Versalaser VL300 air assist cone with compressor questions

[Harry Radaza]

I have a Universal Versalaser VL300 50 watt unit. in 3 months time I have broken 2 lenses. Now it seems my lenses get dirty really quickly. I have asked my dealer and they suggested I get the air assist together with the air assist cone. Then I was told I need to get the desicant dryer. and here is an excerpt of what they emailed me:


First of all the cone assembly helps blow away debris during laser cutting, which speeds up operation since the laser is always cutting new material.
If you use a cone asembly, you MUST dry the air before use. Otherwise the moisture will heat up in cone cavity and destroy the lens. Since the Philippines is very humid, you must dry the air. It is possible to have dry air from an AC unit but the AC unit must always be on full and wetbulb temp must be very low.
Desicant dryer uses a chemical salt that attracts water from the comp ressed air. You have to manually remove the desicant and dry the desicant before reusing it. It is a lot cheaper but a little more noisy. Desicants also wear out over time and need to be replaced.
The refrigerant dryer is like an expensive air conditioner that cools the air to remove water through condensation. The refrigerant dryer is a little more reliable. There are no mannual operations
I do not see a big advanatage of refrigerant dryer unless you are selling at expos where space and noise is an issue. The only other advantage is that there is no down time for a refrigerant dryer since the desicant needs drying every so often. During a large order, you might require drying the desicant every week, which may take a few hours. So if you plan on full time operation and be fully automatic, then the refrigerant dryer is the way to go.
If you want a cheap dryer to keep the air dry for the cone, buy the desicant dryer.



Does this make sense to you guys? Do I need this stuff? or am I getting ripped off ?

Or can I just buy the air assist cone and use any local air compressor? If I do, how do I hook this up to the versalaser ? It seems there is a special (hard to find ?) plug for the air hose in the back.

I once saw a laser pro with a local air compressor and it seems it was just blowing ordinary air onto the work area.

harry

[Joe Pelonio]

What kinds of material are you cutting mostly?

You definitely should have air assist, I use it for all of my vector cutting. As for humidity, it's a good idea to have a water filter but on mine it's a $20 inline filter that catches it into a glass bowl. If you are using A/C in your shop that is going to dehumidify, if it's cold and the heat is on that will dry it too. Your greatest humidity is when it's not hot enough for A/C and raining, I suppose that can be common there.

Air compressors can be really noisy, use a lot of electricity, and overheat from constant running as when cutting a large job. I'd suggest an inexpensive airbrush pump that will put out 25-35 lbs. like these (unfortunately they do not sell out of US/Canada)

http://www.airbrushcity.com/comp45/

[Jim A. Walters]

I have a Pinnacle M-Series (Laserpro Mercury). When we first got into lasering, (and I didn't know squat), I purchased the entire system from them. Turns out that the $750 air assist compressor I bought is the same type as the $49 Harbor Freight diaphram compressor (airbrush type). The diaphram compressor doesn't add oil or moisture to the airstream like a standard piston compressor would. The pressure is low, its quiet, and doesn't generate much heat. Here is the link: http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92403

If you bought the cone, you would need to check if there is an existing air line running along the motion mechanism to deliver the air to the cone. Mine is nothing more than a 1/4" polyurethane tube. Polyurethane is important due to resistance to wear and flexibility. It runs in the same track as the wiring.

My Pinnacle has a cone, and I think it helps keep the lens cleaner that the external air assist types.

[Lee DeRaud]

Check some airbrushing sites: that's another application that requires dry air. IIRC, the filter/moisture trap widget is not all that expensive, like $25-30US.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Harry,

The VL-300 is already plumbed with air all you need is the cone and the connector to connect it up. I will also recommend water traps In your area of high humidity two would be recommended I have attached a diagram on how we would set-up the air lines. Using desiccant would be a big hassle for you because they always get wet and clog the air flow and then the sensor that triggers the air will not work properly. Draining water traps once a day is far more easier. You also need to put a coalescing filter in line to remove any oil or other particulates. if you have a oil-less compressor you don't need the oil filter. The diagram attached is suggestion the distances are not set in stone however the farther the air source is away from the laser the cooler the air heat is what causes water in the lines.

[Joe Pelonio]

Mike,

Is that what you recommend for everyone or just for the humid climate? I know the manufacturer's rep for Epilog goes straight from the air pump (oiless) to the lasers with no filters, less than 6 feet. My airbrush pump is about 6 feet away with water filter and regulator at the pump plus a double loop in the 1/4" line 3 feet in to make it longer for cooler air and again trap any moisture in the loops. I have not had any problems in just about two years now (knocking on wood).

[Lee DeRaud]

Mike, your diagram is showing 60PSI at the regulator outlet. Is that much really necessary? I was under the impression that something in the 30-35PSI range was enough...that figure of yours is out of reach for the airbrush-sized compressors.

