Hi, This is my first post here and I'm going to have to apologize for how little i know about what I'm doing so please bear with me! I just purchased a used 100w camtech machine with a 40" bed and ruida controller. cma-1080k i believe is the model. I'm using it to cut 1/4" acrylic boat dashboards.
The machine just cant handle a project that takes more then 2 minutes to complete. After fussing with speed settings, adjusting all the mirrors and trying different tip distance, I've basically discovered that the best cut can only be achieved for about 2 or 3 minutes before it runs out of steam and the settings no longer matter. To give more exact detail, with the machine cutting .225 incher per second, 2 passes, it will cut the 1/4" acrylic perfectly for 2 or 3 minutes then it beings to cut about half way thru no matter how many times I run it consecutively.
I noticed that if i let the chiller cool back down to 16 degrees Celsius, and try again it will cut perfectly, ill stop it as the chiller warms up to about 18 degrees and when its back to 16, repeat. If I babysit the machine and run it in cycles like this, it can get a project done. If i just load up a file that may take 20 or 30 minutes for example, it can not complete the task. Is it just coincidence that the chiller needs to be cold for it to cut well, or do i need a better chiller? the machine supposedly has a new tube, if there was problems with he tube or the power supply wouldn't I see it on the amp gauge? it runs at 25millamps rock steady regardless of how well or not well it cuts, always set to 98% max, 95%min on the software.
One note to consider, I'm in Florida and its very likely close to 100 degrees in the workspace. with the humidity, the laser tip is sweating with condensation as soon as the chiller gets cold.
Nobody has any suggestions? I'm willing to throw parts at it, new tube, new power supply, whatever it takes. Cam tech has zero customer support and I just need a little direction here.
I don't have a laser, but it wouldn't surprise me that your machine is shutting down after a couple of minutes to protect itself from the extreme environmental conditions in your working environment. Here is a relevant page, but from a different laser manufacturer: https://forsuncnc.com/how-to-prevent...ion-in-summer/
Consider putting in an AC unit in the room as a test. Maybe try a window AC to see if it makes a difference, then use that to see if you need a better long term plan.
I ran the machine again with the chiller off, on a quick pass just to see. the result is the same, it can make a good cut for the first few minutes regardless of chiller temp. is the laser tube itself getting heat soaked? maybe the chiller temperature isn't necessarily a reflection of what's actually going on as far as the tubes internal temperature?
Would replacing the tube be worth my while? I'm working on air conditioning the space currently but i seriously doubt its going to completely solve my problem.
What chiller are you using? A compressor style chiller is required for a tube that large and wouldn’t vary in temperature like you describe. Any temperature between 16 and 19 degrees would be safe for your tube. Make sure it’s connected properly. However that temperature change wouldn’t change the cutting performance much.
Is the poor performance related to location on the laser bed? Like as it goes from one area to another it looses performance? That’s an alignment issue. Do test cuts in all four corners of the bed and the center.
Is the material slopped? Change in depth will change cut performance.
Condensation on the laser tip? That’s weird.
Does the power meter drop with decreasing cut performance?
no decrease at all on the power meter, meaning the power supply is good and the laser tube is shot???
the laser bed does seem to be a little closer to the laser on one end then the other but i honestly don't know how to adjust it. I have tried all different spots on the bed at all different distances and it does not seem to matter. it simply can only cut a nice clean cut for about 10" worth of distance, any more and it needs a break in between. I have not checked if the mirrors are possibly out of whack in different spots then the one where i made the adjustments, that might be worth checking. although i always get a crisp clean line where its trying to cut, it just cant get through.
I air conditioned the workspace, no difference. less sweating of the laser tip, coolant holds 17 degrees no problem. yes it is a real commercial type chiller with a coil.
I'm here right now making more cuts, wasting more material. speed it up, more passes, slow it down, less passes, distance on table, less power more passes, you name it, I've tried it. ultimately, it needs a 5 or 10 minute break, and makes a perfect 10" cut, then its pooped. camtech customer service is non existent btw, for anyone considering a machine from them.
I’ve been on these forums for many years and don’t recall a case where the machine needs a break. However tubes go bad all the time and usually from a not controlling temperature. Also if you overdrive if the tube. Or exceeded the life.
So how to check the tube? Place a target just in front of the tube and do a short burst. Your looking for a burn pattern that is high density at the center to less on the edges. A bad tube burns a ring pattern. Tubes can transition from good to bad which is possibly what you have after cutting for a while. But if they show that ring pattern there is no way to fix them. We are talking inexpensive glass CO2 here.
when aligning the mirrors I used packing tape and got a nice small hole dead center right off the laser tube. I will try again with a piece of 1/8" acrylic and this time AFTER its already giving me trouble.
Also, and this may be the breakthrough(I hope!) I've got the chiller filled with ****ty water and automotive antifreeze, quite honestly the water has a lot of particulate as the machine had been sitting around with no lid on the chiller before i purchased it. I rolled it off the trailer and just dumped whatever crap I had in it. As I dig through articles online I'm seeing that the chiller needs clean water, seems to be a concern for conductivity in the laser tube? does this sound like I'm on to something?
Clean water works fine. I wouldn’t use automotive antifreeze. I use RV or marine antifreeze because it stays clean.
On that tube test it’s just a 2 second burn at a medium power in light material. Not sure that I could tell in those photos.
I was going to mention this before that a 40” bed is pretty big and the bigger the bed the harder it is to align the optics for the entire bed.
