trotec 80 watt really a 45 watt

[TAMI WILSON]

ok so i purchase my first laser a speedy 300 late in 2012. I go to a trade show and was told the 60 watt is the best bargain so i buy it. Imagine my surprise when my Speedy 300 arrives and it has a 80 watt sticker on the tube. Wow I got a good deal i think. I am told I got the new ceramic core tube or some such thing that was supposed to be new and improved.

I am still building my business so the laser is not used hard. maybe weekly or less. I start to realize (from the beginning) that my laser settings are not even close to what manufacturers recommend for their products. I have commented about it on the board but just thought oh well this is the way things are. I finally decided to investigate further and a member of this board was kind enough to allow me to borrow their meter. I am very disappointed to discover my supposed 80 watt tube is firing at 45 watts. mirrors are clean etc. I do believe i got a lemon. It has been 3 years so i am sure there is nothing i can do about it but complain. If this had not been my first laser and i had previous experience with power etc I am sure i would have picked up on this sooner.

If i ever purchase another laser when they come to set it up I will request/demand they run a meter test. maybe you should too.

Just trying to help someone else not make my mistakes.:o

tami

[Keith Winter]

Your tube might be getting worn out Tami. Has it always been lower power or is this a more recent issue that you noticed, prompting you to check the power output? Have you checked the power at the source (end of the tube before the first mirror) or are you checking it at the final mirror? Speaking from experience if it's out of alignment it would be easy to lose some power. 35 watts would be a lot, but 15 watts loss (which would make up for the 60w) loss due to poor alignment is definitely possible.

[TAMI WILSON]

keith, it has been this way from day one. being that this was my first laser i didn't know what to expect. I kept wondering why i had to use two times the power that was recommended which is why i was grateful when someone offered to loan me a meter.

[David Somers]

Tami, This is a silly thought since you are clearly out of warrantee, but have you spoken to their tech support or a manager at all about this? Even now they might be willing to help you somehow. The worst that can happen is they say "NO!" You never know.

I am an optimist obviously. <grin>

[Keith Outten]

Tami,

Contact Meredith Newman at the Trotec office in Michigan. She may be able to help you resolve the problem. Let her know that you are a Member of SawMill Creek.

[Braden Todd]

Sorry to hear about your issues Tami, I know you've had a rough go with lasers. Hope it gets resolved for you. If it doesn't I know I won't be looking at a Trotec in the future.

Good luck!

[Kev Williams]

I would almost bet a buck the tube has a bad capacitor, and is only firing at half power. An 80 tube may easily reach 90+ watts at full power, so you 45w measurement makes sense.

[Gary Hair]

I would almost bet a buck

Come on Kev, commit! after all, it's only a buck.

[Scott Shepherd]

Tami, if you look at your posts over the years, you were complaining about some of it in 2014. You machine should have been under warranty then. You mentioned you called tech support at the time as well. I would call Meredith and I'd talk to her about it and tell her that it's documented on Sawmill Creek that you were having issues back in 2014 and have been struggling with it because you were told that it was okay, when in fact, it probably wasn't.

I would hope that they will review your timeline and realize this isn't a new problem, it's a problem that came up while it was perfectly under warranty and that had they sent you a meter, it would have resolved the issue immediately.

They need to do the right thing and replace that tube, especially since it was at the beginning of the new tubes.

Just my opinion.

[TAMI WILSON]

thanks Scott, you are correct. i have brought the issue up several times. Tech support is right now looking into what version of firmware i have but i will also be calling meredith.
thanks again
tami

[TAMI WILSON]

Thanks Todd
I believe Trotec is a good laser. Lets see how they handle this before you write them off. will keep you posted. :-)

[Keith Winter]

Tami, if you look at your posts over the years, you were complaining about some of it in 2014. You machine should have been under warranty then. You mentioned you called tech support at the time as well. I would call Meredith and I'd talk to her about it and tell her that it's documented on Sawmill Creek that you were having issues back in 2014 and have been struggling with it because you were told that it was okay, when in fact, it probably wasn't.

