RDWorks Learning Lab 116 Super Ultimate Air Assist

[@coasterchris01]

That "enable blower" checkbox just saved my day!!! Thank you thank you thank you!!

[@nathanthomas2539]

Love it. Simple, affordable upgrade. I have ordered the parts for less than $30AUD. Now we play the waiting game. Keep up the good work. Cheers

[@andyspoo2]

How did your upgrade go?

[@chessPrabu]

Sir can you pls part name amd model number,i am facing some difficulty in sourcing thise parts in india

[@neatpleats11]

That was a nice change of pace. I just happen to have one of those valves so now I might put it to good use.

[@PeterEduard]

Haberdashery store. Huge applause for that, Russ! 🤓

[@deniseguerin6179]

Hi we have the same machine. What would you recommend to upgrade the air pump? Perhaps there is a video? Thank you

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Denise Air assist is a very misunderstood subject and I have spent a lot of time experimenting trying to understand the nuances of the subject. Can I suggets you watch this video as it may answer many of your questions. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWq5i52Dmct1o6s Please ask more questions if all is not clear Best wishes Russ

[@DoRC]

I wonder if you could connect a ball valve to a servo and set it up so you could completely vary the flow electronically. That would be sweet

[@NoRemorse92086]

A proportional valve is what you're describing, and does exist.

[@jasonnordby5522]

Just got done with installing the kit. Good product and great video. If i had to do it over again i would install two switches. one for manual high pressure and one fir manual low pressure. Would have been easier to dial in that way.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Jason I have added a delay-off timer that starts the air pump (and the extraction) when the cycle runs and stays on for about 10 sec after the end of the cycle.. If you are running engraving you do not need air assist because it just blows the fumes back onto your work making it brown and sticky. However, when you are engraving you still need air assist but at very low flow, just enogh to protect the lens.. Full aioor flow is for cutting onl. If you use RDWorks or Lightburn then both allow you to select air on/off. On = full flow and OFF= low restricted flow. I m puzzled as to why you need external switches to control these functions. I have fitted a manual switch that allows me to force the air assist (and extraction) on when I do manual cutting with the arrows and pulse switch. Best wishes Russ

[@xDarkBastix]

I have a question about the wiring diagram. On one site I found one like the one in the video, but with a diode in parallel with the relay and the coil on the valve. Does this have a special purpose? Maybe to support alternating current or to compensate for fluctuations? Greetings Bastii

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Bastii When the relay coil switches off, there is a collapsing magnetic field that creates a significant reverse pulse of voltage. In many circuits this high voltage spike could damage electronic components. Thus it is generally good practice topout a diode (it', acts like a one way valve) to block the flow of reverse polarity voltage. In the case of the Ruida controller and many other such controllers, the inputs are all protected against such spikes by the use of opto-isolators.. Hence the diodes are not really necessary . www.durakoolrelays.com/information/technology/layman-s-guide-to-coil-suppression/ Best wishes Russ

[@Spiyda]

Nice work ! Does the air stop immediately the laser turns off, or is there a short delay built in ? if not may be worth considering adding it. I can't hear you extraction system, but if it was noisy, maybe add a relay with a delay to turn the extraction system on and off too ?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I was testing it without the extraction on.except for the final test piece, so that you could hear the pump switching on and off. It switches on immediately the head moves away from it's origin and remains on after the laser cut until the head reaches the origin or nominated stop point. I have considered linking the extraction in as well and spoken to Thinklaser on the subject also, but for my experimental purposes I wish to retain complete flexibility. I sometimes want to show something at the start of a program and will not switch extraction on until maybe 20 or 30 seconds into a program. I do have a spare contact on my pump relay that could be used to drive a timing relay with an ON/OFF switch in the fan line in case I needed it. Not a dead idea, just parked at present. Thanks for making me rethink it Best wishes Russ

[@dgomezish]

Thank you very much for this information. I am getting around buying one of these "chinese" laser cutters and i already have your air assit system in my BOM. I wouldnlike to ask your opinion on the air pump or compressor. I have seen people using aquarium pumps and i have see people going with full on 50L air compressors. What would you recommend on this side? Also, there is a trend on replacing the extractor fan. Some people are replacing it with an axial inline (sometimes centrifugal, some times mixed airflow)... some people are replacing it with a 90 deg proper centrifugal fan... which I think would be incredibly noisy for my home... I am a bit concerned about the overkill in terms of equipment (and the noise) an air compressor and a proper centrifugal fan this upgrades mean. Could you please share your thought on this? Thank you

