Hello I just received my laser 130w with 1400 * 900 table but I have a doubt on the power of the laser 130w of brand KHlaser do you know if this tube is of quality (diameter 80mm lg 1630 approximately) thank you
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I have a lens of 50.8 mm to cut MDF 3mm with 130W what power and speed you advise me
thank you
For your own sake, do some tests for all the materials you want to work with. It is very instructive and you get your own database for your own machine. The process will also give you a deeper understanding of your laser.
I can easily say you should start at 400 mm / min at 12 mA, but it is from my machine which is completely different from yours. Even the same machine specification does not guarantee that the same settings work on another person’s laser cutter.
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Check this post for info on obtaining a meter that can be used to measure your laser tube’s output:
KH is not a brand, it’s a reseller of Quality Control rejects. Your 130W tube will probably do the 130W, but it will not have met what the max test wattage should be for a 130W. My 80W EFR F2 should have a max test wattage of 95W. It only maxed out at 85W. KH bought it and stuck their label on it and put it out the door as an 80W.
I now dig out Russ’ Dohicky every six months to check my power curve so I know ahead of time when it’s starting to die. It was a LOT cheaper than a fancy calorimeter.
marqué 130 w 135 peak
What is ‘Russ’ Dohicky’?
Russ’ Dohicky is a working mans calorimeter. You go buy a mechanical calorimeter and they are in the $300+ USD range. If you are lucky you can rent one, but it’s pretty rare. The link from Stroonzo is the mechanical calorimeter. If you scan through Russ’ videos, you will see a couple of references to his, he hits his and the calorimeter in #53. https://www.youtube.com/user/SarbarMultimedia/videos
He has a black anodized aluminum disk with a tube handle that accepts a K type thermocouple. The K types are very stable and very universal. I think I paid around 29£ for the Dohicky from him, and $18 for the meter with two thermocouples on Amazon.
The calorimeter or Dohicky lets you measure the actual output of your laser tube. You put either of them between the laser tube and the #1 mirror for a specified amount of time, note the temp rise, and calculate the actual power / wattage output of your tube. The power output of a laser tube isn’t even close to linear. But how much of a curve you have is a crap shoot without a way to measure the output. It’s like trying to drive on the freeway and not get a ticket using only the tach.
I just did my six month run today, will be seeing about calculating my current power curve to compare to the last one. That will tell me the health of my laser tube. Russ has a test pattern to go with his Dohicky. For my 80W tube, I double the temp rise in C to get my output wattage. You do a best 3 of 5 for the tests.
Don’t know if I mentioned it, but I accidentally overheated my tube. Between that and it being a QC reject to start, I do the test every six months instead of yearly. I want to know ahead of time when it starts loosing power, and not have it die in the middle of one of her ‘important’ projects.
ALL LASER TUBES DIE. It is just a fact. The when is like asking when you are going to have your next flat tire. Keep an eye on your laser and check the power output every so often and you won’t be caught by surprise.
Hope that helps
My mechanical was $105
I have only seen lab onescosting $300+
You did better searching than I did. All I could find last fall was $300 and up. I did find one a little cheaper, but the dial calibration was pretty course. I prefer the digital display with tenths of a degree for this anyway. Better power curve calculation
I‘be had digital ones, mechanical, beam-analysis (freq, etc) ones costing $25k and found the simple $105 dial calorimeter from Bell Laser to be the most effective in my job - which used to be fettlin and repairing industrial lasers)
Russ is a keen hobbyist, but gets a lot of basic stuff wrong that perpetuates industry myth. I nearly always just walk away from any conversation that starts with ‘Russ says’, and this should have been no different.