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Sarah Holbrook
10-13-2010, 1:21 PM
I'm very happy to have my "new to me" ULS X2-660 powered up as of yesterday. This machine joins a ULS 4.60.

For the 4.60 I currently have no compressor and it venting to a Quatro Air scrubber that vents back into the room. (The machine does have the air option, just no compressor yet)

For the X2 I'd like a compressor and likely venting outside. The compressor requirements are 50psi at 2.5cfm.

Do you recommend combining exhaust systems? Air compressors? I currently cut a lot of paper so I need to have control over the power of the exhaust (ideally per-machine). For air compressors with two outlets I'm not sure whether the X2 computer-controlled option will just turn on/off one outlet or whether it would shut off the whole machine.

Noise is an issue. I wear noise-cancelling headphones all day but they can only hide so much.

I have searched a lot in the archives but haven't found anything specific to multi-machine shops.

Thanks for your help!

Robert Walters
10-13-2010, 1:44 PM
Hi Sarah,

Congrats on your new(est) toy!

They have what are called "blast gates" when used in a woodworking shop that are inexpensive "valves" so to speak.

http://www.ptreeusa.com/blastgates.htm

I *think* they even have electronically controlled ones.

You could use one exhaust, a "Y" and a blast gate per machine.

As long as your exhaust (dust collector) has enough power to handle both machines, the only issue I see is that if you are only running one laser, and someone forgets to close the blast gate on the other machine, you could potentially exhaust back into that machine as well as outdoors.

If you used electronic controlled blast gates, they would only open up when the machine is powered on, so no having to remember/forget to open/close them.

The blast gates can also let you control the level of exhaust too.

You could even use both. The manual one to set the level, and the electronic one as an exhaust on/off.
That's assuming they don't allow you to adjust the level on the electronic ones.

Sidenote:
It looks like some of the electronic blast gates are setup differently than I was thinking. You open the gate and that turns on the dust collector. If both machines are running and both gates are open, and you close the gate on one, it will prevent the dust collector from turning off.

Sarah Holbrook
10-13-2010, 2:24 PM
Great info, thanks Robert! A quick google brought up several companies that create electronically controlled blast gates. I will definitely look into this.

Dan Hintz
10-13-2010, 3:13 PM
The cheap electronic blast gates are simple on/off... if you want control over vacuum on each machine, you'll need something more than that.

Mike Mackenzie
10-13-2010, 3:46 PM
Sarah,

The only draw back to sharing the exhaust is if the one blower goes down both systems are down.

I would put a separate blower for the X2 due to the size of the unit.

The air assist is easy to share I have one Home Depot Compressor that I have connected to 4 lasers and three air hoses in the shop.

Granted it is not quiet and the tank size is large but if you are wanting to hook up both systems with one air source it shouldn't be a problem.

Sarah Holbrook
10-13-2010, 4:32 PM
Dan, yes I see there are more complex gates. I hope to use a contractor who can work out the details, but I need to have a basic plan/idea what I'm talking about. I've found that unless I'm really lucky (my new electrician is also a teacher) contractors can be fairly opaque about their decisions and plans.

Mike, good point. The only time my exhaust system seems to die is right before I have a big job due. If I use a shared exhaust I'll still keep my existing unit as a backup so I can at least run the 4.60.

On the noise front, I was thinking an advantage of a shared compressor would be reduced noise and power compared to two systems running at once (similarly for the exhaust). Of course since I don't use air now it is hard to know whether this will be a future practical concern.

With your setup do you have a machine with the computer-controlled option? Can it be used to control one hose without affecting the others?

Mike Mackenzie
10-13-2010, 5:37 PM
Sarah,

Yes with the computer controlled Air the air is controlled through solenoids so once you choose the air option in the driver it will supply the air to the system.

On the other system just put an on/off ball valve in line and turn off the air when not in use for that system. Keep in mind that you must have air coming through the cone or it can damage the lens so a note to open the valve when using the air would be helpful.

Actually on the PLS / VLS there is a switch in the ucp that would detect air pressure If the cone is installed. Just place a check into that section and if your cone is installed and there is no air pressure it will let you know before you start the job.

On the X2 with the computer controlled air box it will also tell you if there is air pressure or not.

You will want to put the necessary filters in line for both systems. (water trap, coalescing, & regulators) all available from grainger.

Dan Hintz
10-13-2010, 8:25 PM
Actually on the PLS / VLS there is a switch in the ucp that would detect air pressure If the cone is installed. Just place a check into that section and if your cone is installed and there is no air pressure it will let you know before you start the job.

Mike,

I'm confused... how would the system know if the cone is installed? There's no sensor to detect the cone as far as I'm aware...