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Thread: MOPA owners.

  1. #1

    MOPA owners.

    Could you name some surprising things youve managed to achieve intentionally or accidentally running a mopa vs non mopa fiber laser and on what materials. Could you speak to the capability & versatility of pulse width and higher frequency range? TIA Neville

  2. #2
    I guess there are no MOPA owners here.
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  3. #3
    Guess youre right : ()
    355 - 10400 : )

  4. #4
    Join Date
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    There probably are NO MOPA AND NonMOPA owners.

    I have a low end MOPA, but nothing to compare it to.......
    Can't answer your question......
    But as to surprise, about the only thing, has been the JDS leatherette material. It lasers GREAT with the MOPA fiber, way better than a CO2
    Woodworking, Old Tools and Shooting
    Ray Fine RF-1390 Laser Ray Fine 20watt Fiber Laser
    SFX 50 Watt Fiber Laser
    PM2000, Delta BS, Delta sander, Powermatic 50 jointer,
    Powermatic 100-12 planer, Rockwell 15-126 radial drill press
    Rockwell 46-450 lathe, and 2 Walker Turner RA1100 radial saws
    Jet JWS18, bandsaw Carbide Create CNC, RIA 22TCM 1911s and others

  5. #5
    well thats good to know TY
    355 - 10400 : )

  6. #6
    Are we sure you can't mark color with Q-Switched? I have someone insisting they can get consistent red, white, and blue with a Q. I was sent a few pics and it's absolutely impressive what he's showing me. I thought it was nigh impossible to get these colors with Q.

  7. #7
    Join Date
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jacob John View Post
    Are we sure you can't mark color with Q-Switched? I have someone insisting they can get consistent red, white, and blue with a Q. I was sent a few pics and it's absolutely impressive what he's showing me. I thought it was nigh impossible to get these colors with Q.
    Impossible? No. Impractical? Yes.

  8. #8
    "white"?

    There's not many MOPA's around that will do white. Most MOPA's won't even produce a good blue...
    this is SPI's MOPA offering...
    SPImopa.jpg
    Tykma's MOPA test plate- neither of these show a good blue...
    TykmaMopa.jpg

    The only white example I've seen, and best blue, is a Trotec piece... but guess what 'best' will cost ya?
    TrotecMopa.jpg


    Can a regular fiber do colors? Here's what mine did! Even a reasonably decent blue!
    an1.jpg

    But, this is the same plate looking straight-on... where'd the colors go?
    an5.jpg

    My plate proves that yes, you can get colors with a non-MOPA, and to show it off as a hologram, it's pretty dandy
    --but as "color engraving" goes-- it's pretty lame.
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  9. #9
    Here's the claim. These were done with a Q and can be done with apparent consistency.

    SmartSelectImage_2017-10-11-16-08-23.jpg

    SmartSelectImage_2017-10-11-16-08-42.jpg

    SmartSelectImage_2017-10-11-16-08-57.jpg
    Trotec Speedy 300 - 80 watt
    Synrad 30 Watt - CO2 Galvo
    LaserStar 3804 - 50 watt fiber - SPI Source
    Tykma Minilase - 20 watt fiber - SPI Source - (MOPA)
    CorelDraw X7

  10. #10
    I've been researching this, but with my limited understanding of laser-speak I'm still not entirely clear, BUT- best I can tell, and I may be wrong, the Chinese 'non-MOPA' fibers we're all familiar with are not Q-switched lasers. Couple of reasons, for one, in the EZcad paramaters menu, the only reference to Q-switching is given to, and only useable by, YAG lasers. The other reason is the limited frequency range our lasers have, which on my machine is supposedly 20kz to 200kz, however, in testing finicky materials like copper, once I'm below 30kz or above 90kz, virtually nothing different happens. Getting the colors requires a much greater range of frequencies-- as I understand it...

    So a very possible reason he may getting nice colors, is he's likely using an "actual" Q-switched machine, and we're not... ?
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
    FOUR - CO2 lasers
    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  11. #11
    I think you are right Kev. I had an issue recently and in talking to XT laser I noticed that their setting was IPG which gave the Raycus 5-200 kHz or similar. I said isn't this just a 20-80 and he said it didn't matter. So while it worked fine, it didn't seem to act any differently than my other laser that was set to 20-80. I reset that one to IPG and it worked in either mode. That's why I think you are on the money there.
    Quote Originally Posted by Kev Williams View Post
    I've been researching this, but with my limited understanding of laser-speak I'm still not entirely clear, BUT- best I can tell, and I may be wrong, the Chinese 'non-MOPA' fibers we're all familiar with are not Q-switched lasers. Couple of reasons, for one, in the EZcad paramaters menu, the only reference to Q-switching is given to, and only useable by, YAG lasers. The other reason is the limited frequency range our lasers have, which on my machine is supposedly 20kz to 200kz, however, in testing finicky materials like copper, once I'm below 30kz or above 90kz, virtually nothing different happens. Getting the colors requires a much greater range of frequencies-- as I understand it...

    So a very possible reason he may getting nice colors, is he's likely using an "actual" Q-switched machine, and we're not... ?
    355 - 10400 : )

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