Hi guys. I am struggling with my laser. I have a 50w CO2. it is 6 years old. I use it as a hobby, so the tube is not working much. Last couple of days I ran long projects. Anything between 15 - 40min at a time. I had to set my laser to 10 speed and 85% power. it runs for about 15 min or so then just all of a sudden do not cut through some areas. I use a chiller running at 16 degrees. Today I did a material test from lightburn. Outcomes are crazy. It cuts through 3mm MDF yellow between 10 - 12 speed and 40% to 100% power. My power supply does not run hot. All else is good. New mirrors properly aligned. Bed level. Space between laser and material correct. I have no idea what to do anymore. Could it be that the tuble looses power as its old and cannot run for more than 10min at a time?
The gas inside seems to degrade, even when unused, although there’s no way to predict how long any given tube will last.
You can test the tube to verify it’s resonating in the correct TEM00 mode and testing before and after it conks out would be informative. A previous discussion goes over the details:
Components in the high voltage power supply can also fade out. The problem you describe could be due to a supply on the edge of exhaustion.
Because the HV supply is much cheaper and easier to replace than the tube, I’d start by replacing it.
If a new HV supply doesn’t improve the situation, then it’s time for a hard look at the tube.