Hello All,
Just putting this out here - my team and I have designed a bunch of recirculating chiller / heat-exchanger style plate nests over the years. I imagine lots of people have done this (and created better designs), but these have worked well for us.
The Automation team at Calico is making a concerted effort to make our work public and share ideas. Sometimes these are large, novel projects like Kendra Nyberg’s microfluidic sorter Piccolo, and sometimes they’re simple, practical projects like these chiller blocks. We’ve put together a page of projects and publications here and will continue to add to it.
@RKeyser I am very close to ordering parts for the Vantage chiller from Xometry, but I had a question. Do you think it would be acceptable for the base for the chiller (with the flow channel) to be made with tough resin or nylon SLS 3D printing? To me it seems that would be allow for better insulation from the environment as well as be a lot cheaper.
Actually I can see now that the plate holders fasten to the flat surface and that the channel is on bottom. Still I wonder if nylon for that part might be possible with some adjustment on the other parts.
Hey Stefan - It would probably work w/ SLS or machined plastic. It’s big and there are a lot of tapped holes, but you’re right that the insulation is probably better. I think the silicone sealant will bond fine too.