I would hope that they will review your timeline and realize this isn't a new problem, it's a problem that came up while it was perfectly under warranty and that had they sent you a meter, it would have resolved the issue immediately.

They need to do the right thing and replace that tube, especially since it was at the beginning of the new tubes.

Just my opinion.

Sound logic, if you reported it two years ago and they didn't fix it then, they should replace the tube, that's the right thing to do.

[TAMI WILSON]

Well, here is the update. Was just on the phone with Trotec. They are going to replace the tube . I am happy about that. What I am not too happy about is it is going to cost me for the service call

$75.00 per hour travel time to and From New Jersey + gas and any Lunch he purchases on the way.

$150.00 per hour when he gets here. 2 hour minimum.

So probably gonna cost me a grand till it is all said and done. Oh and he said the only thing that saved me was my posts on this site.

[Keith Downing]

Well, here is the update. Was just on the phone with Trotec. They are going to replace the tube . I am happy about that. What I am not too happy about is it is going to cost me for the service call

$75.00 per hour travel time to and From New Jersey + gas and any Lunch he purchases on the way.

$150.00 per hour when he gets here. 2 hour minimum.

So probably gonna cost me a grand till it is all said and done. Oh and he said the only thing that saved me was my posts on this site.

If they are willing to give you the replacement tube free of charge, and you are CHOOSING to have them install it. That sounds pretty fair to me.

If on the other hand they are only willing to provide you the tube IF you purchase service work; then I would probably be unsatisfied.

Maybe it's just semantics at the end of the day, but IMHO if the choice is yours to pay them for the service or find another way to get it installed then you can't really complain about that since the machine is out of warranty.

[Jerome Stanek]

Where are they coming from. How many hours on the road. Is there a way you could take the machine to them. What about unforeseen problems that eat up 2 or 3 more hours. have them quote you a price not to exceed a certain amount. I do that in my business.

[Gary Hair]

Well, here is the update. Was just on the phone with Trotec. They are going to replace the tube . I am happy about that. What I am not too happy about is it is going to cost me for the service call

$75.00 per hour travel time to and From New Jersey + gas and any Lunch he purchases on the way.

$150.00 per hour when he gets here. 2 hour minimum.

So probably gonna cost me a grand till it is all said and done. Oh and he said the only thing that saved me was my posts on this site.

Replacing the tube out of warranty is pretty decent of them but I wonder what they would have done if you would have caught this right after your purchase... My guess is that they would have sent someone to replace it at no cost whatsoever. I think I would remind them of this and try to negotiate a discount on the install - maybe split it with you. If they won't do that then ask them to ship it to you and you can install it yourself - it really shouldn't be that difficult to do.

I'm sure that everyone here will be watching to see how they handle this. They have already proven that they have good customer service by offering to replace the tube, lets see if they will go one step further...

[Mike Null]

Tami

I replaced my tube myself in less than 30 minutes. I would be interested in knowing who you've been dealing with if you'd care to mention his name.

[TAMI WILSON]

Keith
They really did not give me a choice on the install. But probably is the best way to go then I know/hope it is done correctly. I would not want to tackle it myself.

[TAMI WILSON]

Mike

His name was mike.

[Rich Harman]

I think that if you've been making do with a bad tube for two years - after their tech dept said it was okay, that they should not only replace and install it free of charge, but also apply the original warranty to the replacement tube. And they should thank you for the opportunity to make things right.

[TAMI WILSON]

Rich, In a perfect world.......

I have been making do with a bad tube from day one. Mubarak installed it Oct 11 2012 and if you look at my post on Oct 15th I am wondering why my settings are so far off what the manufacturer recommends for their products. I did not call Trotec at the time because I was a new laser owner and just thought that was the way things are.
I did call Trotec a year or so ago when I discovered I could not get an even engrave the width of my laser. in other words it engraved fine at the middle of the table but faded out on both sides. Hopefully getting this new tube will fix that issue as well.

