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 Water Chiller

Why You Need an Industrial Water Chiller for Your Laser Engraver?

Excessive heat inside CO2 laser tube will cause damage

Industrial laser equipment generates a lot of heat, which may damage the materials being processed and the laser components themselves. Therefore, industrial laser operators must ensure that their equipment is kept within the optimal temperature range by using industrial water chiller equipment.                    

Operating CO2 laser at high temperature will reduce its accuracy and stability. Increased thermal stress can damage laser components, resulting in expensive maintenance or complete replacement of equipment. In addition, exposing sensitive materials to uncontrolled laser temperatures can change the manufacturing process, resulting in defects in the final product. Most industrial CO2 lasers can operate safely and effectively in the temperature range of 15°C to 25°C 

Popular laser machines use very expensive laser tubes, so it is important to prolong their service life as much as possible. Like any energy source, the efficiency of the laser tube cannot reach 100%, because part of its energy is converted into heat in the air chamber itself, and then wasted on the pumping system and the lens that is not absolutely transparent.            

This is why the tube structure includes the necessary coolant supply, which is used to maintain the optimal temperature conditions in the system. The outer bottle or jacket has two branch pipes for connecting the water supply and treatment hoses in the jacket. In this case, the laser tube is in the best state when its temperature is in the range of 15-25℃.             

25℃ is the allowable temperature, but as its radiation power decreases, the resources of this expensive component consume faster. This is why a CO2 laser tube in the laser machine must be equipped with a cooling system.            

Declared life of laser tube in laser engraving machine:            

  1. The service life of the laser tube for the laser engraving machine declared by the manufacturer is applicable to the actual ideal conditions: the current is less than 25mA or no more than 40-50% of the maximum power, water cooling is 10L /min, and the water temperature is 10℃。          
  1. These conditions are suitable for engraving, which is why the laser tube in the engraving machine can be used for several years. However, to cut, many users increase the power to 90-100% to improve the cutting speed and cut the material at one time. This greatly shortens the service life of the laser tube in the laser engraving machine.

Providing good cooling is very important, which is suitable for the laser tube power of laser engraving machine. The Freon water chiller CW-5200 provided by Monport is a good choice to keep unaffected by the ambient temperature and control the machine temperature and water flow. Laser system is a huge investment. Especially the good ones. Like other investments, laser systems have some responsibilities. Considering that laser is an amplification form of light energy, the heat generated in its generation process will increase significantly. Using a industrial water chiller to prolong the life of a CO2 laser tube provides two key benefits:             

  • Maintain the normal operation of the laser system and protect the CO2 laser tube to the greatest extent            
  • Extend the service life of laser system to improve the return on investment and the performance of the machine             

Paying attention to maintenance will not only help to improve the performance of the laser machine but also help to improve the quality of its products.                        

What is the optimal temperature of the Co2 laser tube?            

water-chiller-structure-diagram

We recommend cooling the laser tube with distilled water to ensure that it remains between 15°C to 25°C Consistently maintaining the best temperature of CO2 laser tube is actually the key to achieving consistent laser performance.      

Also, remember that your laser beam will vary slightly at different cooling temperatures. If you change the laser cooling temperature, even if you change a few degrees, the engraving results will be different. Although the ideal engraving temperature range is the same, it is impossible to estimate the perfect CO2 laser cutting temperature, i.e. 15°C to 25°C You may benefit from testing at different laser cooling temperatures in this range to optimize your laser cutting and laser engraving operations.            

The laser beam is generated by high-voltage electricity through a sealed glass tube, where it excites carbon dioxide and other gases to produce a monochromatic infrared (invisible) laser beam. Some of the excess heat is consumed in the chemical gas, which causes the laser beam to produce more intense heat.             

This phenomenon explains why a water chiller machine can prolong the service life of the laser tube and how the difference in CO2 laser tube temperature affects the laser power setting. When all other variables are the same, the laser beam will be slightly stronger at higher temperatures, which means that a consistent cooling temperature helps to ensure constant and reproducible engraving performance. Following this principle, you should monitor the performance of your laser at various temperatures within the recommended range and use your water chiller consistently. 

How Does The Industrial Water Chiller Work?  

