These lens "caps" I see on these new lasers...

[Kev Williams]

--seems they're pretty close to the material being lasered...

.... this won't work for me!

I get so many weird shaped parts in to be etched that I NEED the 2" space between the lens and the work. A pic of the lens on my LS900 is below, very simple, a turn of the thumbscrew and it falls out. Many times I have to remove the auto-focus spring and lower plunger, which is usually enough, but I've taken the switch shaft out too more than once so nothing hits what I'm trying to engrave!

Are those caps there just to help protect the lens? Can they be removed?

272994

[Dan Hintz]

What "cap" are you referring to?

And for Pete's sake, you need to give that machine a serious cleaning... all of that grit will wear down your gears/belts, gunk up your electronics, etc.

[Gary Hair]

you need to give that machine a serious cleaning...

I thought he took the picture outside in the snow...

[Scott Shepherd]

Hehehe :) I thought it was one of those new laser/paint booth machines :)

[Kev Williams]

What you see in the pic of my laser is the result of my airbrush full of Cermark going haywire, and a couple of days worth of dust I haven't cleaned up yet.... And for the record- The combined ages of the machines in my signature add up to 205 years, and no one but me has ever fixed or maintained 'em. I must be doing something right, even if it doesn't look like it... :)

And the "caps" I'm referring to are these things--

http://www.engraver1.com/erase1/lasercap.jpg

[Dan Hintz]

Ah, the cones. They're meant to be used when you have coaxial air assist (which it doesn't appear you have)... it keeps the lens clean and provides the needed air right at the cut (and in the proper orientation). If you don't have air going into that tube, you should not be running with the cone on.

BTW, you should engrave first, and then vector cut those out. And you could get more to a sheet if you flipped eery other column upside down and shifted the noses between the prior column of noses.

[Kev Williams]

Hey, don't look at me for lasering backwards or wasting wood, I just found that picture online! :D (I'm a nesting fool, I HATE wasting material!)

no coaxial air on mine, just "air". Which I don't use much. Sometimes cutting plex is all--

[Mike Null]

How about switching to a 2.5" or 3", even 4" lens?

And why would you spray Cermark into your machine instead of something that capture the overspray?

[Dave Sheldrake]

Jesus may love the laser owner but not as much as the duct tape salesman ;)

cheers

Dave