Enclosed lens for Epilog

[Kim Vellore]

I have been thinking, my Epilog laser lens needs cleaning often, and Epilog actually advertises that having an open lens is better for ease of cleaning. I think if you have a closed lens with air flowing around it blowing at the center would keep the lens clean. No matter what the focal length is, air blowing at the center will always point at the burning object. It feels so obvious that a closed lens would be better.
Folks having closed lenses how often do you clean your lenses? There might have been some patent issues that has made Epilog go to the open lens configuration. I was hoping if some one could come up with a replacement or an attachment that closes the lens and directs the air around it, I will be the first one to buy one. Has anyone looked into it, or is there one such attachment available.

Kim

[Rob Bosworth]

Every time you open the hood on your machine, I bet you glance at your lens. Dirt build up is pretty noticeable on a nice clean focusing lens, if you can see it.

I'm not saying one way is better than another, but it is easier to see debris on an optic that is looking at you.

[Rodne Gold]

I'm sure you could build or manufacture a closed positive system for your lens. I have used lasers with and without nozzles and pressurised lenses.
The open lens systems i have used all have air assist. I haven't noticed any difference in cleaning intervals. However I have a set of optics fail with the closed system as one of the oil/water trap/filters went faulty , spattered the lens with moisture and oil which burnt the lens as thr laser went thru. So air quality is of paramount importance in a closed system. As a retrofit , you may run into porblems cos of extra weight on the flying head, either losing speed or accuracy and having problems with inertia. However you would probably find a closed system better when cutting ,and thats a slow process. You dont always want air assist to be concentric with the beam , its often betted directed to various parts of the cut or to "blow" away debris generated when engraving or cutting.

[Dave Jones]

Somebody recently also mentioned that on a ULS with the air cone, if you don't have the air assist pump on it actually allows the fumes to damage the lens quickly. So doing a system like that would mean always running the air.

[Mike Hood]

I like the open lenses. Cleaning is just part of the game in my opinion.

[Bill Cunningham]

How dirty your lens gets, would be due in part to what your cutting/engraving in your machine.. My open lens (Epilog) is cleaned every couple of days, and quite frankly, the q-tip more times than not, comes away without a mark on it after cleaning all 5 surfaces.. I do a good variation of items, and materials, and have a 750 cfm blower which seems to keep a good airflow through the system and a lot of crud from flowing upwards towards the lens, and that even includes stamp rubber which probably will give off more crud than any other material you could put in the machine.. The epilog air assist does not blow air onto the lens, so there is not likley going to be a failure due to a bad line filter allowing water/oil to hit the lens it self..

[Rob Bosworth]

Bill, I think you stated the number one reason that you optics stay so clean. "750 cfm blower" for your exhaust system. The more and the faster you can evacuate the "crud", the less chance you have of any of it building up on your optics.