Parallax Technology, Inc.

We manufacture and service DC CO2 laser tubes

Electronic Liquids for cooling your laser tube.

Why is there such a shortage of Fluorinert ?

And a more detailed article.

DC CO2 laser tubes like PLX medical, Deka surgical, Deka dental, Lumenis Ultrapulse, Sharplan Silk Touch and others use Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquid as coolant.
The Electronic Liquids offered in this page are provided as a service to our CO2 laser customers.

This page is current as of : February 04, 2023

3M™ manufactures and ships Fluorinert™ electronic liquid in 5 kg and 20 kg jugs and 55 gallon drums. We repackage and ship you FC-770 and FC-40 in small quantities that you need to top off your laser reservoir.

When the Electronic Liquid coolant in your laser system evaporates and you ask for 'just a little to top off my reservoir' or when you lose some coolant when you service your laser tube, you could go and buy the smallest factory packaged 3/4 gallon container and use it over many years !

However that would be extremely wasteful and expensive because Fluorinert™ evaporates and also has a shelf life.

For that reason we provide you Electronic Liquid coolant in smaller repackaged amounts. You can choose typical re-packaged quantities needed for your laser tube and / or HV power supply.

-- We maintain a reasonable quantity on hand for your immediate needs. Please see table below or inquire at contact us.

For your convenience we have given some descriptions below.
-- Fluorinert™ also called Electronic Liquids are inert coolants for various electronic and high voltage applications. See a comparison of various Fluorinerts properties at 3M™ web site.

-- Physical Properties of FC-770 and FC-40. These will take you to 3M™ web site.

-- Material Safety Data Sheet : FC-770 SDS and FC-40 SDS. These will take you to 3M™ web site.

*** Very Important ***
Some web sites are selling these fluids at low prices. Two points to consider before purchase:
- 1: Fluorinert™ have Shelf Life, watch out for it.
- 2: Some are 'used fluid' that 'large users' must dispose of properly but it finds its way to the Internet. 'Pre used Fluorinert' is NOT to be used in Laser tubes or any other application that needs these fluids because of their unique properties.
Low prices are ok but KNOW what you are buying because you don't want to destroy the equipment.
 
Most of you are familiar with the Electronic Liquid coolant in your lasers. For those of you who are not familiar with it, this is the short version description.

Laser system manufacturers like Sharplan, Lumenis, Deka, SmartXide Dot etc. recommend 3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquid coolant, a specialty fluid from 3M™, as coolant for their laser tubes. It is a colorless, odorless liquid (just like water) and if you get some of it on your fingers, it is harmless (just wash your hands with water).

When you remove for service and re-install a medical laser tube, some of the coolant fluid gets spilled and is lost. Most of you need 'a little' to fill the laser tube or 'top off' the reservoir, sometimes less than 'a cup full'.

Since the manufacturer supplies Fluorinert™ liquids in 5 Kg ( and larger) containers, you need to figure out "how much coolant do I need ?"

A Deka 30 Watt tube, just the glass tube by itself, takes 100 cc
Sharplan 20C, 30C and 40C tubes, just the glass tube by itself, take 100 cc

Also include the pump, the tubing, the ballast and then the reservoir. Only you can determine how much you need, depending on how empty your system is.

Either of FC-40 or FC-770 are about 2 times heavier than water. Here are some rough calculations for figuring how much FC-40 / FC-770 liquid you need to get to fill your laser tube / system:

A Cup is 8 Oz = 237 cc. A can of Coke is 12 Oz (355 cc).

1000 cc of water = 1 kg = 2.2 lbs.

1000 cc Electronic Liquid coolant =33.8 US fluid Oz ~ 2 kg = 4.4 lbs
 500 cc ~ 17 Oz ~ 1 kg = 2.2 lbs
 250 cc ~ 8.5 Oz ~ 1/2 kg ~ 1 lbs
 125 cc ~ 4.2 Oz ~ 1/4 kg ~ 1/2 lbs
   65 cc ~ 2.2 Oz ~ 1/8 kg ~ 1/4 lbs

If system reservoir is also emptly, count on 500 cc total but you may have some leftover .
 

All Parts & Supplies are Prepaid and all sizes are available from stock unless otherwise noted below.

Coolant shipping is Final
Not Returnable and Non-Refundable after it leaves our premises.

    Notes to laser technicians:

  • Don't let this fluid drip. It is expensive!

  • Electronic Liquids have an Expiration Date, look for it. For example, FC-77 ( 3 yr life) was discontinued by 3M™ in 2008 but entrepreneurs are still selling it on e-bay!
    FC-75 and FC-84 have also been discontinued by 3M™.

  • Do not use the cheap 're-claimed' Electronic Liquid available on the Internet in your laser tube. Why ? Because clean Fluorinert™ is extremely innert but if the used stuff has lost its properties in its previous life, your tube may get damaged.

  • There exists cheaper Not "3M" Electronic Liquid on the Internet. We do not know what it is but if you use other than manufacturer recommended fluid in your system you may pay for the consequences.

To order please send e-mail or call

Due to safety issues 3M™ does not appove end user resell of their electronic liquid in bulk. However, due to evaporation, you often need very little to top off the reservoir in your laser and as our laser customer we are obliged to provide you repackaged amounts in typical quantities needed to 'top off' or fill the reservoir in your laser.
3M™ ships in 5 kg (3/4 gallon) and larger containers.

Ask about FC-3283 (in stock) for cooling your Deka tubes.

3M News Release Dec. 2022. See below:

3M-to-Exit-PFAS-Manufacturing-by-the-End-of-2025.

This means all the FC's.     Find an alternative coolant for your laser tube before then!

- 3M announces Price Adjustments as of Apr. 01, 2023.

Bottle sizes

FC-40
Density 1.85 gr/cc
Shelf Life 5 yrs 		FC-770
Density 1.79 gr/cc
Shelf Life 3 yrs 		shipping info -
Volume Net weight | $ Net weight | $
Deka, Lumenis & PLX lasers
may also use FC-3283.		 Boxes /shipping weights
Below table shows the maximum we can send you until 3M starts shipping again.
All listed sizes, including FC-3283, in stock.
65 cc 120 gr$105 116 gr$ 115 7x6x6
dimensional wt. 2 lbs
130 cc 240 gr$165 224 gr$175 7x6x6
dimensional wt. 2 lbs
250 cc 462 gr $270 447 gr $290 8x5x5
dimensional wt. 2 lbs
500 cc
 925 gr $480 896 gr$510 8x5x5
wt. 3 lbs
1000 cc
 1.85 kg $880 1.79 kg $965 10x6x6
wt. 5 lbs
3M News Release Dec. 2022. See below:

3M-to-Exit-PFAS-Manufacturing-by-the-End-of-2025.

This means all the FC's.     Find an alternative coolant for your laser tube before then!

See this Chart to Compare properties of the above electronic liquids.

3M™ has discontinued and / or replaced the following FC's:

FC-75, FC-77, FC-84, FC-3255 and FC-5312 .
Use replacement FC-770 in place of Fluorinert™ FC-77.

We ship same day if your order comes in by 1 pm Eastern time.

We ship UPS Ground, FOB Parallax, Prepaid and Add to your invoice. You may also ask us to ship faster or use your own UPS account number.

Ships from:
We are in Waltham, Massachusetts 02453.
Weights are dimensional for 250 cc and smaller.
3 lbs & 5 lbs for 500 & 1000 cc respectively.

This is an expensive product and you may want to consider carrier insurance for value..

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