Howdy fine folks of Sawmill Creek!
I work for a small company that is about to purchase a large format laser to help us make our really cool artistic products. I will be the laser operator. This is a huge purchase for our small company, and we already had a poor experience with our first attempt at getting the right tool. We are currently looking at the Trotec SP 3000, the Kern OptiFlex and the Vytek LST510. We are having a hard time understanding why the tube for the Vytek supposedly has the longest expected lifespan and the cheapest replacement cost. I would love to better understand what the differences are between these tubes and I'm not sure I trust the sales guys to give me the honest answers. I THINK the Kerns make their own tubes and claim a 3-5 yr lifespan, the Trotec claims 4-5 years "or longer" on their 200W Water cooled Synrad, and the Vytek's 200 Watt water cooled is a ceramic based Iradion with a 5 to 8 year lifespan. I understand that a clean environment is an important factor in tube lifespan....and I would imagine that usage and care would also be factors in tube lifespan.
If anyone here can share their tube knowledge with me, that'd be great. And since yalls have way more experience with lasers than me, I'd love to get some tips from any of you that have had experience with any of these different laser makers....or if there is one we should be considering that we haven't yet discovered! Our biggest requirement is that the working area needs to be at least 5x10' - (passthrough style won't work for us.) We are only going to be cutting wood, our thickest material will be a quarter inch plywood. We will also be cutting eighth inch, mostly cedar....sometimes aspen...and a tiny bit of walnut. Speed is also a pretty important factor for us, as some of our designs have some super detailed cuts. We are also a little confused as to how the Trotec's test cut for us was able to cut nearly twice as fast as the test cuts from the other two makers....similar wattages. My best guess is that the Trotrec's gantry might be lighter than the other two? Allowing it to move faster? I think they all have the Servo Motors. Are there different types of Servo Motors that can drastically change speed capabilities?
I am also pretty confused about laser safety. When I ask the sales guys about it....it feels like they are not able to be fully honest with me and I can't tell if it's more dangerous or less dangerous than what they are saying. lol. I'm also super confused about if Trotec's claim on running their SP3000 as a class 2 is legit, because the Kern guy says his OSHA guy wouldn't approve that type of design as class 2. So I turn to you my dear Sawmill Creek community to tell me what's real...not just a sales pitch. Tell me what's real. What's been good for you on your woodcutting laser journeys...what have been your challenges...what do you wish you would have known.
Thanks!
-Nellie
Future Laser Operator