Investing in a laser cutting machine can be a great investment for your company, however for it to perform at its best, it must be well maintained and cleaned. A laser cutting machine is made up of many different parts, all of which must be cleaned and maintained to keep it in great working order.

To produce good quality work and produce cuts that cut cleanly and accurately through the material you use, the machine has to be kept in perfect working order. If there is a build up of dust on mirrors of the machine then they will not reflect properly and cut incorrectly or bounce back, producing a poor quality cut. This can lead to burned out tubes whereupon your tube replacements become more expensive than expected, plus replacement parts such as mirrors too. All these factors add up more quickly than people may think.

By spending allocated time to clean and maintain your desktop laser cutter machine will help to save you money in the long term, saving you from buying new parts due to dust and poor production of products, making the machine not work with good airflow and become overheated.

If you do not clean the machine regularly, it will start accumulating dust on the exterior of the machine more quickly than you would imagine. This happens because the material being cut emits fine dust particles which get dragged into your system along with airborne particles.

Having a good air filter system within workplace will reduce the amount of dust and reduce the amount landing on the machines, but it can only do so much. The buildup of dust around the exterior of the machine will inevitably cause problems, if you do not clean these parts after each cut.

If the machine is too dirty, airflow may be obstructed and this restrains the fan’s ability to cool your system properly which could lead to overheating in extreme cases with prolonged use- which can result in having to turn the machine off for long periods of time (meaning production supply will be stopped during that time too).

When it comes to cleaning the laser cutting machine, it is vital that you turn off laser cutter power supply, unplug or turn off any equipment feeding electricity into your laser cutter and remove the water fume extractor’s air hose from the laser cutter before attempting any cleaning. Ensure that you wear an appropriate face mask and goggles to protect yourself from dust and debris. Clean each section of the machine, paying particular attention to the mirrors and tubings. Whilst completing the cleaning of the machine, this is a great opportunity to inspect all parts of the machine and check each part for damage or faults and replace as needed.

By spending allocated time to clean your laser cutting machine, you will save yourself time and money in the long term, and reduce machine downtime due to overheating of faulty parts. The most important part of regular cleaning to your machine is that it will help overall product production.