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I had 10 years experience running powerful metal cutting laser and though I knew it all when I bough my first China blue machine. I laughed out loud when I saw that little pusing aquarium air compressor. Give me a PROPER compressor.. So from day 1 I hooked up to my shop compressor with a pressure regulator and filter set. 3 weeks later and two damaged lenses I had to sit down and review what I was doing wrong. It was not until I worked through the physics that I realized my stupidity. When you compress air to 8 tom10 bar it gets VERY hot (over 100 C) and then sits in a reservoir with water in the bottom. Wot air absorbs water like a sponge. You then send the warm moist air to your nozzle where the pressurized air EXPANDS. Expanding air cools and in doing so can no longer support the amount of water it holds. Thus you get water vapour (raining) inside your nozzle. The laser beam hits these water microparticles, reheats and properly evaporates them and you soon get a residue burning onto the front face of the lens.. Since then I have never laughed at that little compressor again. It works at about 0.25bar , it never heats the air and never stores the air, thus never causes condensation in the nozzle. The trick with air assist is EFFICIENCY and not brutal air pressure. You are trying to get air into a very narrow (0.2mm) cut. You need a small nozzle orifice (2 to 2.5mm) set 2 or 3mm above the work and low pressure air. If you hang the pump in free air by its handle with a piece of string or wire it will be almost silent. The air assist circuit kit and diagram show how the pump will switch on and off with your program. Extract fan? If you have the ability to vent the 6" pipe they provide then thisntype of high volume (low noise)nfan works well www.amazon.co.uk/Toolzy-Inline-0-100-Variable-Controller/dp/B08MTGVFT4/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=inline+fan&qid=1619864160&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExWVlTTEVCMFE5NFpPJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwMzUwNDc0MlhJNVhXSllIS1lLRyZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwNjIzMjQ4MlRDUzRSTExQWkVFRCZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU= A final note on your tube water pump. It has a very limited pressure ability so do not sit your reservoir on the floor . Raise the reservoir to at least the level of your machine to gain max water flow through your tube for cooling. Best wishes Russ

[@dgomezish]

@@SarbarMultimedia thank you so much for this incredibly valuable advice...really thank you. I will follow your advice and find an aquarium pump. I just saw on another of your videos that you went from something like the one I had as an option to a bigger one that i have not yet found. Could you share the model or air volume of yours? After I read your comment on the cooling system. And i just saw on your video that you do stick to the water pump. I am now wonderi g if having the cw5200 chiller os really something to consider then. I am currently living in france and, so not particularly hot except some weeks perhaps... would you consider the chiller also an overkill? I am just going little by little over your videos. Just found your channel and couldnt be more greatful that I did. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and experience here.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@dgomezish Hi I try to make it clear that these videos are NOT intended as tutorials but are a record of my learning journey with a crappy laser machine and despite my metal cutting laser background, I found myself with zero knowledge about this sealed tube non metal cutting technology.. This is in effect a video diary so there is little or no preparation for my videos , I just go into my workshop , decide on a basic subject to examine and then follow my nose. I make mistakes and make assumptions/draw conclusions which seem OK at the time but now I look back are embarrassingly wrong. But, hey that is the course of self education. I am sharing my learning and my mistakes are all part of that so I will never delete them. . The air pump I experimented with (and still have) was 120l/min and double the volume capability of the original (70l/min.). It was about 0.1bar higher pressure but nothing dramatic. In reality it was unnecessary to upgrade because I checked the flow rate through my system at some later date and it is only about 8l/min. So save money and stick with the one supplied with your machine. take a look here and there is a summary list of specifications for these pumps www.ebay.co.uk/itm/261993783412?hash=item3d000be074:g:gJsAAOSwOgdYtVe6 Best wishes Russ

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@dgomezish Hi You do not need a CW5200 if you only have a low wattage tube.. I have a 70 watt tube and a plastic box with a lid for the reservoir. It holds 20 l of distilled water and I have only just replaced the water after almost 6 years. I allow my tube to run nup to 33C before I stop using the machine. I have tested my tube up to 45C for about 4 hours with no damage to the tube. The only issue was about 5% loss of power. If you are running your machine as a business then you will need a chiller but for hobby use a few hours a day just a simple reservoir and fountain pump (supplied with the machine) will be perfectly OK. On a few days a year when it is too hot you have several options. 1)don't run it 2) drop plastic bottles 3/4 full of frozen water into your reservoir 3)Make a copper coil from microbore water pipe and drop it into your tank and then run a small flow of cold tap water through it. 4) I have seen one guy cleverly use a water cooler as his reservoir... ....maybe find a second hand one from a business that is closing? Best wishes Russ

[@dgomezish]

Thank you Russ, i think i will try with microbore but i am not familiar with that. Is there difference between that and regular copper. All i have read so far is that copper shouldn't be used with distilled water as the copper can get into it but I am not sure if it just concerns drinking water or if this could affect the laser... I made a wort chiller like this before and I could easily do the same for this and I think it should be more than enough for me. At least a good starting point to then see if I really need to upgrade. Thank you

[@owenhoman-booth5224]

Got a Z-Axis limit switch in and working now, thank you sir! Bought this air assist kit now, the schematic shows diodes on the 24v end of both the solenoid valve (air control) and air pump control, but in the wrong polarity? Did you add diodes in the end Russ?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Owen I have checked the diagram at the Cloudray website and the diodes are connected correctly for back EMF suppression with he bar on the diode connected to the + side of the circuit. See the simple circuit here for confirmation en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flyback_diode The function of the diode is to stop high voltage spikes reaching sensitive electronics such as will exist within the controller. However, all the controller inputs are protected by opto isolation so it is not essential to fit the diodes, just good practice . Best wishes Russ.

