Several months ago I bought a cheap secondhand K40/50 laser. It never worked quite right since it cannot cut through anything except business cards.
Through a previous post I’ve aligned the laser from start to finish.
I’ve bought new mirrors and a new focal lense.
It still won’t cut through anything though.
I’ve done the ramp test, but to me the line looks the same for much of the distance. What is the typical distance from the object material to the bottom of focal cap? I’ve measure it to be about 0.4"; which is about another 1" to the bottom of the focal lense.
What color should be CO2 color be? Since I bought it second hand, could the CO2 tube be bad? I measured the length of the tube and its 800mm long.
Hi Ron,
The focal distance is given by the lens, if you change it as explained, please provide data or reference. Ramp test is a good idea, you should see a neater point at focus distance same at a low power (end of life tube).
You must also know a laser tube have limited life expectancy, the 2 main factors are shelf time (gas deteriorate with time) and usage (hours, intensity, water temperature).
He said he didn’t use it in several years; I believed him judging from the amount of dust everywhere on the machine
So, more than likely, the CO2 tube needs to be replaced?
