http://confocal-microscopy-list.275.s1.nabble.com/which-multiline-gas-laser-should-I-buy-tp6401184p6403504.html
We have a Melles Griot Argon Laser 150mW, for a Olympus confocal system where we are using the 458nm, 488nm and 515nm, the laser has been working steadily 8h from Monday trough Friday for more than 5 years, it has now +6000 hours working with no evident degradation on imaging quality, the power adjust dial on the power source is at it's lowest possible, and we are still using 1% of power (this in the Olympus confocal software) to make pictures of samples.
Room temp max 23° with average of 20°Minimal on time 1 hourMinimal time between on /off state 1 hour
> Date: Tue, 24 May 2011 23:20:14 -0700
> From:
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> Subject: Re: which multiline gas laser should I buy
> To:
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>
> *****
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> I can't remember the exact model of Ar/Kr - it was the stock laser in a Leica
> TCS NT and was air cooled. It was probably being used ~15-20 hrs/week so a bit
> over 1000 hrs would be about right. We also had a couple of pure Ar and a pure
> Kr large/medium frame lasers (Spectra Physics, Lexel), and these fared a lot
> better although they still gave us a few headaches with tube replacements.
>
> As to tips on prolonging tube life, the commonly accepted ones are:
> - don't run at full power - I have heard that ~20% and below is pretty good for
> longevity
> - don't switch on and off more than you have to (ie leaving the laser running at
> low power all day is better than turning it on for an hour or two 2-3 times a
> day). Exactly where the turn on /runtime balance lies is the subject of much
> debate.
> - let laser cool properly before switching on again
> - make sure you're cooling water setup is absolutely bombproof. Important things
> to watch here are:
> - interruptions/ pressure variations (we think we lost a tube to a
> water-hammer type effect)
> - calcification - if you've got hard water, you'll get a build up of
> calcification in the tube - this stops it being cooled effectively, and, if the
> calcification starts to flake, allows water to be trapped next to the tube and
> boil (we definitely lost one tube this way). If you're stuck with hard water,
> you can do a bit of preventative maintenance by rinsing the laser with a dilute
> solution of a weak acid (eg. acetic) every 6 months to a year. This is however a
> half solution at best as there are also metal parts in the cooling loop that you
> don't want to corrode.
> - leaks - the required flow rates are such that any leak in the cooling
> circuit will quickly flood your lab. Combined with 3 phase laser power supplies,
> this is not a particularly comforting prospect.
>
> In general solid state lasers are much less hassle, and a lot safer. I'm not
> sure what the current prices are, but would guess that either of the lasers you
> are looking at would probably set you back somewhere in the vicinity of $50-70k.
> You should be able to get solid state lasers at the desired powers for much less
> than that ($1-5k each at your powers, if you're a bit flexible with your
> wavelengths. If you want to exactly match the Ar/Kr lines, in particular 488 and
> 514 you will need to fork out a little more). You might not be paying directly
> for your power / cooling water, but gas lasers are also horribly inefficient -
> the Innova 70 draws up to 25KW -> ~ $12K/year power and cooling costs
> (calculated at 1000hrs/year, 20c/kwh[nz prices], cooling power at 1.5x
> electrical[optimistic]). Maybe you can use this as a bargaining point to get
> your institute to chip in a few extra dollars for a solid state solution.
>
> cheers,
> David
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Yuval Ebenstein <
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> To:
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> Sent: Wed, 25 May, 2011 3:58:18 PM
> Subject: Re: which multiline gas laser should I buy
>
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>
> Hi David and Martin,
> Thanks for your comment. I'm curios to know which Ar/Kr you were using.
> I know at least two Coherent heads that are running on the same tube for several
> thousands of hours and for over 10 years.
> I totally would prefer solid state but I need 4-5 lines with high power
> (150-250mw) and the solid state at these intensities are super expensive.
> Overall I will be paying about double for a solid state set and I just can't
> afford it.
> Would love to hear more and get tips for extending their life...
> Yuval
>
> On 5/24/2011 8:21 PM, Martin Wessendorf wrote:
> > Deare Yuval--
> >
> > I second David Baddeley's comments. Kr/Ar's were a great idea at the time
> >(1993) but are obsolete for exactly the reason he mentioned: they tend to die
> >young. We always figured on 1000 hours out of ours.
> >
> > Good luck!
> >
> > Martin
> >
> > On 5/24/2011 7:28 PM, Yuval Ebenstein wrote:
> >> *****
> >> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> >>
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy> >> *****
> >>
> >> Hello,
> >> I'm looking for a cheaper alternative for a high power solid-state laser
> >> combiner.
> >> I'm thinking of buying an Ar/Kr (which gives almost every excitation
> >> line I can think of) and I can't decide between the Innova 70c-spectrum
> >> from Coherent and the Stabilite 2018-RM from Spectra-physics. They are
> >> quite similar on paper but the spectra one is cheaper. I heard much
> >> about the robustness of the Coherent model.
> >> Anyone has experience with one of these? Anything special I should look
> >> for?
> >> Many thanks
> >> Yuval
> >>
> >
> >
> >
>
> -- --------------------------------------
> Yuval Ebenstein
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, UCLA
> Young Hall-2002, 607 Charles E. Young Drive East
> Los Angeles, CA 90095-1569
> Ph: (310) 794-6685; Fax: (310) 267-4672
>