By Gina Roos, editor-in-chief
The Nextreme Recirculating Chiller Platform from Laird Thermal Systems offers precise temperature control of all sensitive electronics in 3D-printing systems, including the power source, the laser or electron beam optics, and the thermal printhead. The chiller can also be used to quickly cool smaller and/or highly detailed 3D-printed objects to preserve fine design details, said the company.
The Nextreme Chiller series targets additive manufacturing applications in a wide range of industries. The series is available in three standard models: 1,800 W, 2,800 W, and 5,000 W. All models can be configured to meet specific application requirements.
“To ensure high performance and long-life operation of 3D-printing systems, laser and electron beam optics must be sufficiently cooled and maintained at a stable operating temperature,” said Laird Thermal Systems. “Precise cooling is also needed to help control the viscosity of the liquid powder as it is dispensed onto the surface of the thermal print head to preserve the design details and quality of the printed part.”
Key features of the chiller include the ability to achieve a temperature stability to within ±0.1°C of the setpoint temperature, and it can heat and cool fluid to maintain a thermal setpoint, reducing the need for a separate heating element. An LCD touchscreen display allows the user to control temperature setpoints, flow and alarm settings, and coolant type. The coolant level can be monitored via the indicator window on the front panel.
For increased uptime, the chiller features an optional “hot swappable” 5-micron water filter for filtering particulates from the coolant circuit, which enables continuous operation even during maintenance. It also uses an optical fluid level sensor — no moving parts, offering higher reliability and increased uptime compared to chillers that use mechanical float switches.
By using high-performance variable speed motors, the Nextreme Chiller offers low noise operation and up to 50% lower energy consumption compared to conventional compressor-based systems, said the company. In addition, by using the environmentally friendly R513A refrigerant, it claims similar performance with half the Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared to traditional hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants.
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