Another thing that bothered me is the condensation comment. The only thing that I know would do that is compressed air. I’m not a fan of compressed air. A fish tank air pump works fine. I don’t cut a lot of acrylics but know that your not burning material like wood. Your melting the material so I’m thinking that less air is better. Something to experiment with because you don’t want the material to fuse back together.
the test performed was 95% for 2 seconds on 1/4" acrylic. id be happy to perform a more specific test if it would be of any assistance in figuring out my problem. As i mentioned before, i did only align the optics in one single sport, the middle of the bed. however, it has no problem failing to make a good cut right in the same spot that I aligned everything at, so I'm not convinced its an alignment problem.
I am using the fish tank air pump that was supplied with the machine. the condensation simply has to do with the extreme humidity here in south Florida, if the tip is cooled to 16 degrees Celsius its going to build condensation. I'm not the only person in this area making boat dashboards with a laser machine, there are plenty of businesses who have success doing exactly what I'm doing and do not air condition their workshops. I just don't know who services their machines?
At the risk of sounding stupid... Can I look at the laser tube as its operating to see if its arcing rather then producing a strait beam? as a welder/fabricator I'm a little confused with this machines safety or lack thereof, it doesn't hurt my eyes one bit to look at the machine while in use, is this a safety concern or not...
Be very careful around a CO2 laser beam. It’s invisible and can scatter off shiny objects and debris on mirrors. Buy CO2 safety glasses or close your eyes when test firing with an open machine. Don’t trust welding helmets. No you really can’t tell much by looking at the color of the tube while on.
I agree that the next step is to align the optics of the machine. The goal is to send the beam to the center of the lens over the entire range of the bed. Should be possible unless the machine was damaged in transport. First off is to have good clean mirrors and lens. If bad or not sure I would replace them. Make sure they can handle 100w. No glass. Check out Lightobject.com. Also make sure the gap between the lens and bed is parallel within under 0.010”.
Is there anything i can look for as far as damage to the lenses/mirrors? I'm on the website you recommended, id assume just measure the mirrors and lenses i have for size and order whatever the most expensive version of them? i wouldn't know what makes one better quality other then the price, forgive my ignorance.
I do noit know how to adjust the laser bed, ive looked under it but it simply does not seem to have any adjustments. ill pull it apart a little more and see if I'm missing something.
They should be a perfect surface You can clean them with oven cleaner (that’s what I use) but if they are scratched or pitted then replace them. I think for 100 watts Mo or Si would work. Glass won’t work but they may have stopped selling glass. I also trust Cloudray website for quality components.
You need to have a level bed. No clue to your setup. Normally they are belt driven which means if you remove the belt you can adjust the corners independently. May have a honeycomb top but whatever it is it can’t sag anywhere.
On the lens; they come in a verity of focal lengths. Short focal has a bigger cone than long focal which is good for thick material. You want the finest beam, in focus, to be at the top of the material. I would start with a standard lens just above 50mm. When you finish alignment you will need to find that focal point which doesn’t change for that lens.
Kind of a lot to consider but they work really well once you take the time to maintain them.
well that's a lot of information. I will start trying to figure out how to get the bed leveled my self and inspect the optics again.
I am confused as to what cone/lenses i need or how to tell what I have? the cone itself is the main factor in distance or is there a difference in the lense that goes in the cone? forgive me as i don't entirely understand the components, you'd have to explain it to me like I'm 5 years old in regards to which part is what as we get closer to the tip of the laser.
Is there no such thing as a business that services these machine's for a living? or am i searching the wrong thing on google... "laser machine repair near me" lol. I would assume that my machine is to small for anyone who maintains real industrial equipment but a bit large for a harry homeowner type tool, so who the heck work on such a thing?
Point is most common lens is 50.8. For engraving go shorter. Longer for deep cuts.
How do you measure your lens? Hold it above some fine print like a magnifying glass and measure how far it is away when in focus.
Service? Sorry not sure about that. you would have to call a laser distributor in your area. Tuning a machine is not too complicated. Complicated would be changing the tube or upgrading the controller.
Btw I’m also harry homeowner but being an engineer I built mine from scratch. I learned a lot about how they work that way. The main difference is that I’m not under pressure to use it for a business.
all new light object mo mirrors and a new 50.8 focus lens, aligned it all again and the machine works great. its doing in one pass at twice the speed what it was doing before in 3 or 4 passes at half the speed and 25 times the frustration.
The mirrors that came out were SI and although they were supposed to be new, they were pretty beat up. I tried a 100.something focus lens and it just was not working no matter what thickness material or distance i set it up as. the 50.8 seems to match the output of the machine, I think maybe that longer focal distance would in theory make a deeper cut if the laser was strong enough.
Thanks for all the help Dean. you were just about the only one, cam five still has not returned my call after 5 attempts.
Good to hear, glad I could help. Btw this forum is relatively inactive compared to the Lightburn forum. You might want to check it out. However the trend these days is away from CO2 laser cutters and toward laser diode machines which are far less expensive. Having said that there are a bunch of CO2 and controller “experts” on that site if you have more issues.
Well I spoke too soon. Got about half way thru an engraving project, and a whole new problem has emerged.
It cuts fine at 95% output, it was working so well for my cutting projects that i took on an engraving job. At 7.5% where I'm engraving switch covers it hit a point where the laser wont fire. sometimes it will stop all together with no code, most times it will go through the motions without the laser firing about half way into an engraving. If i set the machine to fire at 95 percent for a moment, then run it back at 7.5%, most times that allows it to operate for some time.
when its running through the motions with no laser firing, my milli amp meter is still plugging along as if it were working fine. i tried running the software at 100% and gating back the percentage with the knob on the machine. kind of the same problem, it just doesn't want to fire below a particular amperage. maybe its not really made to operate at such a low setting, or maybe that low setting generates a lot of heat somewhere that damaged something.
I'm taking my problem to the light burn forum per your suggestion, just thought id post here as well.
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Camtech laser problems