[@owenhoman-booth5224]

@@SarbarMultimedia Thanks Russ, I could do with some practice! Great help, thank you, I'll forge on, great help as usual. All the best, Owen

[@Got_Rage]

I'm wanting to put in a compressor for air assist. Put a 24v DC solenoid on 24v and wind, how would I get a light airflow to keep the lens when engraving?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Robert if you go to www.cloudraylaser.com/products/ultimate-air-assist-set you will see the system I designed m is available as a complete kit of parts. The only missing part is wire. If you scroll down the web page you will see the circuit diagram . When you ask for air assist the main flow of air passese through the solenoid valve. When you select no air assist the valve shuts down the flow but there is a controlled leakage past the valve that keeps your lens purged , Best wishes Russ

[@nmopzzz]

Great video, I am in the process of doing this and the Jam Jar and aux control will make it so much better.. What did you have to re plumb on the solenoid?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

I will shortly be doing a video applying this kit to my Lightblade machine. I have been working with Cloudray about selling all the parts as a kit (except the cables) . They are waiting for me to publish my video so the kit is not yet on their website. However if you message them about the kit I suspect they will sell it anyway. Here is a video I sent to Cloudray to help them sort out the kit This may be helpful for you kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWnWhmBpi6mcd6c Best wishes Russ

[@nmopzzz]

@@SarbarMultimedia When does the pin 4, "status" signal come on to control the compressor. Since it could take a few minutes for the compressor to build up pressure I was wondering how this works.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@nmopzzz This is NOT a compressor but an air pump that delivers flow almost instantly. There will be a restriction in your pipework or nozzle that will cause an obstruction to this flow. That will result in two things. There will be an instant pressure build up behind any restriction, and my pump (a Hailea ACO-0019E) maxes out at 5psi and forces air out of the nozzle almost at the instant the pump starts. The long air pipe between pump and nozzle acts as an accumulator and the air flow from the nozzle is virtually pulse-free. Because the pressure is relatively low you do not suffer condensation problems as the air expands, and the pump is free from oil, Hence you need no filters You do not need a shop compressor with a reservoir, I have been there tried it and failed. Keep it simple. Best wishes Russ.

[@ozarklaserengraving8445]

Nice setup, way complicated I simply used a relay it does same thing except I can't turn on manually, it is programmed in job settings. But I can cut off.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I can turn the air pump on and off manually on my China blue machine (even now) but sadly on the Lightblade machine, it is plugged into a live un-switched socket and only turns off when the whole machine is dead. Yes I have fitted the air solenoid to the light blade flow "blow" control but the pump is thrashing away in stall mode all the time I'm not running. ,Hence I decided to include a lazy man's option in this project as it's a prototype for something else I'm involved with. Just remember that this whole series is about what I am doing on my machine, I am neither teaching or advocating anything. I make what I do (mistakes and all) freely available for you to watch, copy, adapt or reject. Thanks for the comment because it's good to know the basic princple is working well elsewhere. All best wishes Russ

[@loicskinside4730]

Hello Russ I connected my solenoid on the 24+ and wind. I modified the vendor settings to enable the blow, I choosed the "If blowing" option into each layer, and it works well. But when my cutting layer is over, the solenoid still receive power and still opened, so the air continue to blow... Any idea to get the solenoid to cut off after the layer process?

[@anandaluzia]

Hi Russ. We have purchased a new air pump that has a capacity of 60 liters /min and we need to purchase an electro valve. What should be the characteristics of the electro valve to accommodate efficiently the new air pump? The valve that we have already purchased is not good (1/4" 4 psi). Thank you.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Anda. The little pump that is used for the air assist is usually a Hailea model ACO-328 which provides 70 L/min. The max pump pressure is 0.03Mpa (4.3psi). The problem with understanding this specification is that you cannot have both max flow and max pressure at the same time. If you measure the flow coming directly out of the pump into the free air around it, you will see a flow rate of 70 L/min but at ZERO psi (above atmospheric pressure). If you start strangling the flow by putting your finger over the pump outlet you will feel the pressure building up behind your finger.. The maximum that it will ever reach is 4.3psi when you completely prevent flow ie flow=0 L/min. I have just such a pump on my Lighblade machine and an ACO-009E on my China Blue (140L/min and 5psi max). The ideal air assist finishes up passing through a 2.5mm hole in your nozzle (my Lightblade) . On my China Blue, the nozzle has a 4.5mm hole in it. Both machines are fed with 6mm pipe that has a 4mm diameter bore. . It is mainly the smallest bore in your system that governs the pressure/flow relationship. In my china Blue it is the 4mm feed pipe but in the Lightblade it is the nozzle. Pneumatic valves can be confusing. There are different designs that work different ways. Some are mechanically driven by a high power solenoid, some use a low power solenoid to operate an air pilot which in turn drives a much larger flow rate spool and some are just low power solenoid "poppet" valves.. It is this last type that you are looking for. If you like to send me your email via the You Tube personal message system, I will send you details of the circuit and parts I used. Best wishes Russ

[@alexisdamianidis5261]

I start to thing you are right I leave in Greece abd yes we also high humidity.I have a HAILEA ACO-009 giving 0.04mPA and I was satisfied.I guess too much ado for nothing is the big compressor.