[Matt McCoy]

I think that if you've been making do with a bad tube for two years - after their tech dept said it was okay, that they should not only replace and install it free of charge, but also apply the original warranty to the replacement tube. And they should thank you for the opportunity to make things right.

I agree with you, Rich. Mistakes happen, but Tami never received the machine that was paid for.

[Rich Harman]

Ahh, okay. Well three and a half years, or two and a half until your first call is a little different. I read that thread and it is not clear to me if your laser was underperforming at that time or whether it was user error. It's a good example of why it is best (IMO) to bring just one issue up at a time, with all the details necessary (material, lens used, where focused, speed and power settings etc.,). We probably could have determined for sure if we would have focused on just the power issue.

[Mike Null]

I know a tech at Trotec by the name of Mike. If it is the same guy he'll do the install and then check all adjustments, software, firmware and should have your machine in like new condition in short order.

[TAMI WILSON]

I know a tech at Trotec by the name of Mike. If it is the same guy he'll do the install and then check all adjustments, software, firmware and should have your machine in like new condition in short order.

Mike

Mike is the name of the tech support person in Michigan that I spoke to on the phone. They are sending me a tech guy from New Jersey so probably not the same guy.
I am sure whoever shows up will do fine though. :-)

With this whole experience if I could give advice to new Trotec/Laser owners it would be to insist the installer do a meter check on the tube before they leave. You laser owners who have had lasers previously probably would have picked up on this issue tight away, but us newbies do not know what to expect out of our lasers. While it is going to cost me a grand to get this new tube installed I am chocking it up to "Tuition" I have learned from this and It doesn't hurt as much when you think of it that way. LOL Thanks to you and all the laser heads out there. This forum is priceless.

[Keith Winter]

Speaking from experience.... They don't always come and replace the tube even if you are in warranty. Depends on how busy they are. I've had three bad tubes on two machines and both were in warranty. The first completely died in a little less than a year, they came out and replaced it and it was good to go. The second one was bad from the start, I called them a week after the install and said something was wrong, nothing engraved or cut as at the same settings as the first laser. A few months later they sent me the power tool and it was only pushing around 62+- watts. When I opened it up to replace it, it had a sticker on the side that said 60 watts, so it was the wrong tube from the start on that one (was supposed to be 80w). Bad news was the replacement was only pushing 75 watts at the source according to the tool, which a tech came and verified, and so they graciously replaced the replacement, leading to my third install. New tube clocked in around 85 watts :D.

All in all I'm happy with the tube service. I was worried about the install too Tami but it turned out to be worrying for nothing. It's not hard, just takes a couple hours to realign everything. They will be happy to go over it with you on the phone, but they gave me about 5 minutes instruction and I was able to change it. Very simple as Mike Null said, probably 30 minutes to physically change it out. Hardest part is realigning after you change it out. Which you should do anyway, nothing says the tech will be as particular about alignment as you will be :)

On asking them to test each machine as they install it....
Tami the initial install guys don't have meters sadly. "Power Wizard Power Meters" are what Trotec uses. They are outrageously priced at $1000+ a pop so it's very hard to get Trotec to send one with every install.


Replacing the tube out of warranty is pretty decent of them but I wonder what they would have done if you would have caught this right after your purchase... My guess is that they would have sent someone to replace it at no cost whatsoever. I think I would remind them of this and try to negotiate a discount on the install - maybe split it with you. If they won't do that then ask them to ship it to you and you can install it yourself - it really shouldn't be that difficult to do.


I'm sure that everyone here will be watching to see how they handle this. They have already proven that they have good customer service by offering to replace the tube, lets see if they will go one step further...

[Ross Moshinsky]

Installing a new tube and aligning everything is a job you should be able to take care of over an hour or so on a Saturday morning when things are quiet. I've never done a Trotec, but I believe it to be more or less a universal truth with all lasers.

