Adding Air Assist to Summit - Kluge?

[Gary Gilbert]

Hi folks,

Last night was my first night with my new friend, my Epilog Summit 24.
What a blast! My kids have their own customized rulers, drinking glasses, and picture frames . . .

OK - now more serious question:

This laser doesn't have air assist. I would like to add some "kluged" type, like adding surgical tubing even in 1 dimension.

Has anyone made any attempts to do such a thing to any system that doesn't inherently have it built in?

Your thoughts or ideas would be wonderfully appreciated!

Thanks,

Gary

P.S. My present ideas are:
- Blowing air across the material from a fixed position
- Attaching very flexible surgical tubing to blow air from left side along
the toward-back bracket, which localizes air a bit more.

[Joe Pelonio]

That's an old but reliable machine from what I've heard.

Have you seen the air assist from Epilog on later machines? It seems like you could order a few parts like the curly hoses from them to make up your own assist system that would work. I don't know what would happen with straight tubing like surgical when the head starts moving around, it probably would kink and close off the air stream.

[Allan Wright]

I bet you could get the coiled hose replacement parts from a Legend TT (like I have) and be pretty close to what your final home-brew solution would be and save you a lot of time.

I agree a straight-line surgical tubing approach sounds like it would be very difficult to pull off.

[Gary Gilbert]

Any chance someone would send a picture of their setup that I could use as a basis for making something?
THANKS!!!!

[Joe Pelonio]

Here you go.

These are, in order, going across the x bar (with cover removed) to the head at left,

Closeup of the head,

and closeup of where the y tubing meets the x tubing at the right side.

[Peck Sidara]

Gary,

Joe's idea is a great one, that's what I would've suggested. If you decide to go this route, there's something to consider.

Most of the newer systems have air-assist that originates from the right side of the machine with the laser beam coming from the left side. Additionally, the air-assist tubing is hidden and will not get in the way of the laser beam or get caught as it moves along.

The Summit's laser beam originates from the back right hand corner and travels to the left towards the engraving head. If you route your air-assist the same as the TT or newer machines, it's likely the tubing could get in the way of the laser beam or get caught as the engraving head travels.

Use coiled tubing and start your air plumbing from the left vs. the right. Consider a horizontal light weight shaft to hold the tubing in place as it compresses and stretches.

HTH,

[Gary Gilbert]

Very cool, guys. Thanks for the assistance.
I'm concerned about the extra mass the motors would have to take, so that is one concern.

I think I might take it from the front left side on coil tubing, attached to the front panel. The lateral movement would not coil/uncoil as much, and about 95% of my work will be in the back left part of the laser.
I'll run the supply low out of the way, and come up to a front point on the left side, maybe slightly towards center, then create a careful suspension to keep the coil from dropping down or getting in the way.

What type of pump should I use?
Does Harbor Freight have something - like one of the smaller compressors used for airbrushing, etc?

Thanks again, all!

Gary

[Joe Pelonio]

For most work I use an inexpensive airbrush compressor that puts out 25 lbs., much like the $49 one at H. F.

I have a real compressor in case I need more air for flaming problems.