The question asked if it would affect either performance or tube life. So your answer seemed to say that it would do neither. But thanks for clarifying! 
Interesting question. I havenāt cleaned the track or tread at all.
yeah, i should have just quoted the back half of his question so it was clearer.
Iāve cleaned my PRU a few times (lenses and mirror) but the tube only once 
But it does look purty when the tube is clean.
I donāt have any good metrics on performance because the software keeps changing so itās hard to compare my baselines and interim tests to see fall off over time thatās either corrected by cleaning or indicative of tube falloff. I plan on doing a set of cut & engrave tests when I get my Pro and repeat that every few months to get a sense of how the tube is doing. I canāt use my laser power meter because of the design so Iām hoping the big changes in power settings are over so a baseline can be developed.
I have been wiping them down from time to time but nothing more then that.
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Seriously. I hate when the tube gets dirty. I like to look at the pretty glass and lightshow.
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Damn that would have been a good idea. Iāll have to do that soon to start keeping track.
Maybe thatās a conspiracyā¦ with the amount of ātheorizingā that goes on around these parts. 
Interesting. Good to know. Also, Iāve cut/sanded a decent amount of walnut and the color/density of that dust seems more ominous than other, lighter colored woods. My drywall on the walls of my shop is covered with walnut dust, most evident when you take a broom and brush it. I donāt know if it sticks more than other dusts (might have a different structure), but it just seems to get more places.
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It is my understanding that the energy path is whatās important. Besides attenuating, Instead of being transparent to the energy dirt can cause the energy to be deposited. You want that heat on your material not your optics. The partially enclosed path of the glowforge saves us a lot of that maintenance.
Beyond that I notice the residue accumulates on the tracks. The wheels continue to roll over it and you get a dark deposit on the wheel path. I wipe the rails with the lens cleaning pads before I dispose of them.
Eventually accumulation on the fan blades would reduce the efficiency of the fan to a degree.
I had never realized a laser is a dirty as it is, depending of course what materials you use. Short of disassembling it, I donāt think itās possible to return it to the pristine condition of a new machine. I do miss that. Take a picture, because it wonāt look like that again.
I wonder if a shower with electronic spray cleaner of the interior and head would be feasible after years of use? Maybe at tube replacement.
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The meter is actually just a special thermometer that is calibrated to map the temp rise in a sensor block to the watts but itās supposed to be placed in between the tube and the primary mirror and then the laser fired for 30 seconds. Easy to do on standard lasers but even barring the interlocks, since the GF tube moves with the mirror while firing, youād need to stick your hand in there and try to keep it moving with the tube. Aināt happening in my house.
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Holy crap man! Thatās some serious production you have going there, nice job!
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These are seriously impressive! Great job! The boxes are awesome, and props on the commitment!