How to upgrade the Air Assist on your OMTech style CO2 laser
First, I want to start with just a real generic introduction to, “what is an air assist.” In the simplest terms it is the mechanism that blows the air out through the laser lens on help your laser more effectively cut. I say this because people upgrading lasers from something like a Glowforge, xTool P2 or OMTech Polar likely won’t have a clue what I am talking about.
Stay with me and the following steps will show you how I did it, there will also be a video link at the bottom of this tutorial.
I always start my blogs with, I am an affiliate marketer, and some of the links in this article may link to a affiliate item. I ONLY choose items I believe in and personally use. With that said, if you buy from these links I may get a small fraction of the sales price, it does not affect what you pay.
Let’s go!
Why do I need to upgrade my Air Assist?
So this is one of those unfortunate things about upgrading from a non-stand alone desktop “Glowforge” style CO2 laser that is not often talked about and you won’t realize this until you have bought a larger machine. Large lasers like OMTech, Thunder and Nova come with the BASIC components to get you lasing.
The reality is you will likely need to upgrade the following items as your business grows.
- Inline Air Flow
- Air Assist
- Camera
- Lens
- Water Chiller
The big reason you will need to upgrade you CO2 laser air assist is hat without enough air pressure, the air blowing out of the lens nozzle will not blow enough of the smoke away from your material fast enough, causing a smokey halo on your item. The actual reason to make the upgrade in reality is because it makes your laser cut more efficiently, deeper, and it reduces the chance of fire.
What tools are needed for replacing your Air Assist?
Tools for this job are pretty common, although one or two might trip you up.
- Wrench 16mm
- Deep Socket 14mm
- Ratchet
- Precision Screw Driver
- Double Sided Tape (not necessary)
- Silicone Caulk (not necessary)
How hard is replacing a Air Assist on a CO2 Laser?
I would say that this is a 5, maybe 6 on the DYI hardness scale. Most people will be able to do it with no issues. There is nothing inherently hard about the upgrade. Some parts are fairly small for those with vision issues and their are some requirements of basic tools, but if you can assemble Ikea, you can do this!
How to change out your stock Air Assist?
First I will say, if you just get everything together you will be in a good place to complete this task. Not having everything ready and prepared seems to be the biggest hurdle and will draw out the process. The following steps will walk you through the entire process!
1. Assemble the parts
I really suggest assembling all the parts individually before making the larger system. With this air assist, it is a very logical way to do it. Here you see the Air Hose Fitting and Air Coupler Plug attached to the Push to Connect Pneumatic Fitting. These two parts are screwed together using the 16mm wrench and 14mm deep socket/ratchet. The Push to Connect Pneumatic Fitting comes with Teflon/PTFE tape on it, but I went ahead and added a second layer. The Blue 6mm OD Air Hose Pipe Tube Kit comes with a roll of Teflon/PTFE tape. Once you have the tape on tighten snugly, don’t over tighten and ensure you don’t cross thread.
This step is very similar, you are just adding the Push to Connect Pneumatic Fittings (2) on to the Air Filter Pressure Regulator. Again, I added extra Teflon/PTFE to the threads and then screwed them on with the 14mm deep socket/ratchet. Next step is to add tape and carefully screw on the regulator gauge (the pressure dial). It is pretty self explanatory, it just screws on the front clockwise. It’s pretty obvious when you look at it, but one fitting goes on each side of the regulator.
I also to a moment to familiarize myself with the regulator as it is harder to see once attached. The top is a lock, that you pull up and then rotate left or right to change the desired pressure. The black knob on the bottom is a moisture bleed off valve.
Very much like the previous step, you are adding the Push to Connect Pneumatic Fittings (2) to the 24V 2 Position 2 Way Normally Closed Electric Solenoid Air Valve. Again, I add a small amount of extra Teflon/PTFE tape to the threads to ensure a good seal. It’s not necessary, but an easy and already paid for precaution.
Note, you may have to rearrange the top of the Solenoid. The black knob screw on the top of the black box unscrews and you can rotate the box in the manner best fitting your application. When I bought mine, the smoke colored box interfered with the hoses so I rotated the black box to elevate the problem.
2. Assemble Components and Run Hose
The next step is to add your assembled Air Hose Fitting and Air Coupler Plug with Push to Connect Pneumatic Fitting into your Air Pump. I chose and highly highly recommend the California Air Tools 8010 Steel Tank Air Compressor. There is a different model, I think it’s the 8010a that is made from aluminum instead of steel. This makes your pump lighter, but in turn costs more. If your laser is like mine and won’t move more than a couple feet for the next 7 years, I would go with the cheaper one.