[@Rovira9]

Hello is it possible to install it on a K40 laser? what pins would be the "wind" and the "status"?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Sadly no. I know very little about the K40 other than it has very limited control capability because everything including stepper drives are on one small pcb. I do have a broken K40 that I was gifted and it is my intention to upgrade it to a Ruida controller in the future when my project time allows. I know that the head has no nozzle and no facility for air assist.but that is because you do not need air assist for engraving only for cutting and with so little power (about 20 watts) this will never be a cutting machine. Best wishes Russ

[@mamoonnaseer1886]

Aaa im bit confused!!! Why cannot we simply turn on and off the air compressor as and when needed.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Mamoon Whenever your machine is running a program there is the possibility of smoke getting into the nozzle and damaging your lens. The smoke sticks to your lens and then the laser beam passing through heats up the debris and burns it onto the anti reflective coating on your lens This is bad news as it will heat up one face of your lens and could crack it or at least affect the cutting performance. Thus at ALL times when your machine is running a program you MUST have some air flow through your nozzle. When you are engraving you need only this minimal airflow through the nozzle to protect the lens but when you are cutting you need full air flow to blow THROUGH your cut. Yes if you are running a simple cut program you can turn your pump on and off manually but if you are running an engrave program you cannot leave your pump turned off or you will damage your lens. If you turn the pump on for engraving you will blow all the fumes back onto your work and paint it brown as the fumes condense. The solenoid valve in this video allows you so select "air" for cutting and "no air" for engraving. When I say "no air" this arrangement switches to "lens protection air" ie there will ALWAYS be a small leakage of air to protect the lens even when you select "no air". There is a second level of sophistication which makes sure the pump only runs when you run a program. This saves you switching the pump on and off manually. A third level of option is the bypass switch. There are times when you want to operate the machine without running a program ie with the pulse and arrow buttons At such times you need to be able to switch the pump and air on manually. This whole system is available from Cloudray, all you have to provide is some wire to make the connections. See www.cloudraylaser.com/products/ultimate-air-assist-set Make sure you scroll down the web page for lots more information. Best wishes Russ

[@smartavatar95]

Hey nice work , any ideas of how to use high power co2 laser for sheet metal works(ex.3mm stainless steel,6mm mild steel), really need some help .

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I used to own two 3kw metal cutting laser machines as part of a precision sheet metalwork business. They would sensibly handle 10 mm mild steel and 6mm stainless steel. I though I knew quite a bit about laser cutting until I bought my little 60 watt non-metal cutting laser. With 2 or 300 wats and a special metal cutting head and nozzle you will be able to make a reasonable job of cutting mild steel with high grade OXYGEN assist gas running at 10 to 15psi. There is no such easy way to cut stainless. Yes you can chew it ot with lots of underside dross and burnt edges with oxygen assist but in reality oxygen and melted stainless is a bad mix. any hint of oxygen in the melt will react with the chromium and tun the melt from fluid to treacle. The pros cut stainless with a fantastic burn-free and dross free edge by using VERY high pressure medical grade nitrogen as both and assist gas and a oxygen excluding cover gas. when I say high pressure I an speaking of 12 to 20 bar (170 to 240 psi). Find a local laser profiling shop in your area and arrange a visit to see what they do. That is the best advice I can give you. Done properly it requires lots of power and a huge consumption of gasses. Gomand watch any KZbin video of laser cutting and just listen for the gas hiss. Best wishes Russ

[@smartavatar95]

@@SarbarMultimedia Thank you sir for your quick reply ,can I get your contact number or email id

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Attach your email address to another comment. I get auto copied to my gmail and will answer. I will then remove your comment/email from public view. Best wishes Russ

[@DoRC]

That laser etching is really cool!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

But as you see it can have expensive consequences.

[@DoRC]

SarbarMultimedia oh crap! I got distracted and hadn't watched to the end.

[@MrArjenD]

Would it be possible to rotate the laser-head a few degrees, so the reflection of the laser on the steel plate is not going back into the lens?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Yes, I suppose it would especially if you put a anodized aluminum collar round the nozzle to absrob any reflected energy. However, I learned a lesson from being lazy. I should have just sprayed it with MoS2!! much cheaper than a new lens.......or safer still made it from 1.5mm acrylic. Stupid maybe, but I thought I should be honest and stop others from doing the same. Thanks for the comment All best wishes Russ

[@bcer960interurban]

Just to clarify on a comment below, your max air pressure is only 4.3psi??

