Glass Tube Laser and Condensation

[David Sabot]

I just got a 100 Watt chinese laser. I am in Florida working in an non-air conditioned warehouse. The temperate gets up to around 85-90 and the humidity about the same. I am getting condensation on the laser's chiller, tube and on the lens. This is of course bad, and causing problems. I have tried to raise the chillers temperature but it doesn't seem to help too much.

I was thinking of getting a small portable AC unit, but since this is inside an open space 10,000 square foot warehouse, I want to direct the cold, less humid air inside the machine somehow.

My only though was literally a plastic tarp taped to the back of the engraver with the ac unit inside.

Anybody have any suggestions?

[Junior hall]

What about a huge fan to blow the air onto the chiller

[Kev Williams]

I'm thinking portable AC unit, that rolls around and has a hose to pipe out the hot humid exhaust from the AC's condenser. You should be able to exit that air in the same place you're exiting you're laser's smoke...

You don't need to aim the cooled air inside the machine, you only need to aim it TOWARDS the machine. The goal isn't so much cooler air, it's DRIER air you're after...

The AC unit's dehumidifying properties and the chilled air will reduce the humidity and dewpoint substantially within the general vicinity, even if doesn't cool the air much. Now, find yourself a small, simple fan, something you can place in the 'box' with the laser tube. Prop open the door a bit to let the air in and out... Your fan will now be moving the nearby drier air over the tube, which should let any moisture quickly evaporate (which creates a cooling effect) and keep condensation from forming...

[Rich Harman]

Piping air conditioned air near the tube should work. What Kev says should help but if it were ducted to where it needed to be, it would help more. It's a good place to start.

A fan blowing on the chiller won't affect condensation on the tube, well it may increase it because the chiller would be able to cool better - making even more condensation. Though it may reduce the condensation on the chiller itself.

The condensation on the lens would be from the air assist. Using a tube outside the nozzle (like Epilog's use) would keep the air away from the lens. That's what I did and it has worked just as well, if not better, than the air going through the cone. If you don't want to do that then you will need to dry the air assist air.

[walter hofmann]

WOW
10.000 SF is a lot, can you not enclose your area to separate it a bit from the remaining, maybe thick tarp . then a Big window AC ( must be vented to the outside) and a industrial fan.
but be careful watch out for the cooling temperature with a thermometer on the cool water line where the line enters the laser housing. never let the temperature go over 25C (78 F) or your tube will be destroyed very fast sometimes in just a few hundred hours.
I am in SW florida in a 1,000SF garage with a 20,000 BTU window AC and I have to stop if the outside temp goes close to or above 90F.
what kind of chiller do you have? you need at least a 5,000 unit what has a compressor not just fans.
I hope this helps if you need more help send me a PM
greetings
waltfl

[Keith Winter]

Hey!

If you have a corner of the warehouse you can throw up some metal studs and drywall off a 200 sq ft space pretty easy. You will have air loss but you really only have to do 1 side if you're really trying to keep costs down, add insulation and the other side as budget allows. Then hookup a portable AC unit vent it through the other side and you're in business. You won't hit 70 degrees in the room, but it will be noticeably cooler. Buy a $250 dehumidifer and you're dry too. It's not going to be beautiful but it should work for what you want and be pretty cheap, ac will be the most expensive part, might get lucky and find a used one on craigslist.

I just got a 100 Watt chinese laser. I am in Florida working in an non-air conditioned warehouse. The temperate gets up to around 85-90 and the humidity about the same. I am getting condensation on the laser's chiller, tube and on the lens. This is of course bad, and causing problems. I have tried to raise the chillers temperature but it doesn't seem to help too much.

I was thinking of getting a small portable AC unit, but since this is inside an open space 10,000 square foot warehouse, I want to direct the cold, less humid air inside the machine somehow.

My only though was literally a plastic tarp taped to the back of the engraver with the ac unit inside.

Anybody have any suggestions?

[Bill George]

So the tube is already cooled by the water chiller. Enclose the tube, except of course where the beam exits the tube enclosure. Nothing fancy, cardboard, Styrofoam, duct tape or whatever to keep the warm air in the warehouse away from the area surrounding the tube.

Plan B and I have seen it done, small window A/C unit cool side inside a plywood insulated box surrounding the back of the machine or where ever the tube resides. Other side pointing out into the non A/C 10,000 sf warehouse.

I have even seen roof top units, inside a warehouse used to cool a office built inside. Is it right, No. Does it work, yup.