Hey folks,
My GFP is about 6 years into its life. The first four of those were very heavy use, moderate the past couple of years. I don’t know what the projected lifespan of the laser tube is so I’m not sure if that’s the issue.
The laser is taking 2-3 passes to barely cut through proofgrade materials using standard settings. Engravings are coming out very light, even with speed and power adjustments. The latter issue is on non-proofgrade materials, but what used to be consistent is now requiring more and more adjustment and extra passes.
I have cleaned all of the optics as gone over in the troubleshooting. I’ve ensured all connections are secure, pathways clear of debris, crumb tray flat when using that.
They run between 2-5+ years. As they age they need more power to cut and it’s a gradual decline so that sounds consistent with your situation. You can ask customer support to adjust your machine so the normal settings work again although there will be a point where they can’t boost it anymore.
Are the tubes considered consumables that can be replaced or am I pretty much looking forward to having a $5k paperweight?
I’d reach out to wiregrass. They’re much better at personal assessments.
Technically they are replaceable. Originally they were promised to be user replaceable but they changed that promise early on. They switched to factory replacement and then changed to a discount on a replacement machine. Now? But as @evansd2 mentioned above, Wiregrass is a good option. But check with GF support first to see if they can fix it through software. If they can’t, then Wiregrass would be a good next step.