LS3020 air assist "upgrade"

[Chris]

II was getting a bit frustrated with the soot residue on white paper so i decided to make a mod, using a compressor that I bought for an air brush.

So the first thing I did was to open up a small round panel in the side of the laser - whatever that is for, I don't know - and feed the tube through



Next I used a split ring through a handy hole in the casing to prevent the tube from doing whatever it wanted to!


And finally I used the tip from a mechanical pencil and taped it to the end of the tube, and used cable ties to secure it



I wasn't really paying much attention but I think the gauge said it was about 20psi.

How well does it work? Too well actually. White paper is pretty much 99% soot free which I'm more than happy with. The problem is that because it removes so much heat, the cut is incredibly clean - clean to the point were you can see each little step from the movement of the laser. I solved this by reducing the pressure to about 5psi

The next step for me is to fashion a more permanent connector which will allow me to better aim the nozzle.

Not sure why the images are not working but here is the gallery :http://imgur.com/a/LEz1i

[PhillyDee]

That hole is there for adjusting screws on the gantry. Nice upgrade anyway! I always upgraded the pumps to an ACO-500 Koi pump. Just a bigger version of the standard air assist pump.

At least this one is adjustable. Watch out for the duty cycle on those pumps, too much and you will kill it.

[Chris]

I dont let it run for too long at a time as it is. I think it will be okay - its not much different to how I'd use an air brush really, and I bought it from an airbrush company.
If i have to buy something more suitable the i will.

Im wondering if I used a small aco pump through that same pipe, would I get a decent psi, or would it just knacker it?

[Spooky]

The ACO series have a maximum output of 7psi but large volumes....channelling them through a small hole will likely just cause them to burn out

[Chris]

Cheers dave - thought that may be the case

[Kris]

Does the ACO500 do the job for cutting paper? I get sooty edges all the time on the 3020, on white paper, card, etc. I thought upgrading the pump would help, but wasn't sure how far to go.

I've been looking at what to upgrade to help with this, some people recommend nitrogen, adjusting the frequency / ppi (which I can't do with NewlyDraw on the 3020) - I use recycled paper quite a lot because that cuts nicely - possibly due to a low chalk content?

But yes, nice little upgrade.

[Spooky]

the 500 has more throughput but runs at pretty much the same pressure.

You need pressure / volume and output hole size control. One of the semi silent compressors like a Titan will work very well or a Bambi dental compressor if you feel like spending £3,000 on a compressor

Titan 4 motor 8 head is about £1,000 and the best accessory I have ever spent money on

[Kris]

Yes, £3,000 on a compressor is a little out of my price range

I should have looked into the forum a little more before diving straight in - there's a post on this subject already:
http://www.laserscript.co.uk/phpBB3/vie ... ?f=8&t=497

ACO-500 might be the way to go for around the £100 mark. This should increase my pressure by at least 3 times over the compressor that came with the cutter? Would there be any major problems running that through the same pipe that the existing one is plugged into? I think it's 2mm tubing.

[Daven]

It does increase the flow and pressure but not enough to worry about the tube as it is open so no build up of pressure.

I try not to cut white paper TBH as I have never found a way of reducing the soot, the higher pressure helps but also helps to spread it over the sheet which is then a pain to get off even with the Titan compressor I use. Not saying its impossible, I just haven't found the right combo...

Best
Dave

[Kris]

Daven, what about something like smooth black card - the soot shouldn't adhere to the surface quite so much?

I use cheap white printer paper when testing things out but never use it for final pieces, but am looking to cut more paper and card, just trying to work out if an upgraded air assist will do that or not, or if I need to go up to a bigger model with more power and speed.