How to protect your laser head from collision

Modern fiber lasers operate at incredibly high speeds. If a cut part tips up on the slat table, the laser head can strike it, causing severe damage. Here is how to prevent it:

Utilize Micro-Joints: When cutting thin materials or complex geometries, leave small micro-

joints (tabs) to keep the part anchored to the main sheet until the entire nest is complete.

Optimize Your Cutting Path in Bochu: Use your Bochu control software to set proper

cutting sequences. Configure the software to cut inner holes first, followed by the outer

contours, minimizing the risk of the head traveling over already-cut, tipped-up parts.

Enable “Frog Jump” and Obstacle Avoidance: Ensure that the lift height (Z-axis

retraction) between cuts is high enough to clear any potential tipping parts. Bochu’s obstacle

avoidance features and capacitive sensing should be actively calibrated.

Regular Capacitive Sensor Calibration: The height controller relies on the capacitive

sensor to maintain a consistent standoff distance. Calibrate this sensor daily and whenever

changing nozzles.

How to protect your laser head from collision

Anatomy of a Collision: What Gets Damaged?

When a collision occurs, the impact forces are transferred up through the cutting head. The

most common components damaged include:

•

The Capacitor / Ceramic Ring: This is designed to break first, acting as a mechanical fuse

to protect the expensive optics inside the laser head.

•

•

Height Control Connection (RF/SMA Cables): The delicate wiring that sends the

capacitance signal from the nozzle to the height controller block can be severed or bent.

Servo Motor and Z-Axis Mechanics: In a severe crash, the Z-axis servo motor may

overload, or the linear guides and ball screws might be misaligned or damaged.

How to protect your laser head from collision

Requesting Service and Pricing from Moon Machinery

if a collision happens, swift action is required to get your machine back in production. To

provide accurate pricing and the correct replacement parts, our service technicians need

specific visual and technical information from your machine.

What to Provide to the Moon Machinery Technician:

Please email or WhatsApp our service department with clear photos of the damage and

your machine’s identification plates. Refer to these specific examples of what we need:

•

Laser Head Model Plate: We need to know the exact build of your head. Please

provide a clear photo of the silver Raytools specification plate, exactly like the one seen

in WhatsApp Image 2026-08-31 at 19.41.50 (3).jpg . This ensures we match the

exact PN (e.g., BM110) and SN for your system.

•

Broken Connections & Capacitor Block: Take close-up photos of the severed height

control connections and the sensor block. Excellent examples of the angles we need

are shown in WhatsApp Image 2026-08-31 at 19.41.50 (2).jpg and WhatsApp

Image 2026-08-31 at 19.41.50.jpeg . These images show our technicians exactly

where the coaxial pin and brass fittings have failed.

•

Required Sensor Assembly: Depending on the damage shown in your photos, we

may need to supply a completely new sensor block. You can reference raytool

sensor assembly for laser head.jpg when speaking with our parts department to

confirm if you need the entire 78mm x 60mm assembly block, the SMA connector, or

just the internal ceramic components.

Additional Information Needed:

•

Does the Z-axis servo motor still jog up and down smoothly via the Bochu software, or

is it throwing an alarm?

•

Is there a “Capacitance 0” or “Z-axis following error” alarm on the screen?

By providing these exact details and referencing the correct imagery, Moon Machinery can

instantly dispatch the right replacement parts from our local Ontario facility, minimizing your

downtime.

How to protect your laser head from collision