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Yep. That's remember

[@bcer960interurban]

Thank-you for the info. I was of the understanding that to cut you needed about 30psi. This is a process I am still having trouble with ( cutting out on a laser. I am about to order a new lens and lens tube from Cloudray, I I hope it helps

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@bcer960interurban Hi You may not be understanding what your tube is or what it does. That is not intended to be rude because I know from my own naivety with this process and machine when I first purchased about 6 years ago that you do not get what was advertised/promised. If you bought from ebay that it's certain that your tube is B grade. That means if you are lucky (1 in 10) it may perform reasonably well but most are buying near junk tubes with very little power. Yes they appear to work, but how can you measure power? You will trust the machine you bought and blame your own lack of experience for any problems you encounter. As I mentioned, I went through a 6 month learning period of finding out I had been screwed ...twice!! a If you can obtain a block or some thick acrylic material then hjere is a very simple test that will tell you what your tube is doing. Set your power to about 70% and do as I demonstrate in this video. If you wish for me to examine your result and comment the add your disguised email addresss to another comment and I will contact you and delete your comment. kzbin.info/door/qCyShJXqnElPTUnxX0mD5A Best wishes Russ

[@majazivkovic3826]

Hello, i would be really grateful for your response. I need help with just one thing which is unclear to me. How to fill up space between 2 lines, for example, bigger heart, and a little smaller heart inside of bigger heart, and i want that closed space between hearts to be like filled up inside black. Im thankful in advance for an answer. Best regards.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Maja There are several ways to look at this problem Google "heart graphics" and you will find thousands of jpg or bmp files free. Some will be exactly what you want. To make your own you will need two vector hearts, one inside the other. If you are good at using Bezier curves then you can draw your own in RDWorks. Just draw one , do a copy , scale the copy and then use the aligning tools to set one inside the other accurately. Your drawing will look like two empty shapes but if you set the parameter box to scan you will find that only the space between the hearts will engrave .....just what you want. To test this and show how the engraving will work with shapes on the same layer draw about 6 or 8 different size concentric circles on one layer. Set the parameter to scan and then use the preview to see what will engrave. Was that a surprise? There is also crude way to convert a bitmap into a vector within RDWorks. If you put a bitmap handle around your graphic you will see the bitmap handle window appear. At the bottom there is an OUTLINE button . Press this and your image will be vector traced. Click on the outline and move it to one side. delete your bitmap and you are now left with a vector shape Hope this helps Best wishes Russ

[@alexisdamianidis5261]

Do I need to install a relay between the solenoid and the Ruida controller so as to protect my controller?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Alexis No. the controller has its own reverse current protection at each switch and can handle up to 500mA . The solenoid is about 200mA If you are thinking of installing this system I will be doing another video within a week or two on the installation of a complete Auto Air Assist kit (containing all the parts you need except wire) that you can buy from China. I have persuaded a Chinese seller to supply these kits because buying individual parts is often difficult for non-engineering types and also expensive if you have to buy packs of 5 fittings when you only need 1. Best wishes Russ

[@alexisdamianidis5261]

Thanks for your answer Russ,you are the guru of laser for everyone this moment.If I was a laser company I would definetely would send you my lasers for review lol!!

[@alexisdamianidis5261]

I have bought Mettle valve is Canadian and good quality.It would be nice if you gave us ideas for inline filters of the air so as to get rid of dust,water and oil.The worst enemies of focus lenses!!Thanks again for the work you give to laser users community:)

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Alex Your worries with dust water and oil leads me to the conclusion that you are using a big shop compressor???? I have been there and done it also and I was for ever cleaning the mysterious film off the face of my lens. Why, with so much air passing through the nozzle was my lens getting dirty? The problem turned out to be simple physics. It depends on where you are in the world but typically here in the UK the air humidity is 50% at ambient temperature, so there is already water dissolved in the air. Heat that air up by compressing to say 80 or 100psi and it's ability to absorb water increases with temperature. As it passes into/through the receiver, where there will usually be liquid water sitting in the bottom, it now has the potential to absorb even more water. That water is carried invisibly through your pipe work. When that high pressure air reaches your nozzle it is very likely that it will decompress as it enters your nozzle cavity below the lens. As the air pressure drops the expanding gas cools down. Cool air cannot hold as much moisture thus there is the potential to create "fog" inside your nozzle where the water reappears as fine mist. That mist is not gas but micro particles of water. Those water particles will absorb some of the beam energy and heat up along with any oil or residue carried in the air These will settle and get baked onto the face of the lens. My system still has a couple of in-line paint spray filters that the air passes through but they are totally unnecessary now and are a remnant of my two weeks fighting with my shop compressor. See: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1-4-Spray-Gun-Air-Line-Mini-Filter-Water-Trap-Clear-Painting-Moisture-Tool-SRX/223091401140?hash=item33f148a1b4:g:T78AAOSwbApZcwZt The solution was simple when I understood the physics. Don't compress the air to any significant degree and it wont heat up. Don't store the air in a moist (reservoir) environment, just compress lightly and use immediately, As the air now expands inside the nozzle the pressure drop is so low that the temperature drop always stays above the dew point and no "fog" can occur. That stupid little 4psi oil-free pulsing pump that they supply with machine actually turned out to be the ideal solution. I have been running it for 3 years now. No filters and kilowatts of power saved . Best wishes Russ

