Winter Antifreeze Protection Measures for Laser Cutting Machines & Laser Welding Machines

The golden autumn has arrived, and the weather is gradually getting cooler. Recently, the country has begun to cool down on a large scale, and the temperature in some areas is below zero. Water below zero will condense into ice, and the density of ice is less than that of water, which may cause the water cooler, laser, and cutting head water pipeline to rupture or deform due to volume expansion, resulting in major damage to related core components. This reminds our customers to do a good job in preventing freezing of laser cutting machines and laser welding machines.

1. The water temperature setting of the chiller should be set with the change of the ambient temperature. The water temperature setting range in winter is 22°C-25°C, and the water temperature setting range in summer is 27°C-30°C. Appropriate water temperature setting can reduce the alarm and save the humidity and temperature of the laser. Use electricity while avoiding condensation on the laser and laser cutting head.

2. When the ambient temperature is lower than 0 °C, the liquid water will condense to form a solid, and during the condensation process, the volume will become larger. In this way, the pipes and components (including chillers, lasers and laser cutting heads) in the water-cooling system will be "cracked", or the pipes in the water-cooling system will be blocked, so that the cooling water cannot be circulated, and the equipment cannot be used normally.

The antifreeze protection measures for equipment used in winter are as follows:

1. If there will never be a power outage in the local area, the chiller will not be turned off when the equipment is out of use.

2. If the equipment must be powered off or the water cooler will not be used for a long time (such as the Spring Festival holiday), all the cooling circulating water should be drained (including the water tank of the chiller, water pipes, lasers, and cooling water inside the cutting head). When there is a small amount of cooling circulating water that cannot be exhausted, it is necessary to pass low-pressure air (air pressure should not be greater than 0.4MPa) to drain all remaining water to prevent freezing, or add antifreeze according to the requirements of Article 3.

3. When the use environment is often powered off and does not have the conditions to drain the cooling water every day, professional brand antifreeze must be used. When adding antifreeze, it is necessary to empty the cooling water in all pipes and components in the cold water system, and then mix the antifreeze and cooling water in a certain proportion and pour them into the chiller (remember not to inject separately). For different brands of antifreeze and water freezing point, please consult professional manufacturers. The following table is an example of the freezing point of Clariant antifreeze water. If the ambient temperature is lower than this range, please consult a professional manufacturer to confirm the antifreeze ratio.

Special attention: any antifreeze cannot completely replace cooling water and cannot be used for a long time throughout the year. After winter, the antifreeze in the pipeline and container must be cleaned with pure water. And resume to use purified water or distilled water as cooling water.