Choose a RF metal laser tube or a glass laser tube? Revealing the difference between the two

When it comes to looking for a CO2 laser machine, considering plenty of primary attributes is really important. One of the primary attributes is the laser source of the machine. There are major two options including glass tubes and RF metal tubes. Let’s look at the differences between these two laser tubes.

Metal Laser Tube

Metal laser tubes use radio frequency to fire a fast pulsing laser with quick repeatability. They perform the engraving process with ultra-fine detail as they have a smaller laser spot size. They have a longer life span of 20000 hours, before the need for the refurbishing of gas arises. Its turnaround time in some cases can be quite long.

Glass Laser Tube

Glass laser tubes come at a lower cost. They produce laser with a direct current. It produces good-quality beams that work well for laser cutting. However, here are some of its drawbacks.

Here’s the one-on-one comparison between two:

A. Cost:

Glass laser tubes are cheaper than metal laser tubes. This cost difference is a result of lower technology and manufacturing cost.

B. Cutting Performance:

To be realistic, both laser tubes are appropriate at their place. However, because the RF lasers work on a pulse base, these materials show a slightly rough edge. With that difference, the quality of the final results is hardly noticeable to most of the users.

C. Performance:

Metal laser tubes generate a smaller spot size out of the output window of the laser. For high precision engraving, this smaller spot size would make a difference. There are various applications where this advantage would be clearly visible.

D. Longevity:

RF lasers last 4-5 times longer compared to DC lasers. Its longevity can help offset the initial higher cost of the RF laser. Due to its capacity of refilling, the process can be more expensive than the replacement cost of a new DC laser.

Comparing the overall results, both of these tubes are perfect at their own place.

Simple Description of Golden Laser’s Laser Source

Golden Laser’s Glass Laser Tubes use a high-voltage excitation mode, in which the laser spot is relatively large and of average quality. The main power of our glass tube is 60-300w and their working hours can reach 2000 hours.

Golden Laser’s Metal Laser Tubes use RF DC excitation mode, which produces a small laser spot with good quality. The main power of our metal tube is 70-1000w. They are suitable for long-term processing with high power stability and their working time can reach 20000 hours.

Samples cut by glass tube

Golden Laser recommends companies that are first exposed to laser processing to select laser machines with glass tubes for cutting low-density general materials like leather cutting, garments cutting and the like. For those customers who need high-precision cutting of high-density materials, (E.G. filter cloth cutting, airbags cutting and technical textiles cutting, etc.) or high-precision engraving  (E.G. leather engraving, fabrics engraving and perforating, etc.), laser machines with the metal tube will be the optimal choice.

Samples cut by the metal tube

* The above pictures are for reference only. To find out the specific cutting conditions of your materials, you can contact Golden Laser for a sample test.*