Common Focus Lens Failure & ZnSe Info
Preface: This article covers common Lens Failures for Nova, Odin and Bolt Series lasers with ZNSE lenses. Common lens types are Beam Combiners, Brewster Windows and Focus Lens in the laser head.
What Causes a Lens to Fail:
Dirty Lens - If a lens has a dust or film buildup, instead of passing the laser energy it begins to absorb it and rapidly fails. Keep the lens clean and even check the lens if you have not run the machine in a while
Inadequate Air Flow - You never want to have 0 air flow or pressure on a focus lens. This can allow dust and smoke film to build up
Moisture - Make sure you have adequate air\water separation and avoid operating your air assist supply in an area that is colder than the machine operating area
Mechanical Shock - Do not drop, hammer, or throw the lens. It will shatter into pieces
Common Failure Examples:
Some Failure Examples |
How to Prevent Failures:
Keep Your Lens Clean : Follow the guidance in this article Inspecting and Cleaning Nova Series Optics
Adjust your Air Assist Properly: Follow the guidance in this article: How To Adjust The Dual Stage Air Assist
Remove Moisture from Air Assist: Follow the guidance in this article: Thunder Laser External Air Compressor Guidelines
Don't Drop the Lens - Simple as that. Keep your wrists on the table as you clean the lens if you remove it from the housing to clean
Sourcing Replacement Lens:
Related Articles
Inspecting and Cleaning Nova Series Optics
Preface: This article covers how to clean your optics on your Thunder Nova Series Laser Lenses Explained Quick Start Video: (Video Credit: Robert Kofoed of Computer Creationz) Complete Guide: Before you Begin: Cleaning your optics can help keep your ...How to Manually Focus
Manually Focusing Your Laser While the autofocus is convenient there are many reasons to manually focus.. In many cases it is quicker and sometimes even more accurate than using Autofocus. The following video will walk you through how to manually ...Thunder Laser USA Beam Buddy HR Head Information & Instructions
Description Our Thunder Laser USA Beam Buddy High Resolution Head is manufactured in Canada to our specifications and this head performs a bit better than the stock Thunder HR Head. More on that here: ...Laser Lenses, Optics, and Focus
Preface: This article covers a bit of laser theory as well as practical application of the optics systems in a typical gantry CO2 laser. This is a beginner level article. There will be more advanced articles generated at a future time. 1. LASER BEAMS ...How to calibrate the Focal Distance on a Thunder Aurora 1.0 Pro or Aurora 2.0 Galvo Laser with Windows
Preface: This article covers the use of the Thunder laser auto focus software and some of the basics of setting up the new Lens in EzCad3 or Lightburn. It does not cover the topic of finding the optimum focal distance. Quick Start Video: Complete ...
If you are a Thunder Laser USA client and still need Technical Support after exhausting the resources in the Knowledge Base, simply email support@thunderlaserusa.com and the Technical Support Team will promptly assist you!