The other thing to mention is you can get an analog power meter from ebay for about $120. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mahoney-CO2-Laser-Power-Meter-Probe-0-200-watts-/322057869504?hash=item4afc2518c0:g:Kq8AAOSwxp9W4N4 J

[Jerome Stanek]

When they say travel time make sure you are talking the same thing ask if that is one way or both ways. If you bought a 80 watt unit and they shipped a 40 watt they should make it good for free. Why would you pay extra to get what you both agreed to. Like ordering a Corvette and getting a Camaro.

[Mike Null]

Interestingly and very surprising to me, was that my tube installed and aligned perfectly without any adjustment by me. In other words, the 30 minutes that I mentioned was actually the total time required.

Some of the kudos have to go to Photovac for their precision work in remanufacturing the tube.

[Raphael Weil]

What's the thickest ply an 80W Speedy 300 should cut in a single pass? I figure that's a cheaper way for me to know if they sold me what I think they sold me.

[Keith Winter]

What's the thickest ply an 80W Speedy 300 should cut in a single pass? I figure that's a cheaper way for me to know if they sold me what I think they sold me.

That's subjective Raphael. Plywood varies so greatly you would likely get 10 different answers from 10 different people because each would be using a different plywood from a different supplier. Start with your vendor recommended settings that came on your Trotec. If they are off much then call support and get suggested settings would be what I would do. Are you having an issue with your laser?

[Rich Harman]

What's the thickest ply an 80W Speedy 300 should cut in a single pass? I figure that's a cheaper way for me to know if they sold me what I think they sold me.

My 80W would cut 1/2" ply in one pass. Thicker than that would result in charring due to the slow speed required. I never cut in multiple passes - unless I screw up and have to make a second pass because I tried to cut it at too fast of a speed.

[Raphael Weil]

That's subjective Raphael. Plywood varies so greatly you would likely get 10 different answers from 10 different people because each would be using a different plywood from a different supplier. Start with your vendor recommended settings that came on your Trotec. If they are off much then call support and get suggested settings would be what I would do. Are you having an issue with your laser?

I wouldn't know I suppose. What I use it for is so specific that I wouldn't really know if I was underpowered or not (it was just this thread that made me wonder what's really under the hood). I mostly raster hardwoods at 20% speed 100% power. I guess I was just looking for some quick test on what an 80w unit might cut through to keep up with it over the life of the unit. But like many things in the laser world, there's no cutting corners (pun semi-intended).

Btw I do have one issue with gunk accumulating on the tip of the laser head. Spoke to support who explained how to turn the dial that increases air flow to the laser head. From what I can tell I have that set to max air flow. But if I'm rastering maple+poly with my 1.5" lens I get some crazy gunk accumulating on the end of it really fast. Can even ruin my pieces as stuff falls on the piece mid-engrave. I looked inside the laser head with the lens out and the hole isn't plugged with anything visible. Am I missing any other obvious ways to get more air blowing there? I'm not sure what the air flow coming out of that is supposed to feel like, but I wouldn't categorize it as "strong" by any means. Outside of that my laser seems to be working great.

[Matt McCoy]

I don't think air assist is the issue, but more likely evacuation from the cabinet if you have accumulation dropping from the nose cone.

[Keith Winter]

I wouldn't know I suppose. What I use it for is so specific that I wouldn't really know if I was underpowered or not (it was just this thread that made me wonder what's really under the hood). I mostly raster hardwoods at 20% speed 100% power. I guess I was just looking for some quick test on what an 80w unit might cut through to keep up with it over the life of the unit. But like many things in the laser world, there's no cutting corners (pun semi-intended).

