[kentsui]

I have an Universal with a 40watt Synrad laser tube which has lost so much power that it is now just about useless.
Of course, this isn't one they support anymore and I can't find a source to recharge the tube.
Has anyone tried retrofitting a more modern import tube or found a reasonable recharge source.

Any information would be appreciated.

[Tweakie]

Have you perhaps tried contacting Synrad directly for details regarding recharging their tubes. They advertise that a 'simple and inexpensive gas refill' is possible so they must have agents who do this.

This has been copied from their website;

"Synrad is the only CO2 laser manufacturer that can boast of proven operating lifetimes in excess of 45,000 hours (at which time, a simple and inexpensive gas refill returns the laser to full operation). "

Tweakie.

[SkipW]

A friend of mine has an older ULS machine with a Synrad tube and he got it serviced at Photvac Laser in Grove City, Ohio.

Skip

[kentsui]

Tweakie,
Synrad was talking 2500 IF they could do it. I am just hoping to find something better than that. I'm not using it much and have a friend who has a 50watt at his shop who has handled the "have-to" work for me. I just like having it available.

SkipW,
It looks like they are about 1/2 the price of Synrad. Well worth the investment. One guy quotes 1000 for them recharging his tube which, while a lot of money, is much better than 2000-2500. Thanks for the point.

[Tweakie]

Thanks for the info.

I must be getting old or something but terms like SIMPLE and INEXPENSIVE don't seem to go with $2500 - I think Synrad should consider a bit of re-wording on their website.

Tweakie.

[kentsui]

Tweakie,
I will check my shop email tomorrow and be sure that I'm not spreading vicious rumors but it seems like they wanted 750.00 to check it out? and 2500.00 if they could repair it.
I want to get the exact numbers and post them to be fair to them though. I get so many quotes for repair on so many things we've bought that , at the time, were the greatest thing since canned meat.

[DaveDoesIT]

I have an Universal with a 40watt Synrad laser tube which has lost so much power that it is now just about useless.

Are you sure it is the tube? The Synrad tubes have a huge work life. From the Synrad site...
"Proven operating lifetimes >45,000 hours"

So, 45,000 divided by 8 hour-days = 5,625 days divided by 365 days in a year and that's 15.4 years continuous daily use.

That's a lot of use. My Synrad tube is date-marked 1992 and still going strong. I would check the power supply. It may be dropping in output voltage. If it is an older tube like mine the PS is inside the tube casing which makes it a bit more difficult to service.

Also check the beam path and all mirrors and lens. I assume you have checked and cleaned those, but thought I would mention it anyway.

I bought my laser very cheaply as it had a "dead" tube. It turned out to be the beam block interlock solenoid which was designed to fail to closed. I replaced the $15 solenoid and bingo, there was light.

Dave

[kentsui]

Dave,
Thanks for the input I appreciate it all.
I'm pretty sure its the tube. At least thats what they convinced me of. I have talked to ULS and Synrad and they thought so as well based on my description of its performance. I've had the laser since 2001 and we ran production with it for several years cutting acrylic and deep marking cherry wood as well as just light marking on anodized parts. I have replaced the mirrors and the lens on it twice now and that always perked it up a little from where it was but I saw a serious degradation in in it's power over the last two years. When its cool it generates a fair amount of power but 5-10 minutes into it as it heats up it starts getting pitiful. Even extra cooling doesn't seem to help past that point. I will check out the power supply to be certain it isn't dieing, certainly could be something there...worth looking into. I'd rather discover that than drop 1200 on a recharge if I could. Money is getting tighter every day and all our machinery is gettin older and breaking down.

[DaveDoesIT]

I'd be looking at something other than the tube if it is a problem getting worse after heating up. Get a can of spray freeze from Radio Shack and when the laser is warmed up and has dropped power, try spraying the components in the power supply one at a time with a few tiny puffs of the freeze.

Be very careful around EHT section though. There are some seriously lethal voltages there. They should be all protected and insulated, but one cannot be too careful when messing with those voltages.

Set the laser running with a dense raster burn so you can see any change in efficiency.

I don't know anywhere near as much as the Synrad guys about the laser tube behavior, but I do know electronics and that sounds like component failure to me.

I have been wrong many times before.

Dave

[kentsui]

Dave,
Thanks for the idea.
Any chance it might crack a warm component?
I haven't checked to see if a power supply is available from ULS.
Hopefully. That would be a lot easier fit.

[Jesse_Skellington]

Any updates to this?

[wendtmk]

Probably not since the last post was over 13 years ago.