Help? Laser Tube Repair Source, GCC Explorer ?

Hello :)

Can anyone recommend a US-Based repair service for air-cooled Co2 laser tubes? Our 3.5 year old GCC LaserPro Explorer seems to have a problem with it's tube made by Coherent; the problem was isolated via telephone with GCC America's excellent tech support; also, machine has a new power-supply and we've confirmed that the tube is getting 48 Watts of power.

Machine does ALMOST everything correctly (powers up, initializes, home position, auto-focus, receives job via USB, proper X/Y/Z movement) but NO laser output!

Can anyone recommend a fast and affordable company offering tube repair? We tend to think the tube still has a strong charge since we did NOT experience any power-drops before the tube suddenly stopped output and the machine has been used sparingly since its last meter-reading of 30 + watts in June '05.

If anyone has required tube repair, what did it cost and how long was the wait?

Thanks in advance for ANY help, Regards, JB Lynn

Sign warehouse sells pinnacle lasers. Which is made by GCC. I think they can repair or replace your tube. Very nice people. http://www.signwarehouse.com/ I think their tech guys name is Kevin Huffman, he posts on here also. I just talked to Mitch there and we talked about recharge and replacement of tubes. Maybe if the latest tubes being used can be used in your model they can tell you or send you in the right direction for help.Hope they can help you. I believe they can. rick woodward

Try this site
http://www.parallax-tech.com/otherser.htm#repair_prices

Cost me $4000 to repair my 30w Coherent tube , it had to go to Germany , it came back with a 6 month warrantee and died 3 days after the warrantee expired.. I dumped that machine and bought a cheap one to replace it. If that is the projected cost in your scenario , I would actually maybe buy a synrad source and replace the coherent with that. We had incredible issues with coherent sources in our explorers , it seems that the coherent GCC marriage isnt a happy one. AFAIK GCC stopped offering the coherent tube and went soley with synrad..

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rodne Gold

Cost me $4000 to repair my 30w Coherent tube , it had to go to Germany , it came back with a 6 month warrantee and died 3 days after the warrantee expired.. I dumped that machine and bought a cheap one to replace it. If that is the projected cost in your scenario , I would actually maybe buy a synrad source and replace the coherent with that. We had incredible issues with coherent sources in our explorers , it seems that the coherent GCC marriage isnt a happy one. AFAIK GCC stopped offering the coherent tube and went soley with synrad..

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For $4k I would have thought you would just buy a new machine... Your Shenhui machines didn't cost much more than that did they?

After that $4000 debacle , thats EXACTLY what I did and will continue to do...as my tubes die, I will replace with new "cheapy" machines. $4k is just the tube costs .. if you look at my "rediculous prices" post- it seems that other parts are just as expensive. I am using the dead Explorer as a parts source for the remaining 2. Of the 2 remaining , one tube is most likely on its way out , its cutting with dashed lines at higher powers. We using it just for engraving and cutting rowmark and less power intensive tasks. When it dies , I will have another bunch of scrap taking up workshop space. I might open up the tubes to see if its something electronic..maybe...or they will end up on e-bay..
To me , a laser is just a production tool and spending $6500 or so with new tube and parts to "revive" one just isnt worth it. There is no real market for 2nd hand machines in South Africa , so "protecting the investment" is not a good option.

There is a company in Columbus, Ohio that repairs tubes. There is no "low priced" repair.

Here's the link. http://www.photovaclaser.com/lasers.html

Mike is absolutely right – there is no “low-priced” repair, but IMO there jolly well should be.

As discussed in another thread, the RF laser manufacturers are almost holding their loyal customers to ransom. There really should be cheap repairs and gas refills in order to preserve the ‘high end laser’ business and prevent the foreign imports gaining a stronghold.

The RF electronics is hardly any more complex or technically advanced to that used in a microwave oven. The components are no more expensive and the necessary test equipment and staff training is no greater so why the high cost of repair ??.

The re-gas and mirror alignment is not rocket science either, OK perhaps I could not do it myself, at home but I bet a trained refrigeration engineer would at least know where to start on the refill and a bit of specialised test equipment would certainly get the mirror alignment.

Come on you RF laser manufacturers / suppliers, get your act together and stop ripping-off your loyal customers with exaggerated pricing of servicing and spares.

Paul.

I'm not sure if JB Lynn is still following this thread, as his laser broke in 2006. But maybe JB is still waiting for advice . . .