Power ?

What definits co2 laser output power ? length of the tube ? If I used more voltage than I should will the tube explode or just be more powerful ??

I'm not 100% sure on this, but I believe it is the length of the tube, and the bigger tubes require higher voltage, and slightly higher current.

ok :thanks:

Power of a co2 laser is pretty much independent of the bore diameter, as a larger bore will allow more gas to be excited, however will mean there's a longer path for the gas molecules to reach the laser wall and be cooled back to the ground state, so they can be pumped up again and lase. A more powerful tube will be longer, a good longitudinally excited laser can reach about 40-50 watts per metre.

If I used more voltage than I should will the tube explode or just be more powerful

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The electrodes will burn away rendering the tube worthless. That aside once there is no longer a longitudinal path to earth all that power has to go somewhere. If the tube does survive the water chamber at the enclosed mirror end will crack with the extra heat - same result - dead tube.(same at the coupler end)

Narrow body tubes can reach 100 watts per meter, fatbody tubes can reach <140 watts per meter. It depends on a LOT of variables, tube diameter, gas composition, electrode conductivity, amperage supplied, voltage supplied, quality of output coupler, quality of tube reflective mirror, tube mean temperature, mirror temperature, lens temperature abberation, lens material, spherical abberation and a few other things.

I used more voltage

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define "more voltage" 10 volts, 100 volts, 10,000 volts? the amperage is the more important figure, PSU's have to be adjusted to provide the correct output for each tube or they die very quickly (and can take the PSU with them). Also remember that scattered radiation from a tube isn't uncommon, especially on Chinese tubes, not all the power will be going in a nice invisible pencil like beam out the front aperture. The scattered beam as it passes the coupler housing can still do a LOT of damage.

cheers

Dave

Narrow Body figures for EFR F series

F Series:

F2:
Length: 1250mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 80 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 95 Watts
Working Current: 28 Ma

F4:
Length: 1450mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 100 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 120 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

F6:
Length: 1650mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 130 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 150 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

F8:
Length: 1850mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 150 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 170 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

F10:
Length: 2050mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 180 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 195 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

Power figures for Wide Body EFR ZN series

ZN Series

ZN-1250:
Length: 1250mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 80 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 95 Watts
Working Current: 26 Ma

ZN-1450:
Length: 1450mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 100 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 120 Watts
Working Current: 28 Ma

ZN-1650:
Length: 1650mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 130 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 150 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

ZN-1850:
Length: 1850mm +/- 20mm
Diameter: 80mm +/- 2mm
Rated Power Output: 150 Watts
Maximum Power Output: 180 Watts
Working Current: 30 Ma

The EFR ZX series are more powerful still but aren't suitable to be built into stand alone enclosures.

From there you go to GSI shell (enclosed DC glass tubes) series that go to 600 watts (but cost more than the average house) for example the last GSI TX 200 I bought was $24,460 + VAT for the tube alone.

cheers

Dave