DIY Laser/Air Assist

Description

Air assist serves a dual purpose in the laser cutter. It aids the cutting power of the laser as it touches the surface of the material (in much the same was as a cutting torch) Secondly because of the way it is pumped into the nozzle below the lens it ensures none of the smoke generated flies straight back up and onto the lens.

Existing designs

Most nozzles appear to come with an attachment for air assist. Simple push fittings supply the air directly to the head of the laser. The air itself comes from an aquarium pump, the tubing is fed through guides along the X and Y axis up to the required destination.

Proposed Design

There are no major changes expected for this part of the design. A suitable pump should be found that matches the PSI and volume of the current systems. Future work should include connecting the laser cutter up to a compressor to see what difference the PSI and Volume of air actually makes to the cuts. If there is an optimum value then a more appropriate pump can be identified.