arkypita
commented
4 years ago There is a problem in this, indeed more than one.
1) The total working hours should take into account the fact that during the working the laser is not "always on" but turns on and off several times. Furthermore, in gray-scale image processing the power is almost never 100% and different types of processing (vector cutting vs image engraving) affect very differently how the laser is used. The number of hours worked therefore would certainly be overestimated with respect to the deterioration of the life of the laser itself.
2) the deterioration of the laser depends more on the temperatures at which it works. A "poorly dissipated" laser, or an over powered laser, can last 1/10 of the life of a correctly used laser.
3) there is the case that one owns several machines, but uses only one PC. The working time should be totaled per machine, but this is not possible because the machine does not have and does not communicate its serial number.
I therefore believe that a counter of this type, although useful, would not be very indicative.
A feature that adds every completed jobs duration to display the total amount of hours a laser has worked. That way you can keep track of how used your tube is and plan for a replacement or check its lifespan. Also, it would be a nice thing to know how many hours your machine has worked. Thank you.