heat in the carriage

[agron zeka]

Recently I've refurbished the tube in my mercury 25w it's all good, but after a while the carriage is getting very hot and the cutting power is decreasing, I've checked from the cooling of the tube the alignment and mirrors, but everything seems ok. All this is happening in cutting mode not while engraving.The heat is only the carriage not in other parts like mirror 1,2,3. After a while it will not cut not even the half of the material. Thank you in advance.

[Bill George]

I'd check your lens for dirt and is it installed the correct way? Curved side up as I recall.

[agron zeka]

I've checked it looks ok, even I've changed the lens to the 2" for but still the same.

[agron zeka]

Any help...

[Ron Gosnell]

Start at the beginning again. Start at mirror 1 and tape it or paper it and make sure it's center. Go to mirror 2. Go to mirror 3.
I think it has to be a beam problem. Maybe even a split beam on a new tube. Unusual from what I've read on smaller tubes though.
It could the beam bouncing off the head of the lens holder too from not being centered.

Gozzie

[Richard Rumancik]

Agron, since the carriage is getting hot it would seem that the laser energy is not passing through the optics properly - the mirror holder will heat a small amount but you should never have a situation where the carriage gets hot or even warm. So I have to believe like others that the beam energy is hitting the aluminum carriage housing somehow.

I would take out the lens and put a piece of masking paper over the nose cone. Then do a short-duration beam test (using the diagnostic procedure to test the laser source.) The burn mark should be ideally right in the center of the nose cone hole. If it is a bit off that's fine but if you are getting a partial burn at the edge then you might have the beam hitting the inside of the nose cone. Does the nose cone seem to get hot? Can you tell what is the warmest point on the carriage assembly?

[agron zeka]

Thank you all for your help. I've checked the mirrors from 1 to 3 they are OK center beam everything, as for the cone I've suspected that too so to make a test I've removed the cone for a test a again is getting hot, really hot and i think that some of the heat is being transferred into the material also, because the other day i did some acrylic cutting it seems very hot, which was not the case before.

[Bill George]

Thank you all for your help. I've checked the mirrors from 1 to 3 they are OK center beam everything, as for the cone I've suspected that too so to make a test I've removed the cone for a test a again is getting hot, really hot and i think that some of the heat is being transferred into the material also, because the other day i did some acrylic cutting it seems very hot, which was not the case before.

Did you remove the lens and clean? Is it installed correctly and have you by any chance replaced that lens with a new one?

[Mike Null]

Agron

Have you tried running a job with zero power to see if the carriage gets hot? I'm trying to determine if it is a mechanical issue with the carriage.

Are you doing the alignment with the laser beam or the red dot pointer? Sorry if that seems to be a silly question.

You say you refurbished the tube. I'm wondering if Ron hasn't suggested an answer with his split beam comment.

[agron zeka]

Well yes as I mentioned in the beginning of the thread I've changed the lens to a different one, no issues while engraving only cutting, it can engrave for days and not get hot. The problem starts after maybe 10 minutes of cutting the carriage gets hot, and the laser losses power I know it's an issues with beam or somehow the radiation from the beam is hitting the carriage but any solution, and Mike Null can you explain a bit more on split beam or is any thread on this issue. Thank you all.

[Mike Null]

Agron

I'm sorry but my technical expertise is just about zero. I am only an operator. I recently had my tube re-manufactured and they replaced the optics in the tube enclosure so I'm guessing that there may be something to the split beam theory.

[agron zeka]

Today I'll get another carriage mirror and do a test as the only suspicion is on that particular mirror I will let you know. Thank you all.

[agron zeka]

Changed the carriage mirror still the same thing, its not the mirror, nor the lens any suggestions.

[Bill George]

Changed the carriage mirror still the same thing, its not the mirror, nor the lens any suggestions.

So did the problem start after you had the tube recharged, and have you vector cut successfully before without heat? Either before or after the tube work.

[agron zeka]

Before it was OK, the problem started after it was refurbished, I didn't noticed it earlier because it cuts very good for 10 to 15 minutes, but recently I had to cut small pieces on acrylic for long period and then I've noticed the problem.