We as a fandom joke about Tim's cloning stint a lot. It was a fucked up thing for Tim to do and definitely showed off his Mad Basement Scientist vibes quite literally. It is, objectively, pretty funny.
On the other hand, how much of Tim's soul was lost that he tried 99 times to create a replication of Kon? He knew it wouldn't bring his best friend back. He knew, at best, Tim's project would be closer to Kon's biological sibling instead.
Despite that, Tim tried 99 times. Each trial might have brought him closer, but they would've taken an extreme amount of time. It would have cost so much money and resources.
Tim, as he slowly broke down in front of a glass tube that once imprisoned his friend, did not stop. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He knew Kon would hate him for this. He knew his best friend would be furious at the blatant disregard for clones. Tim was so lost that he gave up everything for a mere impression of Kon. He sacrificed his time, effort, and resources. On the line was his reputation in the hero community, relationship with Kon, and mental stability.