Do not choose an inferior protective lens for laser cutting head

The cutting head of the laser cutting machine is used in a very harsh environment. To protect the internal optical path and core components from damage, the cutting head needs to be equipped with a protective lens.

The cleanliness of the protective lens directly affects the processing performance and quality of the laser cutting machine. If the lens is dirty, it will not only affect the cutting effect and efficiency but also cause the internal parts of the cutting head and the laser output head to burn out. Therefore, it is necessary to use a protective lens with good material, high light transmittance and low thermal expansion coefficient. When the lens is dirty during processing, the lens needs to be cleaned or replaced.

There are special technological requirements for the processing of protective lenses. To reduce costs, the use of ordinary materials for inferior protective lenses leads to poor light transmittance, heat resistance, easy breakage, and the inability to withstand the penetrating power of the laser. The powder particles will contaminate the entire cutting head, which will damage the core high-value components including the focusing lens and sensors. Besides, the maintenance cost of the cutting head is very high, which will eventually delay the production and processing and cause greater economic losses.

Therefore, it is recommended that customers buy laser accessories from the official channels of the manufacturer to avoid losses!

The following are the adverse effects that inferior protective lens can easily cause:

【1】The thermal lens effect causes the focus drift of the cutting head

Poor quality of the protective lens will increase the absorption rate of the laser. After a long time of continuous exposure, the temperature will increase and produce thermal deformation, which will cause the thermal lens effect to cause the focus of the cutting head to drift. The higher the power, the processing of high-reflective materials, and the thermal expansion of optical components The faster, the more obvious the thermal lens.

(1) When cutting stainless steel, the thermal lens effect focus drift will cause inconsistent cutting section effects, more and more dross.

(2) When cutting carbon steel, the thermal lens effect will cause more and more slag at the bottom.

【2】Protective lens burn point/burn through

In the processing of poor quality protective lenses, the ability to block dust and spatter is poor, and burning spots are prone to occur; for ultra-high power processing heads of 10,000 watts, the protective lenses must be carefully selected, and the protective lenses of poor quality are under the action of 10,000 watt lasers,Severe cases will directly cause the lens to burn through.

【3】Focus lens burn point

If the protective lens burned through is not detected in time, continue the light processing, and the cutting will produce particles soot that will rise to pollute the mounting components, the sealing ring and the lower surface of the focusing lens, which will also cause burning spots on the surface of the focusing lens. Deep cleaning and replacement of the entire set of mounting components and focusing are required Mirror module.

【4】The laser output head is burned out

For a 10,000 watt laser device, once the protective mirror burns through, it is easy to immediately burn the internal collimating and focusing lens module of the cutting head under the action of 10,000 watt super power. In the most serious case, when the internal optical components of the cutting head are damaged, the optical path will be abnormal, and the return light will cause abnormal heating of the window of the laser fiber output head, and eventually the QBH or LOE crystal will be burned out. The entire laser output head needs to be replaced.

The use of low-quality protective mirrors not only affects the service life of the cutting head and causes various accidents, but also affects the processing schedule and processing quality of the factory, thereby increasing processing costs and reducing factory benefits. Here, we would like to warn the majority of users: the purchase of protective mirrors must be purchased through formal channels and formal manufacturers, and do not lose more than the gains!

Professional Laser Cutting Machine Manufacturer - OreeLaser