Amy Shelton
07-22-2014, 10:14 AM
Edit: Clarification... the subject should be getting hot and sooty. There isn't any smoke present.
I purchased a new 2.0 lens from ULS. It was engraving perfectly! I was engraving some stainless using Thermark tape. Then as time went on, it wasn't doing as well on the edges (where they fade out of focus). I decided to check the lens, and found the carriage area to be hot. The lens was blackened with soot that was easy to clean off.
I'm not using a nose cone, and not using air assist (but I am using the exhaust fan).
I did a beam alignment with both the red dot and the laser, and it's burning in the same spot in all four corners.
I cleaned the beam window optics, and there's a minor scratch there. The mirrors are fine.
This lens has a purple cast to it, when I hold it with a light shining on it. My original lens (2008) has a green cast. I don't know if that makes a difference.
It looks the same otherwise. I have been using the same original lens since July 2008. The only reason I needed a new one was--- I did a dumb thing -- I was engraving (not cutting) wood and it was getting smoky. So I turned on the air without the cone, thinking it would help clear the smoke. Later, I read here that it can cause problems, and it sure did. I got some debris on my lens that won't come off.
If you have any suggestions to try, I'd appreciate it! I tried to find a similar problem here and couldn't find one.
Is the minor scratch on the beam window enough to smoke up the lens?
Thanks in advance,
Amy
I purchased a new 2.0 lens from ULS. It was engraving perfectly! I was engraving some stainless using Thermark tape. Then as time went on, it wasn't doing as well on the edges (where they fade out of focus). I decided to check the lens, and found the carriage area to be hot. The lens was blackened with soot that was easy to clean off.
I'm not using a nose cone, and not using air assist (but I am using the exhaust fan).
I did a beam alignment with both the red dot and the laser, and it's burning in the same spot in all four corners.
I cleaned the beam window optics, and there's a minor scratch there. The mirrors are fine.
This lens has a purple cast to it, when I hold it with a light shining on it. My original lens (2008) has a green cast. I don't know if that makes a difference.
It looks the same otherwise. I have been using the same original lens since July 2008. The only reason I needed a new one was--- I did a dumb thing -- I was engraving (not cutting) wood and it was getting smoky. So I turned on the air without the cone, thinking it would help clear the smoke. Later, I read here that it can cause problems, and it sure did. I got some debris on my lens that won't come off.
If you have any suggestions to try, I'd appreciate it! I tried to find a similar problem here and couldn't find one.
Is the minor scratch on the beam window enough to smoke up the lens?
Thanks in advance,
Amy