[@jordymoors]

@@SarbarMultimedia Hello Russ, I was wondering how far along this Auto Air Assist kit is? I'm currently in the final stages of my DIY 80W CO2 laser build, and the one big insecurity is the air assist. I've been looking into low noise 24L oil-free shop compressors as I though that would give me a long pulse-free runtime with relative silence. But that setup seems to become rather complicated rather quickly (fittings, tubing, valves, water traps, etc). Reading some of the comments you posted here, it seems you would advice against a shop compressor and would rather recommend the Hailea ACO-009E? If that's the case, I most certainly would be interested in this kit you've mentioned, and as such am looking forward to your response. Thank you very much in advance, your videos have been very helpful so far! Kind regards, Jordy Moors

[@NoRemorse92086]

These are NPN/sinking outputs and are common in Asia, but not backwards. Most of the West is used to PNP/sourcing outputs.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Brian As mechanical engineer with limited electronic knowledge, this sinking principle just felt backwards. I have now accustomed myself to the idea and it makes sense Thanks for the comment Russ

[@NoRemorse92086]

@@SarbarMultimedia I'm a mechanical/controls engineer, and just ordered one of these machines, and have been watching all of your videos. They are very informative! We have a rotary compressor in our shop that very quiet, and I'd really like to use it instead of the included compressor, and this video in particular has all the info I'll need to wire in a solenoid valve to allow my shop air supply to turn on and off with the machine running! Thanks for this HUGE wealth of knowledge!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@NoRemorse92086 Hi Brian I come from a background of owning a couple of 3kw metal cutting lasers so I thought I knew quite a lot when I bought my little blue Chinese dragon. That was a silly assumption because lass than 5% of my knowledge was useful. I had to start again from square one . Non metal cutting and engraving is on a different plane. The first mistake I made was a carry over from my metal cutting days when when oxygen at 1 bar or nitrogen at 12 to 15 bar was the norm. I laughed at that silly little aquatic air pump they supplied and put in a proper air regulator and filter to do a "proper" job of air assist. I wasted my time and after destroying 2 lenses I figured out where I was going wrong and it was only a lot later that I was able to discover the real reason why you dont need HUGE amounts of air. First of all you are tring to force airFLOW down a 4mm bore pipe. Yes, higher pressure will increase the flow rate , but not linearly.. They often supply a restricting elbow into the nozzle. The orifice in this needle valve is designed for restricting 80 to 100psi air flow as it exits from pneumatic cylinders, so it will be no more than 1.5mm diameter That means the 4mm bore feed pipe (12.6 sq mm) will be restricted to 1.5mm bore (1.8 sq mm). Once it is in the nozzle the nozzle exit will either be 2.5mm diameter (4.9 sq mm) or 4mm (12.6 sq mm). Hence what will happen is your shop compressor will compress the incoming air and store it in a reservoir. The warm moist air will cool overnight and condense in the bottom of the reservoir. When you run the compressor again, the quite hot compressed air will enter the reservoir and suck up the water to significantly add to its moisture content. . You now force warm moist air at 20 to 60psi through that 1.5 orifice and immediately the air is inside the nozzle ther is almost no restriction so the air rapidly expands and cools . This causes misting inside the nozzle. That mist (micro water particles) absorb some of the laser energy, it flash evaporates and burns onto the lower face of the lens. After a day or two of this abuse the lens is now coated with a noticeable film. That film is itself absorbing laser energy and starts to heat up just one face of the lens. The lens is not glass but a salt like material and cracks easily. Oops. It took me two lenses to understand this mechanism and the stupidity of assuming my previous knowledge was useful. It turns out that this stupid little pulsing pump is not that stupid after all. You never compress the air to more than 4psi and you never store air. Just turn the pump on and off as you need it. The pulsing flow that everyone worries about is almost smooth after it has been choked for a few meters iin a 4mm bore pipe. Yes you need as much flow as you can get when you are CUTTING wood and other organic materials because the smoke itself absorbs the IR energy and first it is decreasing your cutting efficiency and secondly it will catch fire within the cut and char your edges. It is therefore important to make your air assist as efficient as possible. I have done a lot of experimentation to show that the small bore nozzle set at between 3 and 6mm above the work surface will deliver efficient air flow flow into the kerf by using the silly 4psi pump. If you have a 4mm bore nozzle then look at my videos about nozzles that you can buy from cloudraylaser.com. The last thing you want for ENGRAVING is efficient air assist. You need to control the air exiting your nozzle to just a whisper, enough to protect your lens and then in addition you really need a short nozzle so that the gap between work and nozzle is 12mm or more id possible. To sum up don't reject the Hailea pump too soon. Open up/remove any restrictions in the air assist feed pipework making sure that the only restriction is the nozzle itself You can buy this already to install kit of parts from Cloudray www.cloudraylaser.com/products/ultimate-air-assist-set I supplied them with all the information and they have done a very good web page with all the information you require. Their kit is substantially cheaper than the SMC parts I recommended. Best wishes Russ

