Air Assist

[Doug McIntyre]

My machine has no facility for connecting an air assist. I've just aquired a new silent air compressor for another purpose but it would be a bonus if I could rig up a system on the engraver as well.

Would an open ended 1/8" tube aimed at the laser bed from the moving head be sufficient or is it a very small and narrow jet? Also is the tubing the coiled flexible stuff or ordinary straight type?

Any more information would be appreciated.

[Joe Pelonio]

Doug,

The outlet (nozzle) is about a 1/16" I.D. metal tube aimed exactly at the point of the beam. The tubing is coiled as it has to travel all over and the trick for you will be to route it so that it doesn't get hung up on anything.
That and getting the line into the case without drilling holes and voiding your warranty.

The coiled tubing goes from the right front entry point to a metal union at the back, then another coil goes to the head.

http://www.epiloglaser.com/air_assist.htm

[Dave Jones]

Doug, what brand of laser do you have? I would guess many manufacturers that didn't supply them in the past might have a retro-fit for air assist today. It seems standard on all the current models that I looked at.

[Doug McIntyre]

Thanks for the replies. Mine's an older ULS C200 and well out of warranty. I would also prefer to DIY rather than a retro fit system and I think I was on the right track as confirmed by Joe. Just need to find the correct tubing - the jet looks easy enough.

[Mike Mackenzie]

Doug,

This guy sells retrofit kits for uls laser systems.He might have something for the C200 Check out this link.

http://www.hltlasers.com/accessories.html

He calls it the Schnozzle.

[Jim A. Walters]

You might want to look at the Loc-Line system that machine shops use to direct spray coolant. They are the little blue "centipede" pieces that snap together and are bendable. They would flex if you had a crash.
Check out www.loc-line.com. Most tooling supply companies should stock them locally. I know www.mscdirect.com has them.