Problem with 130W Reci tubes- W6

Hardware settings, adjustments and fixes and other hardware discussion. This includes the "doHICky" Laser Power measurement system by Russ.
Post Reply
User avatar
Gene Uselman
Posts: 2180
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2016
Location: Suburban Minneapolis, Minnesota, US
Country: USA
Nickname: Gene
Laser Machine Make or Type: QC
Laser Power: 130W
Laser Bed Size: 900x1300
Home Position: TR
Control Software: LIGHTBURN
RDWorks Version: RDw .19 & Lightburn
LightBurn Version: Latest
Ruida Controller: RDC6442
Windows Version: Win 10 Pro
Accessories: I have a combining lenses, pin tables [homebuilt], honeycomb tables , wireless remote, Modifed Ultimate Air Assist, home built non-powered rotary device, PrusaMK4 and Mini Prusa printers.

I am struggling with a 51x70 inch cabinet laser with a W6 tube- I have used a 36x48 cabinet laser for 5 years and an even larger bed would be handy for the sign shop which is my home base. I also bought a W6 tube for my old laser as the EFR tube was getting weaker finally [down to about 80W out of the tube]- I got my moneys worth from that tube.

Both of these new W6 tubes look very legit and are marked exactly the same- labels,testing chart and handwritten max and agreed wattage, and QR codes with serial numbers which when followed up both say- Your query product is genuine, thank you for purchasing Reci laser products. If they are fakes they have gone to a lot of trouble with it.

Both tubes have 'O' shaped beams out of the tubes and downstream along the mirror path. The path is at least 10 feet to the bottom right corner and by the time it gets to the laser head it is almost the size of the 'tunnel' into the head- and the tunnel does not really line up with the #3 mirror which reflects it down to the lens. I had the tunnel bored out to be larger than needed to align with the mirror.
.
Bored out laserhead.jpg
this is a two tube machine- I removed one laser head and reversed the other one in order to be able to cut on the entire width of the bed- I will worry about the 80W 'engraving' side if I ever get the cutting side working properly.

The 'stock' nozzle has a large hole in the end [approx 4mm] but it is still very hard to get the beam aligned so that you don't get a shadow cut along side the actual cut from the beam clipping and reflecting onto the surface.

Please help me if you have a W6 tube- post up a pict of your beam or describe the shape of your beam.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
If the Help and advice you received here was of VALUE...
Please consider making a donation to maintain the RDWORKSLAB Forum.



The days that I keep my gratitude higher than
my expectations, Well, I have really good days.

Ray Wylie Hubbard- unfortunately deceased
Krzysztof Smaga
Posts: 6
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2020
Location: Pęperzyn
Country: Poland
Laser Machine Make or Type: Bodor 1390
Laser Power: 130
Laser Bed Size: 130x90
Home Position: TR
RDWorks Version: 8.01.18
Ruida Controller: RDC6442
Windows Version: 10

Hello Gene,

I use a Reci W6 tube for three years now, maybe not so intensively used - I checked few days ago and there is a 800+ hours of light on that tube and beside of some strange behavior when using at minimum power it does what it's expected.
BUT :) my tube also has a O shaped beam - it was less annoying when output power was more concentrated in the centre of beam, but now it's troubling sometimes. With 130x90 bed at the farthest point beam is merely fitting 3rd mirror inlet...
I will try to remember and make a photo of beam shape at Friday - tomorrow I'm out of workshop...
Post Reply

Return to “General Hardware”