99% People Don’t Know How to Protect Laser in Winter

Temperatures are no doubt lower in the winter and the air is so much colder. How one maintains the Laser Machine has become a concern for everyone and we all ask: What is the storage temperature of the laser machine? Do you need antifreeze? How should water cooling pipes and related devices be protected?

How to protect laser in the cold winter when the air temperature is lower than 0°C, water will condense to become solid and the volume will become bigger in the process. This change in composition and size will cause the pipes and other components in the water cooling system to crack and break. The chiller system includes a chiller, laser and output head.

In this article, we will talk about laser antifreeze and how we can take care of our laser machines even in the winter.

Do not turn off the water cooler at night

If there is absolutely no power outage in the local area, the water cooler should not be turned off at night. To save on energy, the temperature of the water should be adjusted to anywhere from 5 to 10°C to ensure that the coolant will circulate and the temperature is not too low to reach freezing point.

Use antifreeze as a coolant

Antifreeze must be used when the environment has power outages and does not have the conditions to drain the coolant every day. Antifreeze is mainly composed of water and alcohol which requires a high boiling point, high specific heat and conductivity, low-temperature viscosity, not quick to foam and does not corrode metals or rubber hoses among other things. When selecting or preparing antifreeze, its freezing point should be 5°C lower than the minimum temperature of the environment where it’s being used.

Choice of antifreeze

Add a professional brand antifreeze to the water cooler such as Clariant’s Antifrogen antifreeze. The ratio is 3:7 (3 parts antifreeze and 7 parts water). After adding the antifreeze, it can withstand -20°C without freezing. If the temperature is lower than this range, please consult the water cooler supplier to confirm the antifreeze advisable ratio.

If you’re unable to purchase branded antifreeze, you can buy Shell OAT-45°C which can be used directly into the laser cooling system. For the accurate dilution ratio, please refer to the table below. It’s important to know the proper ratio for diluting antifreeze because failing to do so will negatively affect the flow rate of the coolant which will set off an alarm or problems with heat dissipation of the laser. If you notice any abnormality in the temperature, contact technical support right away.

Precautions for using antifreeze

Antifreeze cannot totally replace deionized water and cannot be used for a long time all year. Once the winter is over, be sure to clean the pipes with deionized or purified water. Likewise, the use of deionized or purified water should be restored after the winter season has passed.

Be sure to drain the water in the laser and related pipes of the water cooler during holidays or whenever there is a power outage.

Precautions for using antifreeze

Antifreeze cannot totally replace deionized water and cannot be used for a long time all year. Once the winter is over, be sure to clean the pipes with deionized or purified water. Likewise, the use of deionized or purified water should be restored after the winter season has passed.

Be sure to drain the water in the laser and related pipes of the water cooler during holidays or whenever there is a power outage.