate, and prolong the service life of the laser engraver.
Ambient Temperature & Humidity
The ambient temperature should be in the range of 5-35°C. Special attention is that if it is used in an environment below freezing point, the circulating water in the laser tube must be prevented from freezing, and the water must be completely released after shutdown. When starting up, the laser current must be preheated for more than 5 minutes before it can work. And in a humid environment, the laser power supply needs a longer preheating time, and the high voltage can be applied only after the moisture is exhausted to prevent the high voltage circuit from breaking down.
Keep Away from Equipment with High Power and Strong Vibration
Sudden high-power interference can sometimes cause the machine to malfunction. Although it is rare, it should be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, such as large electric welding machines, giant electric mixers and large power transmission and transformation equipment should be kept away. It goes without saying that strong vibration equipment, such as forging presses, vibrations caused by the walking of motor vehicles at close range, the obvious shaking of the ground is very unfavorable for precise engraving.
Lightning Protection
As long as the building lightning protection measures are reliable. The item "Good Grounding" can also help with lightning protection.
Tips:
In areas with unstable grid power (such as voltage fluctuations of more than 5%), please install a regulated power supply with a capacity of at least 3000W or more to prevent sudden voltage fluctuations from burning out the circuit or computer.
The Stability of Control PC
Except for installing necessary graphic design software, please do not use the computer for special purpose.
Since the computer is equipped with a network card and an anti-virus firewall, it will seriously affect the speed of the laser machine. Please do not install anti-virus firewall on the controller. If you need the network card for data communication, please disable the network card before starting the laser engraving machine.
Rails Maintenance
During the movement of the guide rail, a large amount of dust will be generated due to the processed material.
Maintenance method: First, use cotton cloth to wipe off the original lubricating oil and dust on the guide rail, wipe it clean, and then apply a layer of lubricating oil on the surface and side of the guide rail.
Maintenance cycle: 7 days.
Fan Maintenance
After the fan has been working for a period of time, a large amount of dust will accumulate in the fan and the exhaust duct, which will affect the exhaust efficiency of the fan, resulting in a large amount of smoke and dust that cannot be discharged.
Maintenance method: Loosen the hose clamp connecting the exhaust pipe and the fan, remove the exhaust pipe, and clean the dust in the exhaust pipe and the fan.
Maintenance cycle: 30 days.
Screws Fastening
After the motion system works for a certain period of time, the screws at the motion connection will become loose, and the loosening of the screws will affect the stability of the mechanical movement.
Maintenance method: Use the supplied tools to tighten the screws one by one.
Maintenance cycle: 30 days.
Lens Maintenance
After the machine works for a period of time, the lens will be covered with a layer of ash due to the working environment, which will reduce the reflectivity of the reflective lens and the transmittance of the lens, and ultimately affect the working power of the laser.
Maintenance method: Use absorbent cotton dipped in ethanol to gently wipe the surface of the lens in a clockwise direction to remove dust.
Summary
In short, as long as the laser engraver is used in the correct way and regularly maintained, it will serve your business better and the service life will be extended accordingly.
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