Laser Machine Service near Tooting, on a 5 x GCC Laserpro Mercury Machine – Graveney School
A visit to our new customer, Graveney School was requested by as the customer had that their GCC Mercury laser machines were in need of a service as well as the customer was having issues with a few of the machines not performing as expected. The laser service of the GCC laser machines was conducted by our highly experienced service engineer ‘Gavin Edwards’. The laser service visit included: –
Upon arrival at Graveney School the GCC machines were visually inspected, the customer had 4 GCC Mercury II 40 watt machines and 1 GCC Mercury I 40 watt machine.
1 – GCC LaserPro Mercury II – 40 watt – SN G51**
The machine looked in ok condition considering it’s age. The extraction unit that was with the machine was a BOFA AD400 unit dated 2009. The filters were checked and were also dated 2009. These would need to be replaced as the active carbon would certainly have been depleted.
The service of the GCC machine was then started: –
The mirrors were all checked and cleaned, it was noted that on the X-mirror the mirror had a mark on the side. But this would not effect the laser beam or the machine performance and therefore not changed.
The honeycomb bed was inspected and was found to be contaminated, the bed was cleaned and the customer advised of the necessity of cleaning and maintaining the bed to avoid an increased potential of the contamination catching fire
the following was carried out without issue: –
- Inspect and Clean main Focusing Lens
- Inspect and Clean Nozzle and Auto-focus Pen
- Inspect and Check Laser Tube
- Check Beam Alignment
- Inspect, Clean and Lubricate all Linear/Guide Rails
- Inspect, Clean and tension belts
- Clean Extraction Port
- Inspected Interlocks and Chiller Alarms
- Inspected and checked electrics, sensors and switches
- Safety Interlocks Inspection & Test
The laser power was measured at the exit aperture of the laser nozzle. This was shown to be reading 34.4w @100% power.
2 – GCC LaserPro Mercury II – 40 watt – SN H51**
The machine looked in ok condition considering it’s age, it was noted that this machine did not have an autofocus tool attached.
This machines extraction unit was also a BOFA AD400 unit dated 2009. The filters were also checked and were also dated 2009. These would need to be replaced as the active carbon would certainly have been depleted, the main facia of the extractor was also damaged.
The service of the GCC machine was then started: –
The mirrors were all checked and cleaned, it was noted that on the X-mirror the mirror had a mark on the side. But this would not effect the laser beam or the machine performance and therefore not changed.
The main focusing lens was checked and found to be foggy, this was cleaned and replaced in situ.
When checking the laser nozzle it was noted that the air hose had a small leak. This was traced to the section close to the laser head. The pipe was replaced with a new section of pipework.
The honeycomb bed was inspected and was found to be contaminated and damaged in the top left corner and also dipping in the centre. The bed level was checked and was found to be ok. The main plate underneath the honeycomb bed was cleaned. The customer was advised to replace the honeycomb bed due to the damage and the contamination. A honeycomb bed from a different machine was used in the remainder of the service testing
the following was carried out without issue: –
- Inspect and Clean Nozzle
- Inspect and Check Laser Tube
- Check Beam Alignment
- Inspect, Clean and Lubricate all Linear/Guide Rails
- Inspect, Clean and tension belts
- Clean Extraction Port
- Inspected Interlocks and Chiller Alarms
- Inspected and checked electrics, sensors and switches
- Safety Interlocks Inspection & Test
The laser power was measured at the exit aperture of the laser nozzle. This was shown to be reading 37.7w @100% power.
However during testing of the machine it was observed that the laser was initial cutting correctly, but after approximately 5 minutes of operation. The laser output appeared to reduce and therefore was no longer cutting through the material. Once the job had finished a further job was loaded and the same pattern immerged. The behaviour appeared to suggest that the RF laser power supply maybe overheating during continuous operation, resulting in a temporary reduction in power.
All cooling fans were checked and found to be operating correctly, however the machine was located in a particularly warm room with the exhaust from the extraction system positioned close to the laser. A number of power tests were carried out during operation and this confirmed that the laser output power was reducing during the continued run.
The customer was advised to try and reduce the ambient temperature of the room and direct the exhaust away from the laser. Further testing would be required to ascertain whether the power can remain more stable.
3 – GCC LaserPro Mercury II – 40 watt – SN E51**
The machine was in a bit of a worse condition. The main power rocker switch is not switching the machine off correctly, the main power lead had to be disconnected to shut the machine down. It was also noted that the autofocus button on the controller did not work as there is not contact, so the machine does not have the capability for autofocusing.
This machines extraction unit was also a BOFA AD400 unit dated 2009. The filters were also checked and were also dated 2009. These would need to be replaced as the active carbon would certainly have been depleted.
The service of the GCC machine was then started: –
The mirrors were all checked and cleaned, the mirror on the lower section of the laser chamber had come away from it’s metal housing. A temporary repair was carried out and the mirror secured with some more adhesive. However on re-instating the mirror, the mirror fell to the floor and cracked, the mirror could not be safely removed onsite. The remainder of the service was carried out without the ability to test the laser.
the following was carried out without issue: –
- Inspect and Clean Nozzle
- Inspect and Check Laser Tube
- Check Beam Alignment
- Inspect, Clean and Lubricate all Linear/Guide Rails
- Inspect, Clean and tension belts
- Clean Extraction Port
- Inspected Interlocks and Chiller Alarms
- Inspected and checked electrics, sensors and switches
- Safety Interlocks Inspection & Test
The remaining two machines will be serviced on the next visit as the allocated time for the service had ended and the customer was happy with the 2 machines that had been serviced and was happy to have the other machines serviced at a later date.
The other GCC Mercury machines were inspected and the following observed. H50** had a cracked and damaged display, the main lid had heat damage from a fire. The main lid will need to be replaced. The extractor was not present but if this was on whilst the fire was present then the internals could be seriously damaged.
G51**, this machine was in good condition but the customer had said that it was not cutting well.
Any of the consumable items mentioned above, Lens, Mirrors, Laser tubes, Power supplies are all available and can be bought separately in our online shop.
If you would like further information on our Laser Machine Service near Tooting capabilities or anywhere else in the country, or any other Laser Training requirement or Laser Application, please request a call back or, talk to one of our service engineering specialists by going to our contact page – link below.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
How do I improve Inconsistent Cutting Depth?
Verify that the laser head is correctly focused for the material’s thickness
Check for debris or dust on the mirrors and lenses.
Ensure that the cutting bed is level across the entire work area.
How do I stop the laser from cutting unevenly?
Inspect and clean the optical components (mirrors and lenses).
Check that the work bed is level; an uneven bed will affect cutting depth.
Ensure the material is flat and secured in place on the bed.
How to stop the laser head dragging on Material
Ensure that the material is flat and not bowed or warped.
Check the height adjustment of the laser head and set the correct z-axis distance.
Verify that the workpiece is secured properly on the bed.
Does Thinklaser Service all Flatbed lasers
Short answer is Yes, we service a wide variety of flatbed laser models from the cheaper end of the market to the higher end the likes of Universal, Epilogue, GCC and more – Put us to the test!
