Joe Sabine
08-03-2012, 2:00 PM
We have a Vytek 3651 laser with a 35 watt tube. We have had it about 3 1/2 years and have had many problems with minimum (and costly) customer support(?). We use it mainly to etch pistol grips one set at a time so it has not had hard use.
Current problem: First use of the day it seems to work just fine. Then the power seems to drop and it will only laser the vertical lines (we do not have the vector option). Letters that are supposed to be solid are now just outlines with the exception of no horizontal lines. We have cleaned and checked mirror adjustment and have done so on a regular basis. With the laser set to max power it will only leave a small brown mark or, at best, cause the paper to smolder after 3-5 seconds rather than burst into flames. I tried placing the paper in between the tube and first mirror with the same result.
Of course, Vytek's first response was the align the mirrors. Their next response was to send us a test file to etch. They then said the tube was bad and for $2500 they would send me a replacement. I hesitate to go this route for several reasons. I understand the tubes are good for 20,000-40,000 hours and this one has nowhere near that many hours. I know those numbers are not absolute promises but should give a reasonable expectation. Second, in the past they have sent me instructions/photos on taking different voltage reading on the boards. This time there was no such support forthcoming. Third, all support in the past has been very expensive...more than it should have been...because it was "replace this. Does it work? No? Then replace this..." We spent over $700 replacing belts, cables and a motor before discovering the problem was a broken shaft on the motor. I can't afford to do the same thing with a laser tube.
Question is...can these tubes be acquired elsewhere at a more reasonable price? Are there troubleshooting procedures that can be accomplished to determine if the problem is the tube or a component/setting/adjustment on one of the boards?
Any help would be most appreciated.
Joe
325-374-3610
Current problem: First use of the day it seems to work just fine. Then the power seems to drop and it will only laser the vertical lines (we do not have the vector option). Letters that are supposed to be solid are now just outlines with the exception of no horizontal lines. We have cleaned and checked mirror adjustment and have done so on a regular basis. With the laser set to max power it will only leave a small brown mark or, at best, cause the paper to smolder after 3-5 seconds rather than burst into flames. I tried placing the paper in between the tube and first mirror with the same result.
Of course, Vytek's first response was the align the mirrors. Their next response was to send us a test file to etch. They then said the tube was bad and for $2500 they would send me a replacement. I hesitate to go this route for several reasons. I understand the tubes are good for 20,000-40,000 hours and this one has nowhere near that many hours. I know those numbers are not absolute promises but should give a reasonable expectation. Second, in the past they have sent me instructions/photos on taking different voltage reading on the boards. This time there was no such support forthcoming. Third, all support in the past has been very expensive...more than it should have been...because it was "replace this. Does it work? No? Then replace this..." We spent over $700 replacing belts, cables and a motor before discovering the problem was a broken shaft on the motor. I can't afford to do the same thing with a laser tube.
Question is...can these tubes be acquired elsewhere at a more reasonable price? Are there troubleshooting procedures that can be accomplished to determine if the problem is the tube or a component/setting/adjustment on one of the boards?
Any help would be most appreciated.
Joe
325-374-3610