Btw I do have one issue with gunk accumulating on the tip of the laser head. Spoke to support who explained how to turn the dial that increases air flow to the laser head. From what I can tell I have that set to max air flow. But if I'm rastering maple+poly with my 1.5" lens I get some crazy gunk accumulating on the end of it really fast. Can even ruin my pieces as stuff falls on the piece mid-engrave. I looked inside the laser head with the lens out and the hole isn't plugged with anything visible. Am I missing any other obvious ways to get more air blowing there? I'm not sure what the air flow coming out of that is supposed to feel like, but I wouldn't categorize it as "strong" by any means. Outside of that my laser seems to be working great.

It's a design flaw with the Trotecs. I have the same issue with my Speedy 400, and and Speedy 300. Ruined multiple lenses last year. The cutting grid on the bottom of the 400 series is limited to a 2" port which then gets divided in two and spread along the entire surface of the cutting grid resulting in a very weak pull from the bottom exhaust. Where as the top has a 4" port pulling for a straight line above the nozzle head. Resulting in the smoke being constantly pulled across the nozzle and lense on its way back above to the upper exhaust. Same with Speedy 300 but it has no lower exhaust. Higher exhaust does not fix the issue rather it just pulls the smoke even quicker up to the top and over the nozzle and lens. Air assist helps but the flaw in how the lower cutting table was designed with insufficient suction means you cannot fix the issue, only clean your lens and nozzle very frequently when cutting or engraving things like wood.

[Mike Null]

Remove the nose cone when you're rastering. There is nothing wrong with the air evacuation on a 300 nor the air assist.

Keith, I wondered why you had to replace lens so often--this explains it. Mine is 9 years old and still using the original lens.

[Raphael Weil]

Remove the nose cone when you're rastering. There is nothing wrong with the air evacuation on a 300 nor the air assist.

Keith, I wondered why you had to replace lens so often--this explains it. Mine is 9 years old and still using the original lens.

Woah this just blew my mind a little. I'm just going to take your (very experienced) word for it and try that. What's the cone theoretically for then?

[Gary Hair]

The only time you need the nose cone is when you are vectoring, never when rastering. Same with air assist - only when vectoring. Some may disagree, but the one thing for sure - if you have the nose cone on then you must have the air on, nose cone off then air is off.

[Bert Kemp]

Rastering at 100% power and 20% speed with 80 watt laser . You do mean cutting at those settings right???
Seems at thoses setting you would almost cut thru 1/4 inch stock while rastering.


I wouldn't know I suppose. What I use it for is so specific that I wouldn't really know if I was underpowered or not (it was just this thread that made me wonder what's really under the hood). I mostly raster hardwoods at 20% speed 100% power. I guess I was just looking for some quick test on what an 80w unit might cut through to keep up with it over the life of the unit. But like many things in the laser world, there's no cutting corners (pun semi-intended).

Btw I do have one issue with gunk accumulating on the tip of the laser head. Spoke to support who explained how to turn the dial that increases air flow to the laser head. From what I can tell I have that set to max air flow. But if I'm rastering maple+poly with my 1.5" lens I get some crazy gunk accumulating on the end of it really fast. Can even ruin my pieces as stuff falls on the piece mid-engrave. I looked inside the laser head with the lens out and the hole isn't plugged with anything visible. Am I missing any other obvious ways to get more air blowing there? I'm not sure what the air flow coming out of that is supposed to feel like, but I wouldn't categorize it as "strong" by any means. Outside of that my laser seems to be working great.

[Bert Kemp]

Please explain why no nose cone when rastering. All that smoke and residue will rise up and dirty the lens is no air is on. Is there any harm in leaving air and cone on while rastering other then having the compressor running a lot.??



Rastering at 100% power and 20% speed with 80 watt laser . You do mean cutting at those settings right???
Seems at thoses setting you would almost cut thru 1/4 inch stock while rastering.

[Keith Winter]

Remove the nose cone when you're rastering. There is nothing wrong with the air evacuation on a 300 nor the air assist.

Keith, I wondered why you had to replace lens so often--this explains it. Mine is 9 years old and still using the original lens.

Open to improvement suggestions, and your experience. Curious why you'd remove the nose cone?

