Laser Power and Speed setings

[Robin Loewen]

Hello,

I have an 80 watt Chinese laser that I purchased from a guy in Toronto who builds the machine from scratch using Chinese parts. My machine will cut 1/4" plywood (with MDF core) using 100 power and 5-6 speed. I usually have to run the cut twice.

I have a friend who has a 40 watt Trotec and she cuts the same plywood at 100 power and 18 speed running the cut once.

Can anyone explain the difference in performance?

Thanks, Robin

[Gary Hair]

Can anyone explain the difference in performance?

The main difference is a glass tube Chinese machine vs a metal tube machine, there really is no comparison except that they are both lasers. Same thing applies when you compare a Volkswagen and a Ferrari, they are both automobiles and that's where the comparison ends.

[Keith Winter]

Hello,

I have an 80 watt Chinese laser that I purchased from a guy in Toronto who builds the machine from scratch using Chinese parts. My machine will cut 1/4" plywood (with MDF core) using 100 power and 5-6 speed. I usually have to run the cut twice.

I have a friend who has a 40 watt Trotec and she cuts the same plywood at 100 power and 18 speed running the cut once.

Can anyone explain the difference in performance?

Thanks, Robin

Better tube, better mirrors, better lens optics on the Trotec. Your water cooled tube might be getting too hot, it could be improperly installed and shorting causing a loss of power, could be your power supply, or the first thing I'd check is your beam alignment and if all your mirrors and lens is clean. If it's out of alignment you will lose a lot of power. When is the last time you aligned it?

[Matt McCoy]

I would check alignment first. An 80 W tube should cut that pretty easily.

[Kev Williams]

"18 speed" in a Trotec and "18 speed" in any other machine-- even another Trotec- can't be compared simply by those numbers. Your 6 speed may be faster than Trotec's 18 speed. Or identical. Or slower. The only way to know for sure is to do actual timed runs with identical jobs.

I borrowed a twin to my 25 watt ULS for a weekend from my NH rep awhile back. Identical machines in every way. But, to equal my raster engraving results on black/white Rowmark on his machine required 20% more power. Yet, MY machine required quite a bit slower speed to cut 1/8" holes in the same Rowmark.

[Bert Kemp]

My 60 watt Rabbit cuts 1/4 BB at 10sp 85 pwr 1 pass. I would check all the above, Clean lens, and mirrors, align mirrors.Ck pwr supply. Lots of things will cause it to cut slow and need more pwr then normal.

[Robin Loewen]

Ah! I guess "I get what I pay for" stands true! Thanks

[Robin Loewen]

Thanks Matt. I will check with my laser guy about how to align.

[Scott Shepherd]

I can promise you that she's not cutting 1/4" plywood with 18 speed on a 40W Trotec. 18 speed wouldn't work, unless maybe it's an older Trotec, or a slower one. 18 speed on a Speedy model wouldn't make the turns it would be so fast. Maybe 1.8 speed. I can see 1.8 speed on a 80 watt machine for 1/4" material. You can't even cut paper at 18 speed. I think someone's got some numbers mixed up or they have a very old Trotec where 18 is something far different than 18 speed on a newer machine.

Anything above 3-4 or so on the Trotec isn't going to get you smooth curves because it's so fast, in my experience. Maybe a little faster than that, but not much more.

[Robin Loewen]

HI Keith, I have never aligned the laser. It has only 25 hours run time. I will check the mirrors and alignment. Thanks

[Tony Lenkic]

18 speed on Trotect seams too high for cutting. 1.8 would be more what I would expect.

[Robin Loewen]

I will talk to my friend and verify her settings. Thanks Scott.

[Robin Loewen]

I will look at learning how to align. Thanks for the tip Matt.

[Robin Loewen]

Thanks Matt

[Robin Loewen]

Makes sense! Thanks Kev.