Intermittent laser

[Declan Halpin]

Hi all,

Well, I succeeded in getting my 30W laser to print vectors! Very excited. However, I noticed the cut becoming intermittent after about 20 minutes (see attached image). I was concerned that it meant the laser needed to be recharged (not sure how to diagnose that), but then the stepper motors stopped in the middle of a job. I think maybe the power supply is the culprit. Does this sound right to you? Any idea what the power should look like coming out of the power supply?

Thanks in advance,

dh

[Steve Busey]

Have you tried experimenting with a slower speed, or changing your focus up or down a few notches?

[Declan Halpin]

Unfortunately that doesn't help. It's like the laser just gets "tired" while cutting....

dh

[Declan Halpin]

Ok, I think the stepper motor crapping out was a fluke. I had it plugged into an extension cord that had a dodgy connection. Once I plugged it into a good, solid, wall receptacle there are no issues re: stepper. The laser dying out, though, continues. What does a laser look/cut like when it needs to be recharged?

dh

[Declan Halpin]

btw - I've been raster engraving all day (just small 10pt font on plastic). No issues with raster engraving.

[Joe Pelonio]

The first time I had a tube go out it did the same, raster was fine but vector was broken lines. The second time it continued to work fine but I had to use more power and slower speed until it just took too long to cut anything.