I'd disagree on the air evacuation. I didn't realize why I was encountering the issue until I got a Chinese laser. Never had a cone or lens issue with it since the entire exhaust is through the bottom below the cutting grid.

[Mike Null]

Keith

I had always left the nose cone in place for rastering and cutting. I just cleaned my lens 4 or 5 times a day. One day Steve Shepherd and I were talking and he told me about leaving the cone off for rastering. Since the bulk of my work involves rastering I gave it try and have never looked back.

I don't have an issue with air evacuation but I have heard some complaints on the Speedy 400 design.

[Ross Moshinsky]

Open to improvement suggestions, and your experience. Curious why you'd remove the nose cone?

I'd disagree on the air evacuation. I didn't realize why I was encountering the issue until I got a Chinese laser. Never had a cone or lens issue with it since the entire exhaust is through the bottom below the cutting grid.

I'd imagine it's due to the Venturi effect. The exhaust rushing by the cone creates a low pressure zone near the lens which actually draws dust/debris up there. One solution is to take the cone off. The other is to run low pressure all the time.

[Keith Winter]

I'd imagine it's due to the Venturi effect. The exhaust rushing by the cone creates a low pressure zone near the lens which actually draws dust/debris up there. One solution is to take the cone off. The other is to run low pressure all the time.

Very interesting thanks Ross for that insight.

[Raphael Weil]

Removed the cone yesterday for deep wood rasters, wow what a difference. No crud accumulation on the cone, and surprisingly not more/less crud on the lens. No more cone for me then! Thanks guys.

[Matt McCoy]

Please share pics of your work, if you get a chance.

[Raphael Weil]

Rastering at 100% power and 20% speed with 80 watt laser . You do mean cutting at those settings right???
Seems at thoses setting you would almost cut thru 1/4 inch stock while rastering.

Hey I'm so glad you posted this. I've been tremendously underwhelmed by the power of my Speedy 300 for what I paid for an 80W. I only know this compared to a 90W FSL which I used regularly and rastered way way deeper. . I can tell you that right now at:

100% power, 25% speed
250 dpi, relief mode (but the shades are black so max raster)
on Cherry with 1 *very* light coat of shellac

I get less than a 1/16th of an inch in depth. That seem right to you guys?

How deep should I be doing on a piece of bare cherry or maple in standard mode at 250? I'll try it out and upload a pic. Man I wonder if I got the wrong tube power.


Please share pics of your work, if you get a chance.

My wife's taking some pictures tomorrow actually, I'll upload.

[Keith Winter]

Raphael make sure your comparing apples to apples your FSL 600mm/s is somewhere around 20-25% speed on your Trotec. Might even be closer to 10-15% of the Speedy speed depending on the mm/s you were running on the FSL.

[Raphael Weil]

Raphael make sure your comparing apples to apples your FSL 100% speed is like 25% speed on your Trotec. If you ran your Trotec at 25% speed and 100% power it should be similar to the FSL yes?

I'm not entirely sure I follow. I just know that I'm essentially at 1/16th of an inch in depth with my 80W Trotec, and I could never hit 1/8th of an inch with it. At 15% speed even I wouldn't make 1/8th of an inch of depth into hardwood. I simply don't know how deep it could go in theory. I emailed my rep to find out.

[Gary Hair]

Hey I'm so glad you posted this. I've been tremendously underwhelmed by the power of my Speedy 300 for what I paid for an 80W. I only know this compared to a 90W FSL which I used regularly and rastered way way deeper. . I can tell you that right now at:

100% power, 25% speed
250 dpi, relief mode (but the shades are black so max raster)
on Cherry with 1 *very* light coat of shellac

I get less than a 1/16th of an inch in depth. That seem right to you guys?

How deep should I be doing on a piece of bare cherry or maple in standard mode at 250? I'll try it out and upload a pic. Man I wonder if I got the wrong tube power.



My wife's taking some pictures tomorrow actually, I'll upload.


