Hello..
I now have 2 80 watt co2 and 1 cw5200..
1.. Your thoughts on running 2 machines of 1 chiller ?
2…Best way of connection ?
Thanks in advance Kevin
Hello..
I now have 2 80 watt co2 and 1 cw5200..
1.. Your thoughts on running 2 machines of 1 chiller ?
2…Best way of connection ?
Thanks in advance Kevin
You can theoretically run your 2 lasers in series with your CW5200, but it depends a lot on what kind of production you have in mind. Whether one cooler can keep the temperature down to about 20 degrees C over the length will have to be tested.
You can set the temperature up to 25 degrees C and “unload” the cooling machine a little… but I don’t want to jeopardize my production of 2 laser machines with only one cooling machine. For short periods or as an emergency solution - ok.
You can purchase chillers that have two outputs - inside the chiller it’s simply a tee going to each machine, so I would presume that doing the same outside the unit is fine.
The 5202 chillers have an extra pair of bibs on the back for two machines. Inside they are just series connected, out of the chiller, goes in one, out, then in the next one and back to the chiller.
If it will remove enough heat, I’d just run it from one to the next, using the shortest distance.
Inside, Outlet A is just a short tube jumper to Inlet B
My first 5202 arrived and wouldn’t refrigerate. I used one of the extra loops to run coolant through a copper line in a beer cooler. My first diy chiller..
…Jack, is that popcorn in your hoses?
Assuming some Reci 80 W tube specs are similar to what’s in the machines, each tube dissipates about:
380 W = 19 kV × 20 mA
That would be 20% efficiency and, frankly, I don’t believe that for 1.0 New York Minute.
Assuming a random CW-5200 manual has anything to do with the chiller, then it claims “1.39 kW” cooling capacity.
In round numbers, 800 W is less than 1400 W, so it ought to have enough capacity.
On the other paw, the LightObject “600 W” chiller next to my 60 W laser flat-out cannot keep up with the tube during prolonged cutting. The temperature doesn’t rise dramatically, but the chiller can’t hold the temperature within the deadband around 20 °C.
If you’re in production, IMO you need a chiller for each machine, because otherwise you’re out of business when the shared chiller fails.
It’s actually the silicon hose breaking down. Anywhere they get any movement, I’d end up cutting the ends off and reattaching to prevent drip leaks.
These are about 5 years old… They originally ran distilled water, but it was warm and the sun lit up that part of the machine, so it was the ideal area for algae farm.
Cleaned the hoses out with antifreeze and salt so I could get the growth out of it.
Sometimes you look back and say, what a dummy, I should have just replaced them, but I didn’t and still haven’t. If they break in the middle I’ll have to do a correct fix on them, which I should have done in the first place all this wouldn’t have happened…
Some places in this hose will collect bubbles when it’s not running. Don’t know if that was algae I didn’t get out of what. Must be something on the coolant hose for them to cling.
I can see it clear out the bubbles when I power up the chiller.
I think you’d be surprised.. I suggest you measure the input watts to the lps doing a line and measure the output. You know about what mA gives you so many watts. I have a Mahoney watt meter and I was surprised.
My 5200 seems to collect bubbles internally when it has been unused for a few days. I haven’t found any leaks. Perhaps it’s just the way that the connections to the water tank are set up internally.
The bubbles usually clear out of the system within a few seconds of start up. I can typically burp out (if any) small remaining with a pinch and release of the silicon tube - also providing a quick test of the coolant flow alarm.
Most of the have impeller type pumps, which tend to create bubbles from distilled water. I have them also. I ran a Propylene Glycol mixture for a while, it’s non toxic, at least they feed it to milk cows for ketosis.
You can see how bubbly my coolant became. Worked fine, but is thick, so it hinders flow rate.
…a bit the same age as mine, but I think because my cooling machine is under my laser table and gets almost no light, that’s why mine looks a bit better. But 5 years is also a fair time for a machine that is used.
I had a “major” inspection of my laser this weekend and am very surprised that my cooling water is still very clean, so it will not be changed this year either.
Overall, I am still very happy with my machine.
True, but I (still) don’t have a high voltage meter on the power supply, which means I can’t measure the overall tube power.
Measuring the HV supply power input doesn’t take into account my reluctance to dissect its AC wiring from the cable races to jam a wattmeter in there. Besides, that’d include its supply losses, too, rather than just the output to the tube.
All of which I should do, of course. So many projects, so little time …
I was surprised just ignoring what I didn’t or couldn’t compute.
I do have a voltmeter and it’s usually running under 10kV doing a cut job. The voltage doesn’t seem to climb when needing more mA.. it’s operation was a bit eye opening.
Few of us have tapped the HV anode lead for a reading or installed a meter.
Yes. I suppose running RV coolant would work well. I run straight distilled water and keep the laser in a heated basement “creative space”. That helps keep it useful during our -30C winter nights. My badly neglected (this year) CNC has to fend for itself in the wood heated garage.