LaserUser.com Forum (formerly RDWorksLab)

Hi Guys,
I want to add air assist to my machine via a small compressor.
I bought the Cloudray ultimate air assist, and it looks simple enough to install, but I would like to use a slightly more sophisticated setup that easily allows layer control of either cutting air for cutting (DOH no brainer huh?), lower pressure air for surface clearing whilst engraving, no air at all as required, and manual override on the above.
I thought of using a 5/3 normally closed double solenoid valve with a 3 position switch as an override.
To do this I can use the ‘Wind’ outlet on the controller for one side (cutting air) but I will need another signal source for the second solenoid for engraving air.
I was wondering how I would activate a signal from the 2 ports labelled ‘Out 1’ & ‘Out 2’ on the controller whose functions are ‘Reserved’?
I have both RDWorks v8 and the latest version of Lightburn available.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

I am sure you can do what you outlined but I cant think of a process where I would run my laser without air - even scanning when lots of air is not required or desired I keep a 2-5psi pressure to the head to prevent off gases/smoke from finding there way on to the lens.
I have been using the original lens I installed for the last 6 years - I clean it once a month - although it has never been dirty that is obvious to me.

I don't have anything negative to say regarding the ultimate air mod - but I prefer simple over complex. I have a regulator providing dry air through a desiccant filter to the laser head - turn the regulator up or down to adjust air pressure.

I built the ultimate air system - and tested it and when I was done I wondered why I bothered and removed it - it was cute. But one more thing to potentially fail at the wrong moment when I might being working with my last piece of whatever - simpler is easier.

Pete is correct about always wanting some airflow on the nozzle- I have found the Ult air setup from Cloudray [built from Russ' plans] to be very useful, especially now that Lightburn has radio buttons to turn cut/engrave on and off on the main cut panel. I have added a couple switches to further control it [turn on if it is off and off if it is on] as old men's plans sometimes do not work as well as a person might expect...
You do not need to use the output ports at all.

Hi Guys, I quite agree with always having some air flowing whilst the laser is active, but I was thinking about when the machine is being set up prior to cutting etc. for the ‘No air’ scenario, and having a good quality ‘Normally closed’ solenoid valve seems a better option than adding an ‘off valve’ to the laser head (The Cloudray Ultimate Assist runs at low pressure all of the time until you turn off the valve at the laser head or the solenoid activates to let the higher pressure through for cutting.
I was wondering how else to have cut pressure and engraving pressure layer controlled in a single job?
The compressor will be separate to the laser power and the receiver on it would still be charged even if I used the outlet on the laser to power it.
Experience tells me to have manual override for when the calving gets out of shape.
That’s the thinking I used, any insights to alternative methodologies is always welcome though, so many thanks for your input.