I almost never run that low of dpi so my results will be different than yours, but I would guess you should get fairly deep at 25% speed. I just rastered some mdf at 100% power, 40% speed and 500 dpi - I didn't measure it but I would guess I got a bit less than a 1/16" per pass. I'll run a test tomorrow and measure it to see exactly what it is.

[Mike Null]

I never run 250 dpi either. If I'm working wood I use 500 dpi. I can get about .050" at 100 p, 30s on my 45 watt machine. I'm less interested in depth than in contrast.

[Keith Winter]

Hi Raphael, I updated my speed comment above to be more clear.

[Raphael Weil]

I never run 250 dpi either. If I'm working wood I use 500 dpi. I can get about .050" at 100 p, 30s on my 45 watt machine. I'm less interested in depth than in contrast.

Is the contrast really dramatically different moving up in DPI? I'll have to try a test today to see, very curious about that.

[Raphael Weil]

Raphael make sure your comparing apples to apples your FSL 600mm/s is somewhere around 20-25% speed on your Trotec. Might even be closer to 10-15% of the Speedy speed depending on the mm/s you were running on the FSL.

Ah I get it now. a 90W FSL moving at it's full speed is going around the same speed as the Speedy at 10-15%. But then we agree that I should be getting better than 1/16th of an inch deep at 10% on an 80W Speedy if my 90W FSL at 100% is going a full 1/8th of an inch.

[Keith Winter]

Ah I get it now. a 90W FSL moving at it's full speed is going around the same speed as the Speedy at 10-15%. But then we agree that I should be getting better than 1/16th of an inch deep at 10% on an 80W Speedy if my 90W FSL at 100% is going a full 1/8th of an inch.

Yes I would say that's accurate. Also on your resolution 300 dpi would be the minimum I would ever use. 500 dpi is recommended for most applications as Mike said. Try it, might help. BTW 1/8th inch is very deep. I'm surprised you're not charring the wood going that deep. I'd be more worried about the contrast than getting that deep.

[Kev Williams]

I usually run 300 dpi in wood with my 40w LS900. And running mine at 100 power and 25 speed gives me nearly the exact results you're getting...

I still think 1/2 your laser tube is dead, and was from the getgo...

[Raphael Weil]

Ok mystery solved. Unlike the FSL, the Speedy 300 certainly has way way WAY less engraving depth at 250 DPI. I engraved almost only in 250 dpi on the 90W FSL and easily got 1/8th of an inch depth in hardwood. On the Speedy even way down at 15% Speed 100% power for 250 DPI I'd get more like a 1/16th of an inch. But up at 500 DPI when I tried 30% it absolutely pulverized the wood. Charred it at went really deep. At 500 DPI and 45% speed I'm getting well upwards of a 1/16th of an inch in depth. So does it sound like my Speedy 300 is about normal like that? Any of you owners get better on 250 DPI and 20% speed in something like Maple?

[Keith Winter]

Raphael, I think everyone was pretty clear, no one that has posted uses 250 dpi on wood.... A couple said 300 dpi and a few said 500 dpi. I'd like to help you resolve this, but you need to use settings that others are using if you expect a reply.


So does it sound like my Speedy 300 is about normal like that? Any of you owners get better on 250 DPI and 20% speed in something like Maple?

[Raphael Weil]

Raphael, I think everyone was pretty clear, no one that has posted uses 250 dpi on wood.... A couple said 300 dpi and a few said 500 dpi. I'd like to help you resolve this, but you need to use settings that others are using if you expect a reply.

No problem Keith, I was just curious if someone had ever tried it. I appreciate all the help I get on here, believe me. I can't imagine taking on all the marketing, product photography, design, web design, e-commerce, graphic design, accounting, woodworking, wood sourcing, finishing, shipping, customer service AND somehow instantly mastering the laser. It's been a hell of a learning curve but it's coming along. Btw most of that other stuff I specialize in, so I'm happy to return the favor in those areas. And since people asked, this is at 250 DPI. But I tried 333 DPI and found on some of my stuff it worked out better, particularly with the sapwood (a word I just learned a week ago). Thanks for the advice on the settings (btw 500 DPI was overkill in the end and produced no better result).

