Engraving Excellence: Unveiling the Secrets to Prolonging Your Laser Engraving Machine’s Lifespan

Engraving Excellence:

Unveiling the Secrets to Prolonging Your Laser Engraving Machine's Lifespan

12 precautions for laser engraving machine

A laser engraving machine is a type of laser marking machine. To ensure its stable operation, it is necessary to understand the methods and perform careful maintenance.

1. Good grounding:

The laser power supply and machine bed must have good grounding protection, using a dedicated ground wire with a resistance of less than 4Ω. The necessity of grounding is as follows:

(1) Ensure the normal operation of the laser power supply.

(2) Extend the service life of the laser tube.

(3) Prevent external interference from causing machine tool jitter.

(4) Prevent circuit damage caused by accidental discharge.

2.Smooth cooling water flow:

Whether using tap water or a circulating water pump, the cooling water must maintain smooth flow. The cooling water takes away the heat generated by the laser tube. The higher the water temperature, the lower the light output power (15-20℃ is optimal).

"Water temperature meter of laser engraving machine"

3.Clean and maintain the machine:

Regularly wipe and maintain the cleanliness of the machine tool and ensure good ventilation. Just imagine if a person's joints are not flexible, how can they move? The same principle applies to machine tool guide rails, which are high-precision core components. After each operation, they should be wiped clean and kept smooth and lubricated. The bearings should also be regularly lubricated to ensure flexible drive, accurate processing, and extend the service life of the machine tool.

4.Environment temperature and humidity:

The ambient temperature should be within the range of 5-35℃. Particularly, if using the machine in an environment below freezing point, the following should be done:

(1) Prevent the circulating water inside the laser tube from freezing, and completely drain the water after shutdown.

(2) When starting up, the laser current should be preheated for at least 5 minutes before operation.

5.Proper use of the "High Voltage Laser" switch:

When the "High Voltage Laser" switch is turned on, the laser power supply is in standby mode. If the "Manual Output" or computer is mistakenly operated, the laser will be emitted, causing unintentional harm to people or objects. Therefore, after completing a job, if there is no continuous processing, the "High Voltage Laser" switch should be turned off (the laser current can remain on). The operator should not leave the machine unattended during operation to avoid accidents. It is recommended to limit continuous working time to less than 5 hours, with a 30-minute break in between.

6.Stay away from high-power and strong-vibration equipment:

Sudden interference from high-power equipment can sometimes cause machine malfunctions. Although this is rare, it should be avoided as much as possible. Therefore, it is advised to keep a distance from high-current welding machines, giant power mixers, large-scale transformers, etc. Strong vibration equipment, such as forging presses or vibrations caused by nearby moving vehicles, can also negatively impact precise engraving due to noticeable ground shaking.

7.Lightning protection:

As long as the building's lightning protection measures are reliable, it is sufficient.

8.Maintain the stability of the control PC:

The control PC is mainly used for operating the engraving equipment. Avoid installing unnecessary software and keep it dedicated to the machine. Adding network cards and antivirus firewalls to the computer will significantly affect the control speed. Therefore, do not install antivirus firewalls on the control PC. If a network card is needed for data communication, disable it before starting the engraving machine.

9.Maintenance of guide rails:

During the movement process, the guide rails tend to accumulate a large amount of dust due to the processed materials. The maintenance method is as follows: First, use a cotton cloth to wipe off the original lubricating oil and dust on the guide rails. After cleaning, apply a layer of lubricating oil to the surface and sides of the guide rails. The maintenance cycle is approximately one week.

10.Maintenance of the fan:

The maintenance method is as follows: Loosen the connecting clamp between the exhaust duct and the fan, remove the exhaust duct, and clean the dust inside the duct and the fan. The maintenance cycle is approximately one month.

11.Tightening of screws:

After a certain period of operation, the screws at the motion connections may become loose, which can affect the smoothness of mechanical movement. Maintenance method: Use the provided tools to tighten each screw individually. Maintenance cycle: Approximately one month.

12.Maintenance of lenses:

Maintenance method: Use lint-free cotton dipped in ethanol to gently wipe the surface of the lenses in a clockwise direction to remove dust. In summary, it is important to regularly follow these precautions for laser engraving machines to greatly improve their lifespan and work efficiency.

What is Laser Engraving?

Laser engraving refers to the process of using the energy of a laser beam to cause chemical or physical changes in the surface material, creating traces or removing material to achieve the desired engraved patterns or text. Laser engraving can be classified into dot matrix engraving and vector cutting.

1. Dot matrix engraving

Similar to high-resolution dot matrix printing, the laser head swings from side to side, engraving one line at a time composed of a series of dots. The laser head then moves up and down simultaneously to engrave multiple lines, ultimately creating a complete image or text.

2. Vector engraving

This mode is performed along the outline of the graphics or text. It is commonly used for penetrating cutting on materials such as wood, paper, and acrylic. It can also be used for marking operations on various material surfaces.

>> Learn more about laser engraving

Performance of Laser Engraving Machines :

The performance of a laser engraving machine is mainly determined by its engraving speed, engraving intensity, and spot size. The engraving speed refers to the speed at which the laser head moves and is typically expressed in IPS (mm/s). Higher speed results in higher production efficiency. Speed can also be used to control the depth of cutting or engraving. For a specific laser intensity, slower speed will result in greater cutting or engraving depth. The engraving speed can be adjusted through the control panel of the laser engraver or using laser printing software on a computer, with adjustment increments of 1% within the range of 1% to 100%.