A fiber laser machine is a fantastic tool for metalwork jobs. It offers a fast, reliable and efficient way to perform these tasks. As with most industrial tools, several upkeep steps are required to keep the machine running properly. The following tasks should be performed daily.
Clean the Optics
Laser cutters must properly focus their light on the material in order to perform a cut. Fiber laser-cutting systems use a fiber optic system to accomplish this task, while other CO2 lasers use mirrors. A laser cutter cannot perform its tasks at peak efficiency when the optical path is dirty. Cleaning this on a daily basis will maintain the high productivity of the unit.
Clean the Machine
Although it may be an easily overlooked step, cleaning out the fiber laser cutter at the end of each day is a simple way to keep your machine operating at peak performance. This includes manually cleaning scraps out of the slag drawers and bins. If no one cleans these tools at least once a day, then they can eventually jam shut and inhibit cut accuracy as well as speed.
Clean the Area
As with the machine, the area it occupies should also be a target for cleaning. Maintenance personnel and authorized operators will need to access critical areas of these machines on a regular basis. Like emergency exits, there should be unobstructed paths to reach these tools. Do not block the laser-cutting machines behind parked pallets, scrap/waste or raw materials. Clearing these items out of the way after use or at the end of each day makes accessing the machine an easier task when necessary.
Check Daily, Cut Regularly
Performing these daily tasks might seem like a nuisance. More attention is often paid to less regular tasks like weekly or monthly gas level checks, gas changes and chillers usage to cool down cutters. However, the smaller, daily tasks are also crucial to keeping this equipment running as designed. A few minutes dedicated to the task each day can spell the difference between operational fiber laser machines and ones experiencing lengthy downtime.
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