Epilog Laser Fail?

Michael Mitchell

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Oct 13, 2015, 3:42:12 PM10/13/15

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So our 60W Helix stopped working this afternoon. I reached out to Epilog, and while their customer service was quite good the phone call yielded a surprising remedy. I need a new laser. We took delivery of the Helix in June of 2013, it didn't get used much at all that summer, so we've really only used the machine for two academic years. Is it just me, or is it crazy that the laser died after such a short period of time?

Cost of replacement is around $4k. I'm going to try and talk them down since we're just out of warranty, but I'm seriously considering purchasing a Glowforge since it's the same price. Unfortunately that won't come in until December.

Clint Johns

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Oct 13, 2015, 3:44:03 PM10/13/15

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From what I've heard, depending on use, the laser needs to be replaced every 2-3 years. I was also under the impression that the laser was more in the $2,000 price point range (perhaps I was told for a lower wattage)

Continued success in all you do,

Clint Johns

Resident Tinkerer of the DREAM Lab

Computer Science teacher

FIRST Robotics mentor

Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton

cjo...@shschools.org

On Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 12:42 PM, Michael Mitchell <mitc...@stlukesct.org> wrote:

So our 60W Helix stopped working this afternoon. I reached out to Epilog, and while their customer service was quite good the phone call yielded a surprising remedy. I need a new laser. We took delivery of the Helix in June of 2013, it didn't get used much at all that summer, so we've really only used the machine for two academic years. Is it just me, or is it crazy that the laser died after such a short period of time?

Cost of replacement is around $4k. I'm going to try and talk them down since we're just out of warranty, but I'm seriously considering purchasing a Glowforge since it's the same price. Unfortunately that won't come in until December.

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Jaymes Dec

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Oct 13, 2015, 3:47:10 PM10/13/15

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Ouch! Are you 100% sure it is the laser? Have you been moving the laser or knocking it around at all? Two years does seem short for tube life.

I've had problems with the magnetic safety switches before.

On Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 3:42 PM, Michael Mitchell <mitc...@stlukesct.org> wrote:

So our 60W Helix stopped working this afternoon. I reached out to Epilog, and while their customer service was quite good the phone call yielded a surprising remedy. I need a new laser. We took delivery of the Helix in June of 2013, it didn't get used much at all that summer, so we've really only used the machine for two academic years. Is it just me, or is it crazy that the laser died after such a short period of time?

Cost of replacement is around $4k. I'm going to try and talk them down since we're just out of warranty, but I'm seriously considering purchasing a Glowforge since it's the same price. Unfortunately that won't come in until December.

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Sammie Smith

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Oct 13, 2015, 4:29:26 PM10/13/15

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Ours always stops working after being turned off for the summer (or other long periods of non-use). We have to run a print with super high settings, usually with something metal as the material. This usually extracts the gas build up out of the tube and gets the laser working again.

Just a thought...

Sammie

On Tue, Oct 13, 2015 at 1:42 PM, Michael Mitchell <mitc...@stlukesct.org> wrote:

So our 60W Helix stopped working this afternoon. I reached out to Epilog, and while their customer service was quite good the phone call yielded a surprising remedy. I need a new laser. We took delivery of the Helix in June of 2013, it didn't get used much at all that summer, so we've really only used the machine for two academic years. Is it just me, or is it crazy that the laser died after such a short period of time?

Cost of replacement is around $4k. I'm going to try and talk them down since we're just out of warranty, but I'm seriously considering purchasing a Glowforge since it's the same price. Unfortunately that won't come in until December.

--

Michael Mitchell

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Oct 13, 2015, 6:30:45 PM10/13/15

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Clint - The quote shows about $2k for the laser but about $2.3k for a 'core charge' and return shipping. Crazy to think that the disposal fee is more than the laser.

Jaymes - I'm pretty sure it's the laser given the troubleshooting I did over the phone, but I have to do some more testing tomorrow since I'd love to avoid buying a new tube. The Helix been in the same room and doesn't get moved, so it's crazy to think it worked yesterday but not today.

Sammi - That's happened before, but I don't think that was the case today since I used the laser yesterday and I let it run for minutes without the laser firing.

Ugh.

Tami Brass

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Oct 14, 2015, 9:43:29 AM10/14/15

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Yikes! Our sales guy (http://www.firsteched.com/) told us every 7 years, not every 2-3. We were told filters every 2 years, and ours was used so heavily that we had to replace in July (purchased previous December).

Daniel Bergey

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Oct 15, 2015, 9:58:39 AM10/15/15

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I think I've heard every-2-years as a guideline for lasers used in
production. That is, cutting 40+ hours a week, 50 weeks a year. If I'm
remembering right, that does seem frequent for a school laser.

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Tami Brass

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Oct 15, 2015, 10:05:35 AM10/15/15

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I don't think ours has been used that heavily, but for some weeks (depending on the project), it might be going 40+ hours a week. Still, those numbers make me a little more hopeful. I hate the thought of investing so much in a device, however awesome, and not having the budget to maintain it correctly.

Angi Chau

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Oct 15, 2015, 11:50:46 AM10/15/15

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We had to replace our laser last year after about 3 years of use. We definitely experience more sporadic bursts in terms of use pattern, so 2-3 years as an estimate sounds about right to me.

:: via phone - sorry for typos ::

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Curt Lewellyn

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Oct 15, 2015, 6:17:43 PM10/15/15

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We have a 40 Watt Epilog Mini and had to replace our laser after 8 months of use (last Spring.) Luckily it was still under warranty at the time so we were not charged for the replacement. Epilog was extremely responsive and efficient in terms of support. (Side note: we just had to replace the Y axis motor on the same machine which was a $270 part.)

Good luck...

Curt Lewellyn

Innovation Lab Director

The Fessenden School
250 Waltham Street
West Newton, MA 02465

617-928-8819

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