Is Speed/Power ratio linear?

[plav1959 (Paul Lavoie)]

Just looking to increase speed on coasters with 55W OMTech. Current settings are 50/12.5. Just wondering if I’d get the same results at 100/25.
TIA
Paul

[jkwilborn (Jack Wilborn)]

As a general rule, yes. The pwm is ‘power/time’, 50% power means the laser is on 50% of the time, not that it’s lasing at 1/2 power.

If you apply x amount of energy (power) for certain damage, it generally doesn’t matter how fast you put down the ‘power’. If the amount of energy (power) is equal, you get equal damage. As with all things there are limits where things are no longer linear.

This stuff is the easiest to test on your own laser…

@plav1959

50/12.5

50% power @ 12.5mm/s ?
50mm/s @ 12.5% power, inches/min, inches/s… ?

If it’s the first, you will drastically shorten the life of the tube.

[plav1959 (Paul Lavoie)]

Thanks for the reply Jack. It is 50 mm/s at 12.5% power.