Hi, I posted concerning my laser machine over a month back and unfortunately am still having issues.
The machine doesn’t cut right to the corner but this is happening only at the start of a cut job and then it resumes cutting as normal.
However after a short period of time, when I open up the lens to clean, I am noticing marks on both the outer lens and the inner cooper nozzle lens. I have tried cleaning with alcohol, but the damage is more than just dirt.
Sculpfun kindly sent me out a new laser head, because I was also noticing small sparks during a cut job, however after a couple hours of cutting with the new laser head, the same problem is occurring.
Am I doing something wrong, is it the fact I am cutting mdf, or is it a machine fault because I just don`t know what to do anymore.
Any ideas of what the issue could be would be most helpful.
Thanks.
To me it sounds more like you are unlucky to get laser heads that are not internally aligned.
A 20Watt diode laser has 4 diodes, connected with a mirror system that bundles power and collects it in a beam. Just one mirror (or diode) out of step and the beam hits the inside of the laser head/lenses.
Thannks for the response.
That’s just great. 
Is there nothing that can be done about this? I can’t keep asking Sculpfun for new laser heads.
I mean sparks are not normal are they, I have a Sculpfun S9 and I’m fairly sure I never saw sparks coming from that one.
Sparks are sometimes vapor or wood syngas being ignited by the laser. You absolutely CAN keep asking them for new laser heads!! Its up to them to provide a working product. If the sparks are internal, definitely NOT good.
What type of stuff have you been cutting?
Mdf, which I know can be a bit of an issue because of all the glue in it, but I know it is a material that is suitable to cut, laser approved.
I`ve been cutting with the same material on my S9 going on to two years with absolutely no issues.
I have contacted Sculpfun again, just a bit tired of it to be honest, I have been going back and forth, messaging them for the good part of two months. First they sent out a cooper nozzle, which resolved nothing, I was hoping a new module would fix the issue.
Thanks for the information anyway.
MDF and HDF do not cause any problems if an air support is fitted, in my experience. What has ruined my lenses is rocks, false settings have made small explosions on the surface of the rock and the splinters reached the lens. It should also be said that this time it was an “open” nozzle system.
ps. the same also applies to seashells
I honestly don`t know what to do. It has been so frustrating. This is the damage on the new lens. If the pictures are clear enough, you can see these strange sort of lines in the damage which matches on both the lens.
Sculpfun keep offering me new cooper nozzles but that is going to resolve nothing if this keeps happening.
It’s sad you can’t use that machine for nothing. Trying to go back to Sculpfun and ask for another laser head, offer to send the others back for inspection. Sculpfung must also be interested in a solution because it is poor advertising for them at least within the Lightburn Forum.
I have already sent the first laser head back. It is still sitting somewhere in Spain for some reason. Not sure if customs is holding it as its been a month, but Sculpfun don’t seem to be bothered checking on it.
They did send out a new laser head before receiving it, to be fair.
I run a small business which has suffered because of this cutter. Ive bought lenses which have been damaged, wasted hours, thinking I may be doing something wrong but I have used a laser cutter before with absolutely no issues, so I do have an idea what to expect.
I’ve asked if I can send the whole machine back, just awaiting their response. Hopefully they sort this out.
Sculpfun have told me that I need to clean the lens every twenty minutes after cutting. Can anyone confirm if that is what I should be doing because sometimes a cut job will take longer than that and it is a bit tedious having to open the lens after every twenty minutes.
Has anyone cut 3mm mdf for longer periods and should it be causing lens damage so often, after an hour of intermittent cutting? I don’t cut in one go for longer than fifteen to twenty minutes usually, I also use a fan to help blow away smoke from the work surface.
Any input would be appreciated.
excuse me but this feedback is almost an insult to their customers and BS in my opinion. If the laser has to be stopped every 20 minutes for a required maintenance sequence, it is useless.
Exactly my thoughts, to be honest. It didn’t really make sense. I’m going to insist on a replacement and see what they have to say.
Thanks for your input, it is helpful.
I can confirm I do not do that. I have had my S30 Pro for 6 months. I checked the lens once and was afraid I would get it dirty messing with it.
I admit I run Air Assist 100% of the time. When engraving, I open a valve in a T line to dump some of the pressure when engraving. Full air flow makes it sooty along the unburned edges if I am doing a fill or image burn. I get the valve timing right most of the time.
I suppose I could turn off the cut layers, then switch the valve, but that would be too much precision for my work. 
I only cut to be honest and I also use air assist at all times. Thanks for letting me know. Cleaning every twenty minutes seemed a bit ridiculous, thats why I asked.
I agree, cleaning every twenty minutes is not required, especially if you use air assist. I usually use air assist all the time and sometimes, I do not clean for multiple weeks (though I have to say that I don’t run a business and only do casual projects here and there).
What power do you use? I recommend not using more than 85-90%.
A critical thing: the air assist pump should never be inside the enclosure and as far away as possible from contaminated air. If dirt gets into the pump, it will blow it to the lens, which will kill it very fast. Can you guarantee that the air used by the pump is clean?
I do keep the air pump as far away as I can when cutting. I do usually detach the air pump when not in use, which I wont do any more in case dust is getting into it, but as far as I am aware, it looks clean to me. Also, I dont cut that often, I usually pay someone to do large batch cuts, but I do all my initial designing cuts on this machine, so I can`t say it has heavy usage, to be honest.
I am curious, however, if you look close at the damage on the lens above, why it has little lines of damage. Would dust have caused that sort of damage, they look strange to me?
The lines just represent the four diodes laser output. Those four lines are combined into one spot at the focus area to concentrate energy there. Here’s how the spot looks like on a wall:
Abby, that first lens picture: is it a before or after cleaning?
Never mind, the third picture tells the story. The material on the lens got cooked into the lens. This, along with what Melvin said, suggests you have the S30 Pro MAX 40w machine, right?
Right, the lines make sense now. I have the 20 watt version.