Reviewed 10 November 2026 · Original publication date shown above
Looks can be deceiving
The original 2022 article discussed an industrial sheet-metal laser processing machine reported through RAPEX. Its modern appearance and enclosure did not establish that its protective windows provided adequate protection.
However, the importance of detail should never be overlooked. German market surveillance investigated the machine and discovered its protective windows only offer a protection level of 0.02, instead of the required level of 4!
The official alert records the safety finding. It does not establish that a worker was injured; appearance alone cannot confirm adequate laser protection.
How do you know your protective windows are correctly rated?
A laser guard or protective window must be assessed as part of the machine's protective system. Do not assume that a coloured panel, or a rating for a different laser, is suitable.
Ask the manufacturer for evidence of suitability for the actual wavelength, power, exposure and foreseeable faults. Eyewear markings and optical density alone do not establish the performance of a machine enclosure.
How do you know you are working with a manufacturer you can trust?
Questions are your tools here. Aside from all the other questions and points to check that we have covered on LaserMachineSafety.eu, ask them what the windows are made of and what their rating is.
Manufacturers struggling to provide correct documents (DoC) or answer simple questions they should know often mean they don't want to answer, or they don't know the answer. Neither inspires confidence or trust.
