WHAT TUBE TO ORDER 40W OR 60W?????

[kane3049]

new to the laser world an to the forum, ive purchased a 40w 850mm laser tube but don't know if its right for what I need. I met a guy last month that had a diy cnc laser engraver witch got me into it an he was doing aircraft plackers an real fine detail pictures (real fine) an said it was best to us a 40w laser tube an that's what he said he had for the work he was doing. I snapped a few pictures an researched little then started ordering parts. after ordering parts I went thru the pictures an seen it said 1250mm on his tube. I know mine that order is not the same as I was told but will it still work to do the same job or do I need to order a different tube. plz help

[Tech_Marco]

The max output from a 850mm laser tube is 40W while a 1200mm tube (roughly) can output as high as 60W. For engraving wood, a 40W tube is good enough to do the job with decent engraving speed. But for cutting, a 40W is far from the performance a 60W can reached.

If you're doing engraving only, get 38.5mm focus lens will get you better engraving result

Marco
(back from China)

[kane3049]

thanks, let me tell you what I got. I purchased the 1200*1800 an it says it comes with 1x laser head for a 25mm mirror an 20mm lens an I also purchased the DSP upgrade kit that comes with a 18-20mm laser head. So what your saying I need to purchase a 38.5mm focus lens, does that mean I need a new laser head also to match the lens? an say down the road if I do decide to cut thru like acrylic or wood can I change the lens also or do I need to step up the lens an the laser tube?

[Tech_Marco]

Did you buy the XY stage from me? The laser head that comes with the XY stages that we're carrying by default support 50.8mm to 68.5mm(barely). We will carry a new laser head that is cable to support any size from 38.5mm to 100mm with a barrel revesible.

It is not a good idea to install a 40W tube to a 1800x1200 XY stage because the of the long travelling distance. Power lost is significant and differently you can't do good cutting with a 40W tube on such bigh stage. I will suggest that a 80W or higher power laser tube should be used for the big stage if you're planning to do cutting in the near future. Moreover, you need a longer focus lens for doing cutting like 63.5mm or 68.5mm. Most laser machine comes with 50.8mm as it can do decent cutting (less than 4mm thickness) or engraving.

How thick of acrylic do you want to cut? FYI, with a 40W tube, you may be able to cut through 4mm acrylic at 5mm/s or 13mm plywood at 2mm/s assuming the lens is good and the tube is good


Marco

[kane3049]

yes I purchased the xy stage 1200*1800, dsp upgrade, 40w 850mm co2 laser tube, 120mm evaporator, an 12cm cooling fan. I oviously have a lot of learning but have little help from fellow friend that built one already an im trying to copy his but bigger. im interested in doing mainly engraving on .32 to 1/16" thick aluminum to do labeling an for personal use signs, portrait, etc. if possible I would like to cut thru colored plexiglass about 1/8"-1/4" max but still be able to make quick adjustments to go back to the real small fine detail lettering an labeling. im new to the laser world an don't know what else I need to complete my build. I know on my next order i need lens, mirror, air pump, water pump, laser tube power supply. is there anything else i need or you would recommend for the work im trying to do? (is it possible an safe to place the laser tube on the gantry as my fellow friend has his on his machine so I don't have to purchase another tube or do you still suggest the 80w laser tube is what i need? do you know what kind of lens an mirrors i need or part #. thanks for all the help

[Tech_Marco]

In your case, I suggest 50.8mm focus lens as it work well on both cutting and cutting but not the best though. If you really need distingush result, then you better to have 38.5mm for engraving and 68.5mm for cutting. You can swap lens for different job and adjust the focus point vs the object per swap.

80W can get you good speed on acrylic cutting. I tested my SP80W tube and I could do cutting on 4mm acrylics with 25mm/s to cut it through using full power. It is amazing! The focus lens was 50.8mm. If I upszie it to 63.5mm, then the speed would be 20mm/s. For 68.5mm, I guess the speed must be set to 12mm/s because more power need for longer focus lens. If you do have a lot cutting and time is an issue, go for 100W tube! I don't recommend over size tube for engraving as it take longer for 120W or higher power tube to energized the light beam. For example, a Reci 120W tube need 9mA to start lightning or 10mA for the 150W. Under that specificed current, the light beam is not stable and the spot is getting wide. Therefore, do NOT use higher power laser tube for engraving. For soley engraving job, a 60W is more than you need in most case

For the XLE model stage, here is what you need:

1) 1x 20mm High quality ZnSe focus lens. Focus point is up to you
2) 3x 25mm Si reflection mirror


Marco

[kane3049]

Ok i'm planning to send my 40w tube back today as it arrived yesterday an change it out for an 80w laser tube. You said that it was best to use an 38.5mm focus lens for engraving an a 68.5mm for cutting but suggested to get 1x 20mm focus lens an 3x 25mm mirror. Will they give me the same results or thats all that will work with my setup without buying tons of more parts? I will be doing mainly very fine detailed engraving but would like to cut from time to time an I like your idea of just switching out the lens real quick to change jobs. Time/speed for cutting is not an issue as long as quality is good but of as right now engraving is my start. So now im looking at the 80w LSR-JLD80WC0 laser tube an the LSR-JN80WC02-1V power supply, would that be good? before I make my next order can you give me part # for mirror an lens for engraving an #s for lens an mirrors for cutting

[Tech_Marco]

1x 20mm focus lens and 3x 25mm reflection mirrors is a MUST to have regardless what system you have. Majority laser machine have this kind of setup and so far I don't see any machine running without this formation. The 20mm or 25mm here is the 'diameter' of the lens/mirror, not the focus point. Don't get confused!

38.1mm(38.5mm) focus lens:
http://www.lightobject.com/High-quality ... -P809.aspx

68.5mm focus lens:
http://www.lightobject.com/High-quality ... -P864.aspx

25mm Si reflection mirror:
http://www.lightobject.com/25mm-High-qu ... -P117.aspx


Unfortunately, all 60W and 80W Co2 laser tube sold out till next shipment that should arrive on August 24th. Only 40W,100W,120W,150W are available in US warehouse. We can ship 60W or 80W from China but shipping cost is higher though


Marco