air assist connector on Epilog Legend TT and mini???

[Glen Monaghan]

Anybody know what sort of adapter is needed to connect a standard 1/4" NPT air hose/connector (both male and female NPT are available) to the air assist fitting sticking out the back of Epilog engravers (it's the same fitting on at least the TT and mini)? The fitting is clearly not an NPT compatible one, and doesn't match any of the small airbrush compressor connectors I've seen; doesn't appear to be threaded at all.

-Glen

[Bill Cunningham]

My TT came with a black plastic hose, and a female fitting on the end. The thread on the fitting was closer to a NPS than a NPT.. It's been a while, but it might have been a 14tpi .. I wrapped some T-Tape around the threads of a male 'M' quick connect nipple, and snugged it up..It's been working fine for almost 9 years now..

[Richard Rumancik]

Perhaps what you are seeing is a pnuematic push fit connector. Search on this term to verify. Is there an annular flange (often colored plastic) inside the connector? If so, it is designed so that you press on the annular ring and push straight tube into the hole. Of course the tube has to match the connector. It might be metric.

Heres some pics (sorry, I did not find a USA company but you can buy Festo fittings all over the world.)

http://www.wems.com.au/stainless-steel-supplies/festo-fittings.html

If you go to an industrial supplier of pneumatic components they can probably source compatible tubing for you, or supply a tube-to-NPT adapter. I suppose if you just want to make an adapter yourself you just need a few inches of tubing. (Ask for a couple inch sample?)

[Doug Griffith]

Try Googling:
stem adapter tube fitting nptf

(do an image search - there are a bunch there)

[Glen Monaghan]

Thanks all. Whilst using clues here to google images, I found some connectors that looked pretty close but wasn't sure of which specific variation was the right one. But Roy Brewer nailed it down for me:

Epilog sends a black, 1/4"OD hose with the system. This "plugs" into the "friction fit" connector in the back of all systems made this millennium.
If that's what you don't have, any 1/4" plastic tubing will work. If you mean on the other end, brand name WATTS # PL-3005 has NPT on your end
and the same female "friction fit" on the laser end that accepts your 1/4" hose.

What that, I was able to verify that a 1/4" tube indeed fits into the back of the machine, and the local home center has a PL-3005 connector in stock. Thanks so much!

-Glen