Water chiller is a kind of water cooling equipment. The water chiller is a kind of cooling water equipment that can provide constant temperature, constant current and constant pressure. Next, let me introduce the working principle of the water chiller:            

So, how does the refrigerator maintain the stability of laser technology? The standard laser water cooler has a refrigeration device to deliver the coolant to the process laser tube, where heat exchange is carried out to cool the laser to the optimal temperature. The heated coolant returns to the refrigeration device through the pipeline, and the absorbed heat is eliminated in the refrigeration device, so as to regenerate the coolant and conduct a new round of heat exchange with the laser device.  

The small water chiller used in the laser cutting machine continuously circulates between the laser tube and the evaporator of the compressor refrigeration system through the operation of the cooling water of the circulating water pump. The refrigeration system converts the heat generated by the laser tube into air. The corresponding control button on the water chiller can set its operation, and the cooling circulating water is at a controllable temperature. It also has the function of circulating water flow detection, over temperature alarm and automatic temperature control.    

What Type of Water Chiller Do I Need for My Laser Engraver?                        

Some key factors to be considered when deciding to choose a laser refrigeration unit include: Laser rated power and refrigerator capacity; Purchase and installation costs; Specific cooling requirements of various lasers.Laser engraving machine manufacturers recommend the use of laser cooling equipment, such as industrial chillers, in order to obtain the full advantages of the machine. You need a chiller for the laser machine, because the cost of installing the industrial chiller is only a small part of the cost of purchasing the laser engraving machine. However, the water chiller you choose must be equipped with sufficient and correct size. Unfortunately, many water chiller industry manufacturers have vague descriptions of functions and specifications, so it is difficult to choose the best laser cooling equipment for you. If you choose cheap or mediocre products from unknown brands, the water chiller may bring disaster to your laser engraving machine.             

The first step in selecting the best industrial brand of water chiller is to determine the water cooling requirements of the laser. Make sure that the water chiller you purchase contains clear information about its cooling capacity in the operation manual. Not to mention, the cooling capacity determines the size of the water chiller. Heat load is the waste heat removed by the laser cooler from the laser engraving machine. Typically, this value is in BTU / HR or watts. the water chiller you choose must be powerful enough for your laser engraving machine. For low power lasers (40W and below), air cooling can effectively remove excess heat - a CW-3000 chiller or even a water pump for CO2 laser engraving machine is enough. For 50-100w laser machines, we recommend using a CW-3000 water chiller. For machines above 100W, we recommend using CW-5200 chillers. However, if you are engaged in laser engraving business full-time, even if it is a 50-100w laser machine, you also need a CW-5200 water chiller.             

There are other factors to consider, such as temperature display, temperature monitor with high / low alarm, water flow, etc. Other considerations, such as ISO 9001 certification and warranty, can help you make the most of industrial water chillers. 

Features of Monport Industrial Water Chillers 

Water flow             

For medium power lasers, a constant ambient cooling water flow to the laser head or cold plate is sufficient. However, circulating industrial chiller is the most effective laser cooling equipment for high-power lasers, like our CW-5200.          

Built in alarm             

The low / high temperature alarm prevents any damage to your laser engraving machine. Monport industrial chillers use internal sensors to constantly monitor water flow and temperature, the indicator lights and built-in alarms will warn you if the water level is below the minimum threshold, or if the water flow stops. So you can work safely and know that your laser tube will not suffer thermal damage.            

Digital display             

The digital temperature display provides continuous updates, so you can determine the temperature level of the machine.           

Observation window             

Since the industrial water chiller has a completely closed system to prevent evaporation, you can easily monitor the water level of the water chiller through the observation window.             

Radiator Fan 

Monport industrial water chillers are equipped with a powerful cooling fan to reduce heat build-up to allow for effective cooling when you need it most.                 

Warranty            

The reliability of water chiller depends largely on its warranty. Monport industrial water chillers provide one year of technical support and protection. Monport products have ISO 9000 certification.

 

Monport: Provide you an affordable and reliable industrial water chiller

Monport industrial water chillers have stable performance, durability and compatibility with different brands of CO2 laser engraving machines. Our industrial water refrigerator not only prolongs the service life of the machine, but also improves the engraving accuracy of the equipment. 

If you are looking for a cheap and reliable industrial refrigerator for your laser engraving machine, you can go to Monport. Monport's water chillers are suitable for any brand of CO2 laser engraving machine. Here, you can find our CO2 laser engraving machine series, accessories, software and everything you need to obtain a laser engraving machine with excellent performance!

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