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[Gary Hair]

That looks nice Raphael!


No problem Keith, I was just curious if someone had ever tried it. I appreciate all the help I get on here, believe me. I can't imagine taking on all the marketing, product photography, design, e-commerce, graphic design, accounting, woodworking, finishing, AND somehow instantly mastering the laser. It's been a hell of a learning curve but it's coming along. And since people asked, this is at 250 DPI. But I tried 333 DPI and found on some of my stuff it worked out better, particularly with the sapwood.

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[Keith Winter]

No problem Keith, I was just curious if someone had ever tried it. I appreciate all the help I get on here, believe me. I can't imagine taking on all the marketing, product photography, design, web design, e-commerce, graphic design, accounting, woodworking, wood sourcing, finishing, shipping, customer service AND somehow instantly mastering the laser. It's been a hell of a learning curve but it's coming along. Btw most of that other stuff I specialize in, so I'm happy to return the favor in those areas. And since people asked, this is at 250 DPI. But I tried 333 DPI and found on some of my stuff it worked out better, particularly with the sapwood (a word I just learned a week ago). Thanks for the advice on the settings (btw 500 DPI was overkill in the end and produced no better result).

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Great looking work Raphael!

[John Noell]

Looks good!

[Raphael Weil]

hey thanks guys, means a lot. Now I just need some sun so I can get this darn cherry to darken. We've still got snow here, doesn't help the process. I'm trying to do whatever I can before I have to buy UV lights to darken my cherry. If you had asked me 10 years ago while I sat at a desk if I'd be tanning wood I'd have called you nuts.

[Mike Null]

Raphael

Just a further explanation. 333 dpi will work just fine for most woods but it doesn't give me adequate contrast. For my work, depth of engraving is only necessary when I'm color filling. I had to do a piece of pine this week, and with pine, contrast is difficult to achieve. I engraved it once at 500 dpi then took it out of focus by about an 1/8 of an inch and ran it again for more contrast.

[Raphael Weil]

Raphael

Just a further explanation. 333 dpi will work just fine for most woods but it doesn't give me adequate contrast. For my work, depth of engraving is only necessary when I'm color filling. I had to do a piece of pine this week, and with pine, contrast is difficult to achieve. I engraved it once at 500 dpi then took it out of focus by about an 1/8 of an inch and ran it again for more contrast.

I've got a lot to learn on that side of things for sure. I suspect 500 dpi may be the trick for Maple for example, which right now is giving me some funny sort of grey result I don't love. Curious to see how it goes. Thanks again for all the tips on this front.

btw when you say out of focus by 1/8th, I'm guessing that's 1/8th closer to the piece?

[Mike Null]

Away, but closer may also work.

[Mayo Pardo]

In the Trotec Job control software in your material settings you have PPI.
I believe the number of pulses per inch has a direct effect on contrast and or cutting depth...
Raphael what is your PPI set to, and have you tried increasing it to see what effect it has?
Keep the same power and speed setting but increase your PPI and I think your depth will increase.

[Raphael Weil]

In the Trotec Job control software in your material settings you have PPI.
I believe the number of pulses per inch has a direct effect on contrast and or cutting depth...
Raphael what is your PPI set to, and have you tried increasing it to see what effect it has?
Keep the same power and speed setting but increase your PPI and I think your depth will increase.

Oh neat, I had read quickly that PPI only mattered for vector cuts. But I'm game to try and see what happens with my stuff. I believe my PPI is currently always set to 500.

[Barb Macdonald]

Hi Tami
It's probably too late to change anything, but I, a decidedly non-techie person, was able to change out the tube myself. I have an Epilog, but Trotec servcie department should be able to walk you through it, as epilog did for me. All I paid was shipping.
Best of luck!