Marco I have a question.

[Go-C Graphics]

It's been exactly 1 year since I bought a new 60W tube and power supply from you.
At the stroke of midnight I got an arc from the hotside to the reflective mirror.

I've used only distilled water and always maintained it at 20*C. I've never gone over 20mA and I only use it a couple times a month.
Based on the video is this tube dead?
This tube should have lasted alot longer then 1 year.

https://youtu.be/7BtGqGVA394

[Tech_Marco]

Hi

Unfortunately, yes it seems that the tube is gone. Most laser tube last a year or year and half. Most tube manufacturer offer 6months warranty while other over 9months for better quality but comes with a higher price tag. But still, even Reci, the best laser tube manufacturer in China can't guarantee their tube can last over 6months or closed to 8000hrs. We have 3 out 5 130W tube die from a new shipment. Or, we have 5 out 10 80W die out of the same shipment. Those tubes were all brand new and fresh made. That's why we test our tube with the latest laser power tube to run preliminary test before shipping a tube out.


Marco

[litterbox99]

I have a question about tube life.

I have been slowly building a 900x600 laser. All using parts from
LightObject. Late April I bought a Reci S2 80W tube (10000Hrs)
I have yet to fire it up, sometime in October I will get back to this
project when work is not so busy.

What dictates how long a tube last's ? (Not talking about warranty)

Is it the number of months the tube just sits around unused (leak down of gas) ?

Or the actual firing current in the laser consuming the CO2 ? (tube life based on hard its run) ?

[daniel.macke]

Hello,
I have a laser machine with a 80W RECI W2 (the "old" model) running since 07/2014. I only use it for about 1 hour each week.
Today I have noticed strictly no variation in laser power or current, so the tube seems to be just in the same condition it was at the start...
Regards.

[Tech_Marco]

I have a question about tube life.

I have been slowly building a 900x600 laser. All using parts from
LightObject. Late April I bought a Reci S2 80W tube (10000Hrs)
I have yet to fire it up, sometime in October I will get back to this
project when work is not so busy.

What dictates how long a tube last's ? (Not talking about warranty)
Ans: 1)The process of glass sealing 2) The quality of the lens/mirror

Is it the number of months the tube just sits around unused (leak down of gas) ?
Ans: It is hard to say. If the glass sealing process is good, it would last very long if it is not being fired up

Or the actual firing current in the laser consuming the CO2 ? (tube life based on hard its run) ?
Ans: 40W/18mA, 60W/22mA, 80W and up/28mA

You should fire up the laser before the warranty period expired. If it is not firing, let us know and we can file a claim to the RECI for you

Marco

[Tech_Marco]

Hello,
I have a laser machine with a 80W RECI W2 (the "old" model) running since 07/2014. I only use it for about 1 hour each week.
Today I have noticed strictly no variation in laser power or current, so the tube seems to be just in the same condition it was at the start...
Regards.

In your case, the tube seems gone because of gas leakage.

The tube has been used or gone through two years already, I won't be surprised to k stop working. Most laser tube manufacturer are providing 6months warranty in general. Even though a tube is not being used but just site there for doing nothing, it may stop working after certain months because gas leakage. That's why I keep telling my customers not to care much about the number of hours of the warranty: 1500hrs, 3000hrs, 5000hrs, or 10,000rs. The number of months the warranty cover and how good of the exchange policies means everything. Note that the tube is considered good if it lost 5% or less power in six months.


Marco

[daniel.macke]

Hello Marco,
Maybe I was not clear in my answer, but I just said that my tube is still working perfectly after 2 years!
Like all the components of my machine coming from Lightobject, I am very happy with the quality of this tube.
Thank you.
Daniel

[Tech_Marco]

Hello Marco,
Maybe I was not clear in my answer, but I just said that my tube is still working perfectly after 2 years!
Like all the components of my machine coming from Lightobject, I am very happy with the quality of this tube.
Thank you.
Daniel

Oh..sorry about it. Sometimes I was replying post in rush but didn't read it carefully
My bad!

Marco

[Go-C Graphics]

Thanks Marco,

I ended up buying another tube from you.
Unfortunately I found out my old tube isn't dead. After examining it really closely it looks like the current traveled through the built up condensation on the outside of the laser. The weather here in FL is very humid causing the dew point to be very high. The current Dewpoint is 23*C.
I guess I will have to raise the temperature of the chiller to maintain a temp of 24-25*C to prevent getting condensation.

I guess I'll just keep the extra tube around just in case.