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Always test your settings on your laser before working on items in a professional capacity. Settings used in the podcast are for machines of my design and wattage, mileage may vary depending on your machine.
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The podcast is accurate as of the posting date but may not be accurate in the future. I’m part of an affiliate network and I receive compensation from partnering websites. I have done extensive research before making my purchases and spoken at length with the manufacturers before placing my order to be absolutely sure what I was getting could be imported, would work with my electrical setup and performed the tasks I wanted to perform.Ī NOTE: Links above include affiliate commission or referrals. WARNING: Do your own research before purchasing your machine.
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Lesser known manufacturers in China use bottom of the line diodes that last from 50-500 hours, but not most of the name brands. I was told by a manufacturer that they test them at 100% power for the rating. Most diodes used in laser modules are rated for 10,000 hours. Now diode lasers do degrade over time on a downward path, but I don't think power has anything to do with it.
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My production templates had the same speed and power settings and worked perfectly. The following CNC software can be used as a laser software that controls the movement of your cutting and engraving laser. I ran 2 lasers in production for 2 years, 8 hours a day and didn't notice any significant loss in power. I have yet to have any diode laser manufacturer give me a lifetime graph based on power, but I really don't think it an issue at all. So running it at 50% for example would extend the life over 100%, but not by that much that I've seen, if any.
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My thanks to the team at Lightburn for allowing me to embed their videos. This series of Lightburn Software Tutorials, contain hints and tips as well as the occasional speed comparisons between it and RDWorks. However, with that said, like everything else, diodes are consumables. The Lightburn Software is probably the best generic laser cutting software available (I use it for almost all of my laser work). That rule actually applies to C02 lasers not diode lasers, it's more a Facebook fallacy than anything else.
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