[@NoRemorse92086]

​@@SarbarMultimedia Thanks for the info, I really appreciate it. The tank and compressor itself is 200ft away, and run over head, and the air drops come to an air/water filter that auto purge water as the bowl fills (air will be expanding in the filter bowl, and condensing the water vapor). In this portion of the shop we have a CNC plasma table that has a dedicated air dryer that I plan on coming off of. I then plan on mounting another regulator/filter set to 3-5PSI (the air dryer is getting the full 130psi shop air) I'll be using the linear compressor supplied with the machine for a while, but they are quite noisy, and I am already making industrial amounts of clean and dry air in the shop, so I might as well take advantage of it. The kit you linked is certainly cheaper than what I am going to do, but I have air fittings, valves, air lines, relays, etc.. in stock in our shop. the valve I have in stock costs more than the entire kit, but I have it here and that means I have spares. The only odd part is the terminal block. I may have some here, I keep around odd connectors for rainy days. My plan for this machine is to learn on it, use it for some plastic tag engraving/cutting for our controls work, cut some gasket materials, and maybe upgrade in a few years to a more industrial unit. Thanks again for your input!

[@SarbarMultimedia]

@@NoRemorse92086 Hi Brian It's great that you understand the physics. Many before you have not. If you suspend the little pump by its handle and suspend it mid air, it make no mire noise than a startled smoke ring. Good luck with your new venture. Russ

[@s9500vip]

Hi Russ : I have a 185W ELECTRICAL MAGNETIC AIR PUMP which is ACO-012 , now I found out it has way more too much pulse when I'm dong the job. It literally cause me trouble. How do I make a pulse killer to fit for my air pump ,the best ending is made it feel like a air compressor's airflow , is there any solution to make one or buy one . I don't need a air compressor for now , I have no room for it.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi I started off with an ACO-005 and upgraded to an ACO-012. I am not experiencing any issues except that it has a huge flow capability that is not really being used. That is why in this video I have add it to the cycle start stop. IAltough there is a small amount of pulsing getting through to the nozzle it is nothing that causes a problem for me. The flow is so much and the restriction is so great in the 4mm bore pipe that feeds the nozzle , most of the pulsing is absorbed by compression in the larger pipe volumes that precedes the 4mm pipe, This bigger flow pump is doing little more than the original because although it has double the volume capability the pressure capability has only increased from about 4psi to 5psi. It is the pressure that is required to force the flow down the 4mm bore pipe. If you really feel that this is your issue there are two ways to kill the pulses first is to put a flow restrictor soon after the pump outlet. Yes, there will still be pulses in the line but if you make sure that the flow matches what comes out of te nozzle then the compressibility of the air will be damped out along your pipework. The second way is to add a large, say 0ne or two gallon, thick polythene container like they use for selling pump ation weedkiller. The compressibility of such a large volume will absorb the pulses and with a restricted outlet to the container you will get almost pulse-free flow. I was planning to go down this last route when I started this video but after very little investigation decided that I would get little benefit. Can you explain what your problem is because maybe there is another reason for it. Are you cutting or engraving when you experience issues? Best wishes Russ

[@s9500vip]

Thank you Russ! I tried a 5 gallon water container , didn't put any thing in it just two tubes like you did and it worked perfectly fine. The air pressure is even bigger. The problem was when I cut a small object like a 10mm x10mm size ,especially the round shape , When it starts the "cut in" point and it will leave a small pit or notch at the edge of the object.That drives me crazy ,I'm trying to make clothing buttons , it turns out the button has a flaw. But when I remove the air assist ,it cuts well round shape without any problem. I need to protect the lens and a clean cutting edge ,can't do that without air assist . To me it seems like the laser beam hits on the wood surface vaporize the spot, then the air impact on the small hole and make it bigger as a small crater. How do I solve the problem? Thank you again, Russ . You have done me a big favor. Have a wonderful day . Ryan Wood

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Hi Ryan If you go to RDWorks menu bar and select VIEW, at the bottom make sure the CUT IN/OUT tool bar is ticked. Now at the end of the tool bar you will see 5 buttons. These can be very confusing to use so I'll go through your button making problem step by step 1) Make sure the object has handles round it. This will enable all 5 buttons. 2) select OUT CUT from the first button 3) Press the DRAW button and the cursor changes to a little box and cross-hair 4) Move this cursor to about 5mm away from the OUTSIDE of your circle and then click Nothing appears to happen 5) move the cursor so that it touches the circle at a point further round than your first point Click and a "LEAD IN" line appears. Once you have learned to use this tool you can play with the approach angle and length to minimize your current Start/Stop point mark. In this way, your start "nibble" and smoke shadow will be off your job. I never need to use it with jobs that I do now but when I was running metal cutting machines this Lead-In was an essential requirement. Let me know how successful it is for your situation Best wishes Russ

[@s9500vip]

Hi Russ I've tried the CUT IN / OUT option, but with no luck, whether it is LEAD IN at 1mm or 5mm at any angle, it still happens the same. I'm thinking of reducing air pressure or letting the air pump run slower to see if there's a chance to avoid that. Please check my photo here: farm5.staticflickr.com/4555/38623310222_b44713c0db_o_d.jpg or here :www.flickr.com/photos/ddmk/38623310222/in/dateposted-public/ Thank you for giving me instructions , my dear friend ! Cheers

[@natesgt]

@@SarbarMultimedia Where did you get your ACO-012 from?

