Planning on purchasing a Trotec Speedy 400. Experiences?

Hi!

We currently run a G.weike 1390 150W along with a tiny Laserpro Venus 12W. It's a good combo, one does what the other one doesn't.

But we are struggling with reliability problems. You can't always trust these machines (especially the G.weike)

So we are planning on purchasing a Speedy 400 with an 80w tube, along with the lamella table and aluminum grid table. And with the passthrough option.

If anyone here has a similar machine, we would love to hear what your thoughts are on the machine. Things to look out for etc.

Also have a few specific questions (guess we could also ask the retailer directly, but since they are not a direct Trotec subsidiary, they might not know a lot):

- Does it have a built in flow regulator for the air assist? If not, can you mount one before the laser, without it affecting the air-flushed optics, etc.? Is that on a separate input?
- Is there a relay controlled outlet for the exhaust fan?
- Can you store jobs on the machine? (I'm guessing not, since it doesn't have a display)
- How good is the Jobcontrol X software? How does it compare to the chinese Lasercut software? Not in terms of which one is better, but in how they work. (if anyone here has used both)
- Is the smartphone connectivity app standard? It wasn't listed as an option on the offer the retailer gave us.



Thanks in advance!


Best regards,
Frank Sandqvist
CNC-Design Finland Öb

Why do you think you can trust Speedy 400 more than GWeike lasers?
Sure they are built better but they cost a lot and break too.
From my experience my GCC Spirit GX breaks more often than my Taiwanese laser. Both my lasers are not cheap(almost the same price) and probably are not comparable to Gweike lasers. However the Taiwanese laser costs almost the same because it is two times bigger than the Spirit and it comes with 280W power vs 100W in Spirit. So if I had bought it with the same power and size as my Spirit it would have cost me at least 2-3 times less than Spirit.

If I was you I would consider getting extra 2 Chinese lasers instead of one Speedy 400.
At least you will have not only two spare machines in case one will break but can also increase your production. And even with two extra lasers from China you will have a lot of cash left comparing to Speedy 400

BTW, check sawmillcreek for a fresh topic about a broken motherboard in an Epilog Zing laser. It was not abused by its owner and according to him has very low use. However it has broke just under two years of running it. Now its owner is asked to pay $2500 for a new motherboard.

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Originally Posted by ozstockman

Why do you think you can trust Speedy 400 more than GWeike lasers?
Sure they are built better but they cost a lot and break too.
From my experience my GCC Spirit GX breaks more often than my Taiwanese laser. Both my lasers are not cheap(almost the same price) and probably are not comparable to Gweike lasers. However the Taiwanese laser costs almost the same because it is two times bigger than the Spirit and it comes with 280W power vs 100W in Spirit. So if I had bought it with the same power and size as my Spirit it would have cost me at least 2-3 times less than Spirit.

If I was you I would consider getting extra 2 Chinese lasers instead of one Speedy 400.
At least you will have not only two spare machines in case one will break but can also increase your production. And even with two extra lasers from China you will have a lot of cash left comparing to Speedy 400

BTW, check sawmillcreek for a fresh topic about a broken motherboard in an Epilog Zing laser. It was not abused by its owner and according to him has very low use. However it has broke just under two years of running it. Now its owner is asked to pay $2500 for a new motherboard.

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Thanks for the reply. Some fair points (we could probably buy 3-4 gweikes for the price of one Speedy 400. Though I can't believe I've seen anyone here ever complain about the reliability of a Trotec before? Epilog I can't speak for. The GCC laser we have works just fine, and it's more than 10 years old.

I can't say I'm impressed by the G.Weike's reliability though. We had to change the DSP in it because the first one we got crashed a lot. But the new DSP we have also crashes. Sometimes it just stops with the laser on with full power, creating a fire hazard. Also, the mirrors seem to go out of alignment quite often, even when we tighten the set-screws. The stepper motors were also wrongly aligned when we got the machine, so the timing belt keeps wandering towards a side making it grind on the side of the pulley.

Engraving also leaves quite a bit to be desired (cutting is fine though). We also had to change the tube within a year, since the first one we had started losing power.

That said, when it works, it works quite well. Basically, it would be fine for a maker-space or something (where it doesn't matter much if it breaks down), but when we have customers waiting we just need it to work. The last thing we want to do when we start is to have to fix it. :)

And I'm not bashing G.Weike either, I'm fine with this, for the price. We would just rather have one machine that works, than two additional machines that we have to keep putting time on fixing. The G.Weike we already own also has it's place due to it's larger work area.

GCC are a Taiwanese Brand. Gweike are Mainlaind China. No way they can easily be compared. I have read very little about problems with Trotec Speedys and their reliability appears to be more than excellent. There are many Trotec owners on the Sawmill Creek Forum, so it would be better to ask your question there. My old GCC Mercury 1 is still going strong (touch wood!) after 10 yrs as well (have sold it along with my business), with only maintenance repairs like Wheel and lens replacement.

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Originally Posted by OldEngraver

GCC are a Taiwanese Brand. Gweike are Mainlaind China. No way they can easily be compared. I have read very little about problems with Trotec Speedys and their reliability appears to be more than excellent. There are many Trotec owners on the Sawmill Creek Forum, so it would be better to ask your question there. My old GCC Mercury 1 is still going strong (touch wood!) after 10 yrs as well (have sold it along with my business), with only maintenance repairs like Wheel and lens replacement.

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Thank you for the answer. Might take your advice and start a thread there.

Yep, the GCC's seem like good machines! The little Venus we've got is a real trooper. :)

some taiwanese machine also made in Mainland , if compare the price G.WEIKE with a strong advantage than others ,and for the quality, each machine maybe have problems , this depends, even the high price one, no one can warranty no problems with itheir machine ,Am I right?

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Originally Posted by CNC-Design

Thank you for the answer. Might take your advice and start a thread there.

Yep, the GCC's seem like good machines! The little Venus we've got is a real trooper. :)

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Originally Posted by CNC-Design

I can't say I'm impressed by the G.Weike's reliability though. We had to change the DSP in it because the first one we got crashed a lot. But the new DSP we have also crashes. Sometimes it just stops with the laser on with full power, creating a fire hazard.

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Are you 100% sure it is the controller? i had similar thing happening (head stopping with laser full on burning a hole in work) with thunderlaser branded DSP and in my case it was problem that i was seeing with only some DXFs . i was able to isolate the issue to a particular offending layer and then redraw. that workaround didn't work with new machine (weike storm500) - the software would crash altogether when i tried to import drawings with the known issue .


i found the permanent fix to be using "PURGE" command in autocad before saving DXF , to clean any artefacts (as well as any unused layers).
suddenly all of my old drawing import without problem and i've to have laser head stuck in middle of job .