I think Dave is talking about silicone tubing around the + side for arc prevention.
Gozzie
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Yup, sheath the entire + HT line ,
keeping mildew down...half a teaspoon of chlorine crystals (the stuff used in home pools) works well on all of mine. (literally half a teaspoon in 6L of water)
Gozzie thank you for this. Got me started and going on the right foot :)
Unfortunately they sent me a bad tube. Lasted for less than 30 minutes of use. That black spot I saw on the tube when I opened it on the "nipple" of the tube turned into a second black spot that started to create micro cracks in the glass. Really upsetting because the laser was delayed a couple weeks so they could "quality control it and test the tube", and you and I both know these things cost more than other Chinese lasers. Was rather nice until it died. I'm sure they will make it right, but I already had jobs for it. We'll see what they do to make this right, and I'll update everyone once I get the results so others know what to expect if they order from them, good or bad.
This conversation continues on a new thread about the tube issue and service for anyone that is following my thunder review, that topic is here:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthre...er-need-advice!
So this will be my final update unless something changes or someone has a question. I'll try to wrap it all up.
After receiving the machine the tube went bad the first day (you can read about that in the link above). After about a week of back and forth, the boss at Thunder Laser was brought into the conversation and they agreed to reimburse me the $1350 it cost me to get the new tube + shipping AND they sent me a new EFR ZN-1650 tube as well :)
After being down 10 days I received the tube I ordered installed it, aligned the laser and I was back in business. About a week after that, I received the second tube which I plan on storing for an emergency.
In the two weeks since we received the first replacement tube we have been cutting 10-12 hours a day 5 days a week with it. The engraving is very average, but I must say I'm blown away with the cut quality and smoothness of the machine when cutting, and we also like the software. The software is basic, but it does everything it needs to for us. This is kind of a blessing in a way, since anyone can operate the laser pretty easily with minimal training now that we have figured out the basics. Most all of the hard work was done in advance at the manufacturer. I'm also very happy with the ultimate resolution we came to on the tube issue.
Hello,
I am asking for some time with the idea of buying a laser cutting machine.
For a budget issue, and to believe the good price / quality ratio, I rather directs me to a Chinese machine.
I have read a bit of the Forum. I read the adventures that you have encountered.
Repairing your tube problem dates from about three months.
Can you give us a return of further experience on the machine? Are you still satisfied?
Are there any negative points? ...
I read somewhere that the Chinese had a precision machine problem because of too much flexibility in the belts. Is this the case on such machines?
You made me discover the Thunder Laser manufacturer and, apart from the problem you have encountered, it seems to make good machines and be "upscale" in Chinese machinery, that I understood.
I seek to confirm this impression, to validate my choice.
For the belts’ problem, can they do a better mounting, or are there others Chinese manufacturers which offer that?
If some rather would guide me to other machines, I'm interested in any advice.
Sorry for my English (machine translation).
I've been very happy with the machine since the initial tube incident. Runs 8 hours a day flawlessly. As for engraving you are correct the Chinese engraving quality and speed is not up to par with the US machines even one with servos like the thunder vs steppers in regular Chinese machines. I think the controller is more of the problem than the belts. Above 800ms for standard or above 600ms for fine details the quality degrades a lot. This is still around half the Speed of a us machine. So if you are planning to engrave a lot of precision work I'd save up and get a USA machine. If you have less precise work to do or speed isn't an issue Chinese is ok. Really depends on the type of work you will he doing and your speed requirements...
As for the Thunder vs other Chinese, I'm biased :) However mine has been low maintenance, was setup correctly at the factory, and it has a few extra features, so I'd have to say it's a more premium machine than most of the other Chinese. Likewise they cost more. I like it, but yes you are correct, they are more expensive than many others.
Hi Keith, thank you very much for your response.
I'm delighted for you that your machine works so well.
I think especially to cutting and a little burning.
That's what I'm interested in having an affordable machine and together with a good level of quality superior to other Chinese.
I would like to know a little more about the cutting speed.
Do you have an idea of the maximum speed to get a good cut (in mm / s)?
I could use a Trotec 400. The cutting speed is amazing !!
How much of this speed can I expect to achieve with this Thunder machine?
Half, one-third of the speed?
I do not know what I've read ... is the machine removable (easily) (the lower part of the frame) to pass through the doors, toggling the height?
Is anyone have an idea of cutting speed that i can expect to get with Thunder Laser Machine (Mars 60X90 for example) compared with a Trotec 400 ??
Thanks a lot.
Yannick cut speed is determined by 1) your material 2) your material thickness 3) your beam power. The thunderlaser is no faster than any other Chinese at cutting, and not much slower than a trotec of similar power cutting. You could reasonably expect a chinese laser to be only roughly 10-12% slower since you cannot run a chinese laser above 90% power. The limiting factor is your laser power much more so than the brand/type of laser when cutting. If you're only going to cut you can go with any mid-level chinese laser, it will be similar if it's of similar power.
Read this in another forum -- Thunder Laser machines actually have hybrid servos (closed loop steppers mfg by Leadshine who
markets them as "easy servos". But their steppers. Of course Thunderlaser's site claims them as servos -- img. I would leave the link to
the forum thread but I don't think its permitted.
Attachment 360072
Are the legs of the Thunderlaser products removable. I want to get one into my basement but it will have to go through a low window.