Lightobject.com Support Forum

My 40W laser tube which has about 85 hours on it (purchased from LO in July 2014), measures 25W on a Mahoney laser power meter. Is this typical as a laser tube ages, the power output goes down (vs just out and out, stopping working)? I'm guessing age is as much a factor as firing time?

Thanks

The Mahoney laser-power-meter (in fact a huge thermometer) is not that accurate. You can measure the tube's degradation when you measure the power frequent (once every month or so..)
You can also see degradation in the current: at the end of the tube's life, the current will increase
lack of sufficient cooling minimizes the tube's life drastically.
A tank with cooling fluid, a fan, a pump and a radiator is not sufficient. When the temperature raises to 30 degrees Celcius, your tube's life will be shortened from a few years to a few weeks (daily use)
I also thought that a DIY cooling would do the job but my first tube died in 3 months already.. Then i bought a active cooler (CW5200)…. my second tube still works today after 5 years. And i use it almost every day for cutting and engraving..
BTW.. i keep the temperature constant at 14.5 degrees Celcius.

Kees