i hear everyone cutting through 1/4 birch like it was no problem at all. i have tried and tried sending a cut to the controller with the cut/layers settings at speed 10 and power 80 and it wont cut through even with a 2nd pass, keep in mind that i did send this info to the controller, What am i doing wrong? also I have an Omtech 100w Co2
machine.
With the information you have provided, I would mean that your optics are not ok or your focus is not correct. Are you sure your machine delivers 80 or more Watts? Another question, 10 what?
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my cut layer speed is 10. and i did check the focus over and over again
well i have an omtech 100w . i dont go over 85 cut power
What does your amp meter say during the cut?
i have also cleaned my mirrors, and they are perfectly centered. I did the tape test with the pulse when i checked
Putting tape on mirrors isn’t a good idea.
I replace the mirror with a wooden disk. Then put it back after it’s aligned from tube to lens.
Is it 10mm / s or 10in / s … ???
And what is your current ammeter display at your max power (80-85%)
If you have a standard mirror system from OMT, there is no problem with using tape for laser beam adjustment as it is not put on the mirrors themselves.
Focus .and speed at about 5 and use the focus tool that come with the machan. I had the same thing happen to me when i got my 60wat too mouths ago. Hope this helps power 65 to 75
I hope you also verified that your lens is cleaned, not pitted, and correct side up. I do cut a ton of 1/4" Birch at 13 mm/s @65%, one pass. ( I have a Xm1060 100 Watt Reci tube unit. Cuts all day. Make sure the beam truly is centered coming out of the nozzle. If the nozzle feels very warm / hot, you might be hitting the side of it. Still good enough to cut and engrave, but not pushing all the power into the wood. Also, quality of Birch is important. If the ply is cheap, and has a lot of air gaps in the core… you won’t cut very well, and if a lot of knots, well… good luck with that. And you need to use air assist… So, as long as your focus is good… should plow through that. So, if all that is good, I would check the ma going into the tube.
i will try that thanks
This can also be an issue with the glue in the plywood. Exterior rated glues are usually phenolic based and can be really difficult to cut through
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Wow if laser is lined up it should be cutting like butter with a 100 wat. I’m like Joe and shipmodeller. you should be cutting easily through 1/4 in. I cut the cheap 6mm at 65 and speed 5 to 8 mm a second with a 60wat. I have had some 6mm plywood that at 85 that is high as i run my Machen I had to sand off some of the back of the plywood, so my cut parts fell out of the wood, but the wood was still cut 98%present all the way through. It was a lot of glue in some spots like Joe said if you haven’t already Try some other plywood and if that did not work, I don’t know.
Hi, i use an OMTech 80w, it cuts 4mm ply at 14mm/sec and 26% power.
I up the power on mine just in case of glue spots to 27-28% depending on the quality of the wood.(one pass)
It cuts through 3mm perfectly at 15mm/sec and 26%, also one pass.
… is there progress in troubleshooting?
explain the troubleshooting
Have you checked everything that can be checked ?, I think there were some good suggestions here in the thread. What have you done so far?
What does your ammeter show at 80% ?, have you had problems with air bubbles in your laser tube? …
i use a water chiller so it is sealed
i did a cut just now at 10 speed and 80 power. the amp meter read 30mA
oh and that was on 3mm Baltic birch and believe this when i say it was not a clean cut. rechecked the mirrors and they are clean, cleaned them yesterday