Cooling question

Not sure this has been asked but I’ve seen it being talked about on other forums but what type of cooling system does the Basic glowforge have? I can kind of guess the Pro has a Peltier cooler type system but if that would be the upgraded cooling for the pro then I would have to guess internal liquid cooled radiator like a cpu fan for the basic.

My curiosity peaked when Dan talked about maybe the Basic would need breaks in between run times in the discussion of how long the tube will last. I doubt I will ever run it that hard but that doesn’t mean I’ll have an intricate engrave that would last a long time.

I am curious about this too. On the other thread It was said that it could do one-print-at-a-time. But I am not quite sure what that means exactly? I certainly don’t intend on running a production line with this thing. Maybe a better question is - while cutting through 1/4" acrylic, how long can the machine run before it needs to cool off? I would be in my home at about 75 degrees (Arizona!)

I’m curious for the answer too, we’ve been doing a lot of speculating!

Though Dan did say in another thread the basic was set to run in 70 degree temps and a pro may be needed for warmer environments.

We haven’t finished thermal profiling yet. The Basic is designed to use passive cooling (pumping water through an aluminum block) to run at room temperature (around 70 degrees); The Pro is designed to run hotter and longer. I will share hard test data with you as soon as I have it, but that will be a ways out. You will, of course, have a chance to cancel or change your order when we release that.

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Thanks Dan for providing that. So its like those self contained cpu fan/liquid radiator deals. I’m fine with that. Is it still internal and is it an accessible reservoir? I was more worried it would be air cooled like was mentioned in another thread, not by you. It will be interesting to see that data when you guys are ready.

The great thing about makers is that if we need to we can always find ways of providing more cooling with the knowledge that warranty will be broken. For now I really don’t see myself cancelling an order over something I can upgrade myself but for other things like the optics, that’s a different story.

Again thanks Dan for replying to that.

PS. I consider water cooling still an active cooling method. Passive to me is straight up cooling fins like you would see on some v twin engines on a motorcycle.

You’re quite right - it’s closed loop, but it’s active.

I see now. That makes me feel much better - I was under the impression also that the cooling in the basic was essentially a fan and nothing else. Thanks!

@Dan, I held off upgrading to the Pro due not seeing an answer to the question of what is the cooling off period needed above. Unfortunately one of the biggest deciders for the big upgrade is not really defined prior to the big price jump happening (+$500)

I don’t need “all day” performance at home, and if it is capable of cutting for say 30 minutes max and then needs a few minutes at room temp (say 68-70F) to cool and then would restart, then that’s fine. On the other hand if it can’t do that, then I would have wanted to upgrade to the Pro, which has now jumped in price before the question is answered. It might be nice if you could honor the original price upgrade for those of us backers once you have that data.

@dan Will the cutter be self protecting? By that I mean if temperature goes over a certain level will the unit pause until temperature is within operating limits? If so will the user be messaged as to the reason for the pause? I’m fine with the unit stopping and waiting if it will prolong the life.

I really want to hear about this too. Another thread implied if it lost connection to the cloud at a critical moment the the Glowforge might not get the instructions to put the cooling fans on full because sensors detected it was overheating.

The cooling plan is sent to the Glowforge at the same time as the cutting plan so it’s always going to know how much cooling it needs.

A plan is great until the laser contacts the material. I really hope there are sensors, feedback, and safety mechanisms local.

The amount of cooling the lasing medium inside the tube requires is a function of the power provided; we know that, so it’s fairly straightforward to predict the amount of cooling the tube requires.

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Interesting that the cooling plan is dynamic.

@Dan, any chance of answering the question I had posted above?

@dan - does that mean that there is no local feedback on the printer itself for an over-temperature condition?

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@henryhbk: You’re totally fine for those sorts of use cases with the basic.

@MikeH: I don’t remember if there’s a local temperature sensor in the water loop. I believe so but don’t hold me to it.

im sorry im little confused on one thing in the basic edition we have to hook up a pump so it pumps cool water through the system like the low cost laser out there?

Nope. Been discussed before. The Basic also has closed loop liquid cooling. Different than the Pro but still no external additional pumps or reservoirs needed.

thats what i thought i was a little confused about the system

Hello Dan,

This is my first post in the forum. I am quite concerned on the operating temperature of GF, I am located in Asia (HK) and usual ambient room temperature would higher than 77F/25C. I am curious to know how GF/Cloud software estimate the cooling time based on different operating ambient temperature. I am worried the laser tube will overheat because of wrong temperature baseline. If cooling time will estimated automatically by cloud software, I think at least there will be a way for us to input room temperature by the time of operation? Of course it would be great if temperature sensor was build-in.