[@TimoFeick]

Is a 3 way valve necessary? A simple and cheaper 2 way valve can do the job, too. Or am I wrong?

[@SarbarMultimedia]

Just to be clear this is a 3 port 2 position valve. For a selector configuration you need a Y style of connecting so that when you shut one of the top Y branches , you open the other That way you direct the air to a free air flow route to the nozzle or via a restricted airflow route to the nozzle. However, you may implying something different. There is an alternative circuit with other benefits which I will be showing in a future session as I modify my existing circuit. I could use my 3 way valve and block off one of the ports to convert it to a simple ON/OFF valve but I do plan to find a more suitable high flow two port valve. Thanks for your comment because in essence the ultimate function can be achieved with a 2 port valve and a little lateral thinking. I was far too conventional with my Mk1 design Best wishes Russ

[@jjames3793]

yes this could be done with a 2 way 2 port solenoid valve. To shut off your main high-pressure flow of air. Then if you use a T connecter before the solenoid that runs to a small regulator or needle valve then back into the line that exists the solenoid. so in essence its the very same thing as using a 3 port 2 way valve. cept you need to add the extra T before the valve. using the 3 way just saves someone 1 t connection.

[@ПавелХрячков-л7ы]

It's time to use an industrial compressor with a pressure of 6 bar. Pressure that does not crush the lens 1-2 bars. Waiting for experiments. Good luck.

[@SarbarMultimedia]

I had my shop compressor fixed in during the early days because I came from the world of metal cutting lasers where high air/oxygen/nitrogen pressures were essential. Time and experience /experiments have taught me different about this machine. You will note that in all advertising these machines are sold as ENGRAVING machines. You need little or zero air assist for such work. The only time you need efficient air assist is when you are CUTTING and that will generally be organic materials such as wood. You will notice I used the word "efficient". That's because it is vitally important to get the air down into the cut itself. I have two machines. One has a very efficient nozzle with a 2mm hole in it and the other (like most machines) has a 4mm nozzle hole. The air comes to the nozzle via a 4mm bore pipe and then immediately exits the nozzle via a 4mm hole. The pressure build up in the nozzle is virtually zero but I do agree that if you can increase your start pressure , you can force extra flow through the 4mm pipe. However, the efficiency of that air getting into the cut is a function of two major factors. Firstly the nozzle size and for how long it is parallel. Secondly how far it is away from your work face because over any distance more than 5 or 6mm, the air expands and most of the jet bounces of the work surface and never reaches the vitally important burn face. Throwing more air at this problem with an industrial compressor will work, but is VERY inefficient. That is why I only ever use a 1.5" lens on my China Blue machine because that keeps the nozzle 5mm above the work face. If I use a longer focal length lens (say 2") that gap opens to 19mm and the efficiency of air into the cut itself is probably less than 10%. I have done a video to back up these findings. see kzbin.info/www/bejne/hXS5pICOrJusnpY If you have a powerful 100 to 150 watt laser for cutting thick materials then you would need to look carefully at your whole air assist system to maximize its efficiency. There are special extended nozzles for use with long focal length lenses to specifically overcome this air assist inefficiency. They allow you to sit the nozzle just a few mm above the work face. So I'm sorry to say I will not be repeating my early mistake of beating up my eardrums with the constant throb of a shop compressor. Although I laughed when I saw the aquarium compressor that was supplied, I have to admit, that used efficiently it works well. Sincere thanks for the comment because sometimes new thoughts can make me review my decisions or may spark new ideas. All best wishes Russ

[@ПавелХрячков-л7ы]

Thank you, I saw this good video. You are right, to cut it is important to increase the air flow, and to reduce the engraving.

[@tugaminhoto4969]

I am using a tl-3120 controller, can you help me with what pin I use? This is the manufacturer controller manual site www.sztrocen.com/system.php?cid=27 PS. I am using LASERCAD software.

[@Runner50783]

Lovely Ross.

[@marouaneladjel1907]

géniale mr. roos

[@iamwangine8752]

And...................... the wheel was invented

[@dapoopta]

Mom or sister? I quilt, and I'm a dude. It's 2017.

[@thebeststooge]

Oh, Lord don't be so defensive or a snowflake or a SJW and just be happy. I used to Crochet back in the 1980's and I am a straight male.

[@threedee999]

Holy overkill. OR you could just slap on a small reed valve. I have the same pump and thinking of making a reed valve out of some plastic bits and a thin piece of spring metal that resists normal ON pressure, but opens when blocked or partially blocked. Simple really.