The Difference between Glass and RF CO2 Laser Tubes. Fast! 

George! Thank you for making this video. Helped us answer a question in the Aeon Family universe!

I would like to add....Two things that seem to be left out of this explanation that are very important for the viewers to know. The wattage of each machine type (Glass and RF) is not apple to apple. More specifically, a 100 watt Glass tube is not the same as a 100 watt RF tube. It would be more like a 100 watt glass tube has similar power to a 55 watt RF tube. That is very important for buyers to know as they may look at a RF machine and see 50 watt and a glass tube being 100 watt and think that the RF tube is underpowered. That is not the case so know how the tube power would compare to a different technology tube power. Secondly and very important, the beam size of the RF tube is much much smaller than a glass tube so the quality of the engrave will be far superior over a glass tube. I hope that you don't mind WHICH IS MORE PRECISE? Whether you’re etching or engraving, precision is paramount. Precision and pulse rate are directly related. The higher the pulse rate, the more precise the beam. To get a higher pulse rate, the laser gathers the heat and then rapidly releases it, meaning it’s not heated continuously. When it comes to direct current, there is no room for that rapid gather-release process, because direct current is continuous. This means pulses from glass tubes are less frequent. Therefore, a glass CO2 laser engraver is more limited in pulse rate and tends to execute lower-quality engravings than its metal counterpart. HOW DO THEY CUT? When it comes to cutting, the material usually dictates the power settings. If you’re working with materials such as plastic or paper, then the minimum you need is about 30W at about 20% for engraving. Some may favor glass tubes because they work well in lower power settings. Metal laser beams do create more refined work, but they tend to leave slightly rougher edges that are imperceptible to customers and can be smoothed easily.

This is super helpful! Thanks George!