Help! My Sculpfun S30 pro max 20 W laser is defunct after 2 months of use… What went wrong?
About 3 weeks ago, when the power decreased slightly, I tried to clean the lens: there was a significant stain on it (burned in?). I replaced the lens, but after about 3 weeks the laser lost power again… while cutting you saw the burn-in diminishing.
Meanwhile, although the laser does emit blue light, it apparently no longer does anything at all: it does not cut, nor does it leave any trace during etching.
What went wrong? I work in a “fume hood”: a closed space with an extractor hood above it. The laser is located in a garden house where it is quite humid and where there is a wood stove. We cut a lot of plywood (90% at 300 speed), etched slate (40%, 600).
The air pump still works…
Who can give us the (probable) reason? Ordering a new laser head only makes sense if we know what to do differently…
Do you have the air assist pump located inside the enclosure? That’s a no-go. The pump will suck in dirty air and blow it to the lens. Make sure the pump is in a clean environment and maybe even add some filter in front.
Next, make sure to clean the lens regularly, depending on usage, this might be daily!
High humidity and temperature changes can also cause the lenses to degrade, if there is a major temperature difference between the lens and the environment. Use the laser between 15 and 25 °C. Not below, not over (higher temperatures will cause the diode to degrade if it exceeds 30°C).
Hay, thanks for your reaction. The pump is outside the enclosure. So this is oke.
I read in your response that you think the lenses are the reason. Could it be that due to bad lenses the power of the laser is as good as zero (!)?
I personally had the more idea that the laser head itself might be broken (although that of course does not explain the blue light).
It’s usually not possible to replace the inner lens without damaging the optics / function. But you can contact Sculpfun if they provide a replacement piece (but they are on Chinese holidays right now).
You can also do the wall test (point the laser at a wall a few meters away and take a picture, don’t forget to wear goggles). Check how the beam looks like. You can find examples of working lasers here: Guide to mechanical adjustments and maintenance
