On small mowers/motors, there’s a best practice of having a runtime counter on the machine. My cars have it. I love it.
Where’s the meter for the printer I’m using? How many hours total have I done? I’d like to keep up with cleaning if I have a reference as to how many hours I’ve done so far, so I don’t needlessly take apart the head to find that it’s still spotless and clean. Which I just did.
Just wanting to keep ahead, and just want to prevent a problem.
I recommended GF adds a counter months ago, too–would be so easy for them to do, since each time we run our GF, they post the time.
But still waiting for it!!
Although they say to plan on cleaning every 40 hours, that’s not hard & fast. It’s not as much time based as time & material & operations based. 3D engraving MDF (or Draftboard) is a far messier operation than cutting paper. I never go 40 hours without cleaning at least the mirror and the head window. I clean the lens in the head only when PG cuts on flat material stops cutting all the way through. Hours don’t matter.
This has been requested many times. Since they absolutely have this data available, I hope they listen and give it to us!
@jamesdhatch is right, cleaning schedule is largely dependent on materials.
The 3,000 dual side token job I’m on requires me to clean the windows about every 4th sheet (400+/- pieces) of proofgrade, and the lens about every 8th sheet. Far under 40 hours, more in the neighborhood of 12.
I would like to have the benefit of cumulative hours on my tube though, just to help me benchmark it’s sevice life.
Most of what I cut is thick (.08”) chipboard and I’m on about the same cleaning regiment. It gunks up the laser head window pretty quick.
Yeah, both of the windows are the first to show it, the gantry window is a little worse, I think because the head window faces downstream of the smoke exhaust route while the gantry window faces into it.
Draft board is the worst stuff I’ve dealt with so far. Tried etching to make some signs. Never again! And yes, 40 hrs is only a guideline!