How to Clean Laser Optics

[@1999danie]

@Martin Bogomolni i have a vls3.50 and weve not cleaned the lens since we bought it 4 years ago and we use it for fabrics and acrylic and metals is it worth cleaning

[@viktorperalta3090]

wha kind of job you do with the fabric ? you have videos

[@viktorperalta3090]

i need to engrav some wood boxes bu takes 6 minutes every box is a way to make it in less time ?

[@TheMakersWorkshop]

Any lines you can switch to vector engraving speeds things up tremendously. Also, use the _lowest_ resolution you can accept.

[@Spurioushamster]

I'm assuming that's a CO2 laser you're using, with a zinc selenide lens. We use a 2kw CO2 laser for laser metal deposition work, and we have a problem with the zinc selenide lenses burning due to the high power. fun fact! if you ingest zinc selenide fumes, it can react with the acid in your stomach to produce a toxic gas, which smells like garlic. Very good video.

[@TheMakersWorkshop]

Yep -- that garlic smell is basically cyanide. Bad thing to have around. Once you get to really high powered lasers -- things like cooled optics and focusing mirrors become important.