[Joe Pelonio]

Mike, your diagram is showing 60PSI at the regulator outlet. Is that much really necessary? I was under the impression that something in the 30-35PSI range was enough...that figure of yours is out of reach for the airbrush-sized compressors.
Lee, I missed that, 60 is way more than Epilog recommends and it would require a real compressor. Still that's a long run for the tubing and all. If you watch my gauge it's about 10lb with the laser not cutting, as the air escapes. The Epilog has a diverter valve inside. When it starts to cut it comes up to 25 as the valve directs it thru the tubing to the head.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Joe,

The Epilogs air assist is different in the way it works it does not force air around the lens thus less problems with water getting onto that part.

Lee,

This is a generalized diagram for all systems some require more psi than others, however all of the air settings that the laser uses are adjustable at the laser or in the driver. Yes 60 psi is a lot but not for our larger systems. The main thing you should look for is tank size or capacity if you have a small tank the compressor will run continuously.

[Harry Radaza]

I have checked the manual again and it seems there is an AIR ASSIST CONE and a BACK SWEEP.

What is the difference between the two?

If my main goal was to blow debris away from the lens area (for lesser down time spent cleaning) would the back sweep do the job? So maybe I can connect a compressor ( how many psi ? ) and a back sweep and not worry about drying the air, etc ???

mike- did I read somewhere in the forum that you are a ULS dealer ? if so, you know the plug in the back to connect the air hose? is that a plug I can get only at ULS or is it a common air hose connector plug?

Please help.

[Harry Radaza]

I have checked the manual again and it seems there is an AIR ASSIST CONE and a BACK SWEEP.

What is the difference between the two?

If my main goal was to blow debris away from the lens area (for lesser down time spent cleaning) would the back sweep do the job? So maybe I can connect a compressor ( how many psi ? ) and a back sweep and not worry about drying the air, etc ???

mike- did I read somewhere in the forum that you are a ULS dealer ? if so, you know the plug in the back to connect the air hose? is that a plug I can get only at ULS or is it a common air hose connector plug?

Please help.
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[tod evans]

harry, i know nothing about lasers but a bit about compressed air, the desicant drier will be necessary to provide dry air to your unit. the small particle traps will still allow moisture to pass through. so if moisture is the issue you`re fighting a true drier is in order....02 tod

[Mike Mackenzie]

Harry,

Yes they are specific to ULS you should be able to just have them send you one with the cone. When someone orders the cone or back sweep they include that connector.

The cone and the back sweep are different the cone allows air to blow directly over the Len's where as the back sweep routes the air around the lens and can be directed to blow the debris straight back toward the exhaust panel.

Please don't make the assumption that because you are running air that you do not have to clean the optics. You will still have to do this just not as often.

Make sure that if you order the cone that they get you the connector. If you already have the cone then they should have sent the connector with it if they did not then get them to send it to you.

If all else fails I have some here just let me know.

[Harry Radaza]

ok I'm getting a clearer picture now. So am I right in thinking that if I get the cone with a compressor but not the right filters to dry the air I MIGHT damage the lens since the air will be concentrated in the lens area ?

So I might as well get the back sweep - I get to blow debris away (hence MINIMIZING lens cleaning ) but not run the risk of damaging the lens (like the cone) because the air which has not run through necessary filters is not concentrated on the lens area.

correct ?

I just want to save money instead of buying expensive ULS equipment so I can buy a secong ULS laser. HOw much is a back sweep btw?

[Mike Mackenzie]

Harry,

Yes you are correct, However when cutting through materials the cone is much better.

Air assist cone $140.00
Air Assist back sweep $225.00

List prices.

Either way you go it will help with debris getting onto the lens.

[Harry Radaza]

had to revive this thread since I am now having the same problem.

By the way, I ended up buying the backsweep a month after the last post. However, since then, the back sweep has not functioned. If I take it out and plug the valve where the backsweep connects while the compressor is on, I hear a hissing sound somewhere in the left side. I suspect there is leaking in the hose tubing.

HOW MUCH for the replacement parts for the tubing ? (calling any ULS reps out there)

I want to now purchase the air assist cone. So back to the water filtering question. I now have an oil less compressor. If I DO NOT connect this to a water filter and the compressor is only 6 feet or Less away from the machine, will I still need the water filter for it? How about if I cut it down to about 6 inches tubing only?

I am cutting seeds (25mm diameter) and they are thick. after about 5 seeds I am having to clean the lens which is really troublesome.

[Scott Shepherd]

Yes, you have to have the drier, regardless. If water gets on the lens, it's not a "might damage" situation, it's a "will damage" situation. Imagine taking hot glass (the lens) and spraying cold water on it. Doesn't matter if it's 1 foot or 10 feet, the process of compressing air and moving it will cause condensation at some point.

$140 for the cone seems outrageous for what it is. As a machinist by trade, in any quantities over 10 (which I'm sure they buy in larger quantities), the sale price should be in the $30 range. At $140, I'd have to fire up my lathe and make one (or a dozen) and sell them.