Normally I submit status reports directly to Support, but thought you guys might appreciate seeing this as well.
Some background for those new:
I’ve been using a PreRelease unit since late February (> 7½ months) at hobby levels of use. Some engraving, some heavy engraving, a lot of cutting…generally something every other day or so.
In all that time, I have never cleaned the lens in the head. I didn’t have a removal tool, they didn’t come with my version of the PRUs.
I bought a removal tool last week when they started offering them in the store and cleaned the lens for the first time in eight months. First the shielded interior of the lens, then the outside that is exposed to the smoke in the machine.
For cleaning, I used a special non-scratching cloth designed specifically for cleaning lenses. (Nothing against the zeiss wipes, I just prefer this for lenses.)
Results:
Inside of the lens (Shielded part):
(Spot used shown by arrow.)
I wanted to add a little to this conversation. I cleaned my lens for the first time about a month ago. It was pretty dirty. However, a lot of dirt seemed to be coming from the fan behind the lens that was supposed to provide airflow to prevent gunk buildup on the lens.
You can see on the bottom left of the lens where there is a larger accumulation of debris. The fan behind the lens also needs to be cleaned fairly often to prevent sticking etc
