nozzle. The work is also more comfortable with better compressor units (so that the
compressor will not turn on too often in order to refill the tank). We recommend a
compressor with a real airflow of 10-12 l/min and a tank capacity of at least 50 liters.
However, nothing prevents you from trying a smaller compressor. In fact, many of our
customers use small 5-liter tank capacity compressors that are available on Amazon for
approximately $60.
More importantly, your compressor should have a filter and an oil separator to avoid
blowing dirty air and/or oil droplets on the laser head’s lens, which can result in lens
damage.
Suitable Airflow
In our experience, the real airflow value of 10-15 l/min is the upper limit and completely
sufficient for most materials. We don't recommend going above 15-20 l/min. Above 20
l/min, the laser cutting speed of all materials decreases. We recommend a real airflow
value of 10 l/min as a starting point. Then you could experiment with using a slightly
higher airflow rate as the optimum airflow value differs from material to material.
In general, for laser cutting, you will typically find the optimum real airflow value to
be between 10-15 l/min.
For laser engraving, we recommend airflow values of 1-3 l/min.
As such, it is very useful to equip your compressor with a flowmeter.
Laser Head Lens Maintenance
The front lens of your laser head should ideally be cleaned every 100 working hours.
For the cleaning routine, you should use lab-grade 99.9% pure anhydrous isopropyl
alcohol (anhydrous IPA). Below are five examples:
- IPA Plus (EU)
- MG Chemicals (824) IPA (USA), also available on Amazon
- Dustronics IPA (Canada)
- Hexeal IPA (UK)
- MG Chemicals (824) IPA (Australia)
The example cleaning routine is shown in this video: https://youtu.be/MLzFjfEJGa4
To Next Page
Loading...