Laser cutter out of use

#1

Hi @lasertechs
Sorry, I broke the laser cutter this morning. The lens holder had been done up so tight I physically wasnt able to undo it to check the lens. I only had a quick cut to do so thought it would be alright. But unfortunately the lens must have been dirty and has over heated and melted the lens holder. I’m not sure if the lens itself is reusable as it has a bit of melted plastic on it.

I have put a note on the machine saying lasercutter our of action. And placed the lens and melted lens holder on the ledge above.

Sorry again,
Jeremy

#2

Until folks wake up and read this could you be sure to put a sign on the machine to tell people.

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#3
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#6

Yes, I put a sign on the machine.

#7

Let’s hope the lens is okay, that’s the last one we have in stock

So…would be good to know how it came to be overtightened and so dirty that it overheated

#8

The lens had a bit of plastic from the melted holder stuck around the edges. So not sure if it will be reusable, possibly if the plastic can be removed… but I guess one of the laser techs will have to have a look and make a call.

Sorry again :frowning:

#9

One thing I can see going wrong in general is that the holder has to be turned in counter-clockwise to tighten it. If it’s all the way loose, one might think it’s too tight because it can’t be turned clockwise any more, then melting the lens because it’s out of alignment.

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#10

I know they may cost a lot more, but can we not just get legitimate Trotec lenses and holders? The amount of time, effort and expense wasted on constantly sorting out melted lens holders and damaged lenses is absurd…especially if there are funds available for buying the proper gear.
You buy cheap, you buy twice.

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#11

The reason we don’t use Trotec lenses anymore is the fortune we spent on damaged ones in the past

But, yes, lasertechs are looking at metal holders

#13

Also with pointing out that the lenses we get are also from the exact same oem as the Trotec ones.

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#14

Its the fact people keep reporting the holders as melting. I may be wrong, but surely the official trotec ones can’t be as susceptible to melting? If the plastic we’re using in the 3d printed ones isn’t as good as the trotec material, can we either get a more stable material or finally get the metal ones sorted? It’s been spoken about as long as I’ve been a member. Just seems silly to keep bodging it, creating more downtime and more work for the laser techs to get it up and running.

#15

FYI, the first 3D printed holder did 8 months use before the lens it held failed when someone engraved without tightening the locking ring. The plastic in my opion is failing because of the settings people are using or the ‘prolonged jobs’ people are running lately. Even the longer running jobs when using correct settings and materials have not caused an issue @Gawain ran a multi engraving project for 3+ hours without any issues. In my opinion materials and settings need to be looked at further.

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#16

Agree that the issue is people not the holders themselves.

Will and I redesigned a new holder last night that should be easier to take in and out, stronger, as well as being more obvious when it’s loose. Just need a lens for it, a couple of holders were printed.

#17

There are not many parameters that could be changed from the existing lens holder so interested to see what you are thinking of as a replacement. Is it also 3D printed?
Please note that only lasertechs should try rectify problems with and test solutions for the laser.

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#19

Yeah 3d printed - we have reinforced the edges (I reckon another issue is when people overtighten the lens the c sections on the edges are deformed as they are thin and soft when made in plastic) and also added handles for easy removal. Weight wise it is still less than the original metal holder.

Model here -

Aye we wouldn’t have run anything without one of you guys there - Petra was keeping an eye on us. Tests seemed promising.

Also we have another concept but would need to be in discussion:private

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#20

Fair enough. Was hoping throwing money at the problem would make it go away. Appears it won’t as you can’t buy common sense!
Fingers crossed these outages go some way to persuading users to follow the guidelines and use the laser in the way we’re inducted to :crossed_fingers:t2:

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#21

So sorry to hear its down again. Yeah that engrave ended up being 7/8 hours straight. With correct and regular attention to clean lens/mirror etc. the machine was perfect (I was a quivering wreck by the end on the other hand!)
I’ve found it very reliable and robust.
I’ll watch this thread with interest.
Thanks all,
Gawain

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