During laser processing, the cooling water temperature of the laser chiller has a significant impact on the power of the CO2 laser. If the temperature of the cooling water is too high, it can lead to a decrease in laser power and may even cause damage to the laser. So, how to adjust the cooling water temperature to keep the laser in optimal working condition?
Let's first understand the principle of CO2 lasers. CO2 laser is a type of gas laser that works by utilizing the vibrational energy level transitions of carbon dioxide molecules to generate a laser. It typically uses electron beams or discharges to excite the gas. When CO2 gas is excited, it produces a laser. Research has shown that the photoelectric conversion efficiency of CO2 lasers is about 10-20%, and the remaining energy will be converted into waste heat. If the discharge area of CO2 lasers cannot effectively dissipate heat, the gas temperature in the discharge area will continue to rise, ultimately affecting the output power of the laser. Therefore, it is necessary to use a laser chiller to dissipate heat from the CO2 laser.
If the cooling water temperature of the laser chiller is too high, it will lead to rapid vaporization of CO2 gas and prevent the generation of laser. Therefore, we need to lower the cooling water temperature to ensure that CO2 gas can stably generate laser. Of course, the temperature of the cooling water cannot be infinitely reduced, and the lower the better. A low cooling temperature can cause frost on the surface of the laser, affect its use, and even shorten its service life. For some CO2 lasers, more thermal engine time is required, which reduces work efficiency.
When setting the cooling water temperature, we also need to consider the stability of the laser power, that is, the stable heat dissipation effect. Taking these two factors into consideration, the cooling water temperature can be set to 25 ± 2 ° C. In hot summer, to avoid frost formation, it can also be set to 28 ± 2 ° C for reference only.
Source: Coolingstyle