Tarkin's chiller repaired

Space Teams LASERS
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Reports of Tarkin’s chiller not keeping up, or needing breaks to cool back down have come in over the past few weeks. Based on the systems, the freon level was checked, and refilled. The cooler was tested by running Tarkin for over 20 mins on 100% power, cutting through 3/4in MDF. All cuts went through with no signs of power loss.
One thing to keep in mind when using any laser. The temperature of the laser will effect the power output. If you test your material while the laser is cooler, and then perform longs cuts the efficiency of the chiller really plays a part in performance.
It seems the low freon level was causing this problem much quicker than expected in normal use. With the refill, performance seems back to expectations. Always keep the chiller temperature in mind while making long cuts at full power, and give it time to catch up of it is heating up. @dannym should have more specific numbers, but I believe anything over 25 degress Celsius on the chiller will show up in cut performance. The test last night never got above 21 degrees.
Pictures are of the test results, all cuts done in one session.

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Happy lasering!!

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Thank you so much for investigating and getting resolution on this @jamesfreeman! Cutting the laser desks was a bit of a slog because of this issue.

For reference from my experience, over 25C was were my thick cuts started suffering.

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Embedding education in a backstory, well done!

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Awesome I’ve been having issues too. Thanks a lot

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Output is reduced by about 1% for every deg C. This is a strong reason to use a chiller- consistency.

The chiller was underperforming for awhile and Tarkin would slowly outrun the chiller at 100% sustained power over about 10 min. The temp wasn’t high enough to damage the laser but the output drop is more problematic than just the drop, the key is consistency.

This will restore all the power and keep it very consistent indefinitely. Temp control is back to about +/- 1C IIRC

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