heat and humidity

[krugtech]

Every year when it gets hot and humid everyone finds out that their cooling system/humidity control/Ac units on their machines are not up to par. A hot resonator works like crap and eats transmissive optics- like the output window. A wet resonator likes to have high voltage arc through o-rings and beat the crap out of the excitation section. Newer machines will warn you when something like this will happen but older machines need to be looked at. Check your chillers check your AC units, check your dehumidifiers.

Chris Krug

http://krugtech.com/

Maximum Up-time, Minimum BS

 

[LeeGreiga]

Thanks for the reminder. Also want to add that making sure all the covers of compartment with AC are latched or bolted on tight to prevent condesation inside those compartments. Also make sure you run the resonator a bit after changing lasing gas tanks. Had one changed at the end of a shift after the machine was shut down for the night, Next morning we where getting turbo overcurrents. It was explained to me that the humidity in the atmospheric air that made it's way into turbo, during the tank change, was causing higher starting amperage and giving alarms. It took trying to restart it until afternoon. Apparently after a tank change it's good to keep running or at least go through a few purge cycles before shutting down.

 

[krugtech]

I had one this week, the laser would not start, they opened the top while it was humid out and the whole upper resonator got all wet from condensation. So they turned the high voltage on. Twice. Big bang the first time, small bang w a sizzle the second time. I used more high voltage parts at that call than I did in the last 5 years. It's not easy to get those HV parts either w Bystronics unreasonable parts policy. They actually blew a chunk out of the ceramic that holds the cathode and hurt the ballast tube! Impressive!


Chris Krug

http://krugtech.com/

Maximum Up-time, Minimum BS