How to Clean Laser Mirrors and Focus Lenses

Maintaining clean mirrors and focus lenses is essential to achieving high-quality laser cutting and engraving results. Regularly cleaning these components is especially important when processing materials that tend to produce higher than average amounts of residue, such as wood and acrylic.

Quick and Easy Cleaning

It takes no more than 2 minutes per day to keep your laser's optics clean.
Start by visually inspecting the lens and the mirror on the laser head once per day, and checking the side mirrors once per month.

We recommend creating a schedule or checklist so that you remember to regularly examine your laser's lens and mirrors. For instance, you can check the lens and laser head mirror every morning, and inspect the side mirrors on the first day of each month. No additional steps are necessary, as these optics are protected by Trotec's proprietary InPack Technology™.

2-Step Lens Cleaning

Clean the lens whenever you notice residue to maintain top laser engraving and cutting quality. What's more, you may be unable to remove residue that has been burned onto a lens. As a result, the entire lens may require replacement.

Step by Step

Step 1: Prepare the Lens and Cleaning Materials

Use an air blower or a compressed air can to remove dust from the laser head
Place a small towel on your laser's work table to avoid damaging the lens on case you accidentally drop it during removal
As an additional precaution, move the laser bed upwards to that, if dropped, the lens does not fall far

Step 2: Apply the Cleaning Solution and Wipe the Lens

Carefully remove the lens from the laser head
Squeeze a drop of cleaning fluid onto the top of the lens and let it stand for 1 minute
Wipe the lens with a cleaning cloth
Repeat the preceding two steps to clean the opposite side of the lens
Allow the lens to dry prior to reinserting it into the laser head

Now your lens is spotless and ready for your next application!

NOTE: You can use the same process to clean the laser head's mirror.

Caution: Fragile!

Laser lenses and mirrors are extremely fragile, and therefore they must be handled very carefully. As these optic components can be very easily scratched, avoid touching them with tools or your fingers.

For the best cleaning results, we recommend using the cleaning set offered by Trotec.