Laser fires: The underestimated danger in modern production

CO₂ lasers are now among the most important tools in the daily workflow not only in workshops, manufacturing facilities, start-ups, and small businesses, but also in industry, which is increasingly discovering their potential. Whether for series production or one-off production, for many users the laser is not just a machine, but their main source of income.

This makes the consequences of a fire all the more serious. Even though laser fires are statistically rare, in practice they almost always develop into serious incidents: from several days of downtime in small businesses to costly machine and production losses in industrial manufacturing. The causes are often the same, regardless of company size:

• Thermal stress
• Combustible materials
• Deposits in the machine room
• brief moments of unsupervised operation

Many companies, whether small businesses with two employees or industrial plants with 500 or more, rely on manual safety rules. However, increasing workloads, parallel tasks in everyday workshop operations, and growing automation in industry mean that purely organizational measures are increasingly reaching their limits. “Especially with CO₂ lasers, companies should not leave fire protection solely to their operating personnel,” explains Trotec Laser. “Small businesses often have only this one machine – if it fails, operations come to a standstill. In industry, on the other hand, downtime costs are enormous. Both groups need a level of safety that goes beyond classic prevention rules.” Trotec is therefore committed to a new understanding of safety – from craft businesses to highly automated manufacturing. In its latest white paper, the manufacturer shows how companies of all sizes can realistically assess risks and which factors significantly increase the likelihood of a fire incident. The publication contains real-life case studies from small workshops as well as examples from industry and multi-shift operations. The risk chains are similar in both worlds – but the economic consequences differ dramatically. This makes a reliable and modern safety concept all the more important. 

Risk minimization in laser manufacturing – practical cases, risk factors, and areas of action for businesses of all sizes. → Download: “Risk minimization in laser manufacturing”