The invention relates to a method for operating a
laser machine tool (10) for working a workpiece (12) by means of a
laser beam (14), wherein, during the working of the workpiece (12), the
laser beam (14) and a process gas (30, 32, 34) exit a
nozzle unit (16) and are directed onto the workpiece (12) by means of the
nozzle unit (16), wherein the process gas (30, 32, 34) can be selected from a plurality of process gases (30, 32, 34) by means of a gas
control unit (24) and the selected process gas (30, 32, 34) is guided to the
nozzle unit (16) via a pressure-control valve (58) of the gas
control unit (24) in order to adjust a target pressure, wherein the method comprises: carrying out a
test sequence, comprising: - selecting a process gas (30, 32, 34) from the plurality of process gases (30, 32, 34) by means of the gas
control unit (24), - setting a target
pressure curve for the selected process gas (30, 32, 34) by means of the
pressure control valve (58), wherein the target
pressure curve has a first target pressure value (74) for a first time period (72) and a second target pressure value (78) for a second time period (76), - measuring an actual
pressure curve (82) at an outlet (62) of the pressure-control valve (58), - creating
test data, wherein the
test data contains information relating to the selected process gas (30, 32, 34), the target pressure curve (66) and the actual pressure curve (82); analysing the
test data for the presence of an error.