What is Air Assist for a Laser Cutter?
Air assist is a concentrated source of air flow that is focused at the point where the laser beam meets the material you need to cut or engrave. There are many benefits of air assist that we will cover here. Most high end laser cutters have air assist included when you make the initial purchase. Some of the less expensive lasers like the Omtech come with air assist but it doesn't give you the air flow that you really need for effective, clean cutting.
What Does Air Assist for a Laser Cutter Actually Do?
The air assist feature of a laser is generated from an air compressor, which pressurizes and stores air, to then be released on demand by the laser cutter's hardware and software. This air can be blown over the material the entire time that your laser is being used to cut or engrave, or can be turned on an off with a signal from the machine. Without air assist, it's possible that the laser could ignite the material that you are cutting and engraving and create a dangerous situation. A proper air assist system greatly enhances the safety of the laser machine. A typical high quality CO2 laser cutter will be equipped with air assist.
What Else Can Air Assist Help With?
A proper air assist system improves cutting efficiency, allowing materials to be cut more quickly, and/or at a lower power setting. Air assist also reduces charring of materials, allowing a material to be cut at a high power setting and still achieve a clean cut. The air assist will also allow you to cut thicker materials, as it removes the charred material, as the laser travels across the cut path.
Can I turn Air Assist off?
The air assist can be switched on and off using software, or manually. Lightburn, a wildly popular laser software, for example, you can turn air assist on an off within the same job. So you can engrave a portion of a job with no air assist, and then have air assist running during the cutting phase of the job. This is very easily selected in the layers window of the software. This is helpful for jobs with multiple layers and it also can reduce the run time of your compressor, reducing operating costs and prolonging the life of the compressor.
Air Assist for a Laser Cutter: Wrap up
Air assist is a must-have for the CO2 Laser enthusiast, hobbyist or business owner. It greatly improves the performance of the laser and the overall user experience. Omtech lasers come with an air assist installed but they just don't have the capacity to perform at a high level. For this reason, most Omtech users do upgrade their laser cutters with an aftermarket system. Even with the costs of the air assist upgrade factored in, the Omtech is still a great value and costs thousands less than most competitor lasers of similar capabilities. Below is a list of everything you need to upgrade the air assist on an Omtech laser.
What You Need to Make the Upgrade
You'll need an aftermarket compressor, regulator, solenoid, wiring, a connector to plug into the output card(so it'll cut on and off automatically), and some tubing. This is basically what you need:
California Air Tools 8010 Steel Tank Air
Compressor | Ultra Quiet, Oil-Free,
1.0 hp, 8 gal
TAILONZ PNEUMATIC Blue 6mm OD
4mm ID Polyurethane PU Air Hose
Pipe Tube Kit 10 Meter 32.8ft
SNS SPC1/4-02NPTBE 1/4"Tube OD x
1/4 NPT Male Straight Nickel Plated
Brass Push to Connect Pneumatic Fittings
TAILONZ PNEUMATIC 1/4 Inch NPT
Automatic Drain Air Filter Pressure
Regulator Combo Piggyback, Air
Tool Compressor Filter with Gauge
Tailonz Pneumaitc 1/4 inch NPT 12V/24V/
110V/220V Way Normally Closed Electric
Solenoid Air Valve 2V025-08
10 Set 6-Pin 5.08mm Pitch Male Female
PCB Screw Terminal Block
18awg Electronic Wire Kit,Flexible Silicone
Wire 6 Color 18 Gauge Hook Up Wire
(6 Different Colored 13 Feet spools)
600V Stranded Wire
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