Just curious about something....

It seems that the major difference between the Chinese/US lasers is that the big US companies like Epilog/Universal use RF driven CO2 lasers, whereas the Chinese use high-voltage "direct" drive.

It seems that the RF lasers are very expensive, and last for quite a few years.

What about the Chinese lasers? Here's what I am wondering..

1) How long can you expect a Chinese laser tube to last, realistically?

2) Is the failure mode that the power drops off? Is the drop off linear over time, or like a rechargeable battery where it starts to go and then very quickly reaches expiration?

3) Is the life based on time since manufacture of the tube or based on # of hours in actual use, or a combination? If a combination, which factors are more important?



The reason I ask is because a Chinese laser would be cost effective for my shop, but a US one would not be. I may only use it every month or two, but I'd run 100 up to 1,000 pcs each time.

I would not want to have to constantly be replacing tubes if they wear out just from sitting there unused. On the other hand, having the machine myself would be a big advantage in time and capability vs. always outsourcing the jobs.