Eco-friendly chiller offers low noise operation and up to 50% lower energy consumption compared to conventional compressor-based systems…
June 18, 2020 – The Nextreme™ Recirculating Chiller Platform from Laird Thermal Systems offers reliable and precise temperature control of 3D printing systems used in additive manufacturing applications in a wide range of industries. The Nextreme™ Recirculating Chiller Platform is able to efficiently control the temperature of all sensitive electronics within 3D printing systems, including the power source, the laser or electron beam optics and the thermal print head. In addition, a chiller can be used to quickly cool smaller and/or highly detailed 3D printed objects to preserve fine design details.
3D printing is an emerging application that is finding an expanding purpose in the manufacturing process. Once primarily used for rapid prototyping, 3D printing is now used to digitize workflow and manufacture production quality final products. 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. Precise cooling is also needed to help control the viscosity of the liquid powder as it is dispensed onto the surface of the thermal printhead to preserve the design details and quality of the printed part.
Compared to other cooling technologies, compressor-based refrigeration systems such as the Nextreme™ Chiller deliver a higher coefficient of performance (COP). By utilizing 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. By using environmentally friendly R513A refrigerant, the Nextreme™ Chiller delivers similar performance with half the Global Warming Potential (GWP) compared to traditional hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) refrigerants.
“3D printing machines benefit greatly from the Nextreme™ Chiller’s ability to achieve a temperature stability to within ±0.1°C of the set point temperature,” said Greg Ducharme, Liquid Cooling Systems Product Director at Laird Thermal Systems. “The Nextreme™ Recirculating Chiller System can heat and cool fluid to maintain a thermal set point, offering greater flexibility and reducing the need to implement a separate heating element.”
For maximum uptime, the Nextreme™ Chiller features the optional “hot swappable” 5-micron water filter for filtering particulates from the coolant circuit, which means that the unit can continue operating even during maintenance. With no moving parts, an optical fluid level sensor offers higher reliability and increased uptime when compared to chillers that use mechanical float switches. The programmable alarm alerts the user when fluid level drops below acceptable operating conditions. To prevent damage to equipment in high pressure operating conditions, the chiller senses the supply fluid pressure and will alert users when low- or high-pressure limits have been exceeded.
The LCD touchscreen display allows the user to easily control temperature setpoints, flow and alarm settings and coolant type while coolant level can be monitored via the indicator window on the front panel.
The Nextreme™ Chiller Series is available in three standard models, 1800 W, 2800 W and 5000 W. All these models can be configured to meet specific application requirements.
For more information on the Nextreme™ Recirculating Chiller platform, visit www.lairdthermal.com/nextreme. To learn more about thermal management for 3D printing systems, download a free copy of the Precise Thermal Management for Additive Manufacturing application note.
