Shapeoko 2 Laser Cutter

[BeeAmaker]

Sept 30, 2014 9:28:32 GMT -5 jimustanguitar said:

Sweet! I got a couple on the way.

Also found a compact (and hopefully quiet) fan setup that will fit the bill. www.mpja.com/12VDC-Four-1-9_16in-Square-Dual-Fan-Assemblies-AVC/productinfo/15839%20FN/ 4 server fan assy's ought to do nicely.

Funny, I have one of them on order as well.

[jimustanguitar]

Am I crazy for wanting to build my own chiller? There are some really good deals to be had on peltier elements, and I think some computer style heat pipe heatsinks would make a neat exchanger for cooling water...

Anybody know how much cooling I'd need for a 100w tube? If 100% of that 100w went into heat, that would only be 340BTU to dissipate, right?

[BeeAmaker]

Oct 2, 2014 8:23:37 GMT -5 jimustanguitar said:

Am I crazy for wanting to build my own chiller? There are some really good deals to be had on peltier elements, and I think some computer style heat pipe heatsinks would make a neat exchanger for cooling water...

Anybody know how much cooling I'd need for a 100w tube? If 100% of that 100w went into heat, that would only be 340BTU to dissipate, right?

341.2141633 BTU's to be exact,
rapidtables.com/convert/power/Watt_to_BTU.htm

BUT! I don't think that is the right watts, a 100 watt laser simply means that it needs 100 watts of power to operate correctly. How much heat the laser itself generates I believe is an entire different matter. For example, if you look at the specification for this 100 watt laser you see a "Heat Load" which is listed as 2300W or 7848 BTU's.

At any rate, I might have a junk convector heater blower laying around here that would help cool the water.

[jimustanguitar]

So how hot do Peltier elements get? Would I be ok with a heatsink and a fan, or would I need a heatpipe or water cooler on one that was working really hard?

Trying to pick between options like these:
www.mpja.com/H_P-Rectanglar-Pattern-Heatsink-with-12VDC-Fan/productinfo/18709%20HK
www.amazon.com/dp/B004PLSENU/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=4HWN2C8QE465&coliid=I2B3NB7OP5O99V
www.mpja.com/CPU-Liquid-Cooling-System/productinfo/17515%20HK

I'm thinking that it makes sense to start small (and cheap) and just see how hot it actually gets.

[BeeAmaker]

About all I know is you can't have too much cooling on something like this, But I like the CPU cooler from Amazon

[jimustanguitar]

Figured I'd keep this build log going...

My most recent advance was designing and installing new belt clamps on the ShapeOko. I designed these to mount outside of the frame brackets so that the v-wheels could travel the full extent of the linear rail. This would make a ShapeOko II's actual work area about 1.5" larger in each direction. 

The clamp design worked! One unforeseen complication was that the wheels from one gantry hit the bracket from the other, so I only gained the full linear length of one of the axes. I think I can adjust this out, but haven't played with it yet. More on that next time.

Files here: repables.com/r/472/
Hopefully more updates coming soon!

[BeeAmaker]

Awesome. I'll print mine today!