The second thing I want to say about this Air Pump is that it is literally the best air pump I have ever owned. I am blown away by it’s power and VERY LOW noise level. I have had several air pumps over the years and they are consistently loud obnoxious things that destroy my concentration. This one does not!
Equally as important, I have noticed that this air pump does not create a large or even medium electrical spike while kicking on or off. Many air pumps do, and if your laser is on the same circuit as you pump, that is bad! It will cause inconsistencies in your cuts.
Measure a piece of hose and run it from your Air Pump connector to your Air Pressure Regulator. Try an leave some extra hose.
Push gently but firmly the blue hose into the female connector on your Air Pump and then the other end into the connector on the Air Pressure Regulator. It does not take much force for the blue hose to properly attach. Be careful not to over insert.
Next measure a piece of hose that goes from the outlet of the Air Pressure Regulator, through the hole in your laser body, to the area you want to mount the Solenoid.
Some lasers have a convenient hole near the water intake/outlet, some have a covering that must be removed and alas some you must make a hole.
This step is fairly easy, the basic idea being that you need to run the blue hose from the entry hole of your laser over towards the electronics panel. I am running everything from right to left (as seen from behind the machine) because I have my air pump and air pressure regulator on the right side (again as seen from behind.
The regulator is attached to the top of one of the wire protectors by Gorilla Tough & Clear Mounting Tape. In fairness, you don’t need to mount it and you don’t need Gorilla tape. I wanted my solenoid to be easily visible by the back panel and once I figured out where it wouldn’t be in the way, not move.
This is a simple picture, but worth explaining. What you see here is the stock Air Assist (the silver block) with the blue hose running from right to left from the solenoid under it. There it attaches to a “female to female” coupling which is actually included in the 6mm Blue Air Hose Pipe Tube Kit mentioned before. The connector then attaches to the OLD hose that goes to the laser lens nozzle. By doing it this way you don’t have to re-route the hose to your nozzle.
Worth mentioning I didn’t remove my old air assist, more or less because why? It doesn’t interfere with anything, and IF the upgraded air assist ever goes out, I still have it mounted there to reconnect in a pinch. You MUST, however, trace the wires from the old air assist to the electrical block and disconnect them. It was red and black wires that screw into a power block at the electrical panel.
3. Run the Wiring
On the smoke colored block of the Solenoid, unscrew the silver screw to gain access to the electrical fittings.
Measure and cut (then strip both ends) of the 18 Gauge Tinned Copper Wires Silicone Rubber Insulated wire. Make sure it is long enough to run from the Solenoid to the main electrical panel on the side. I think I used about 4 feet.
Run the two wires (I used black and red although it does not matter) through the hole at the top of the smoke colored block and then attach each wire to it’s respective connector and tighten with a precision screw driver. It doesn’t matter which wire is on what connector as this is a complete the circuit type solenoid. Either way works.
You can add Silicone to the connectors for added protection, but it is not needed.
Place the smoke colored cover back in place and secure the screw. Run the wires along the bottom of the machine, placing them in the wiring protective channels if desired. The wires will need to be routed from the back of the machine to the left side (as view from behind) electrical panel. Again, run the wires through the wiring protective channels all the way to the main electrical panel.
Locate this panel on the main electrical panel. The connections we are concerned with are CN1 slots 5 (wind) & 6 (+24V).
Add your wires to the PCB Screw Terminal Block in the top to spots. Look at the way the block will go into the slot and then attempt to place the wires so that they will go into the 5 (wind) & 6 (+24V) positions. Again, the wire colors don’t matter because this is a simple loop, either combo does the same thing.
Screw the tightening screws in the block to secure the wires. You can add silicone to protect them from backing out if desired.
Place the terminal block into the electrical panel slot and you are good! The last step is updating your software.
4. Enable Air Assist on Software
Lightburn:
- Navigate to Edit tab
- Select Machine Settings
- Scrool down to Vendor Options
- Click the Enable Air Assist button ON.
- Select OK to confirm changes.
Complete List of Air Assist parts
Again, I will say I am an affiliate marketer, if you buy these I will make a commission off of it. It does not raise the price to you and I never advertise a product that I don’t personally use and endorse.
California Air Tools 8010 Steel Tank Air Compressor | Ultra Quiet, Oil-Free, 1.0 hp, 8 gal
Automatic Drain Air Filter Pressure Regulator Combo Piggyback, Air Tool Compressor Filter with Gauge
24V 2 Position 2 Way Normally Closed Electric Solenoid Air Valve
There are less expensive ways to accomplish this, but other than the air compressor everything is very close to the cheapest in their category and very well made. If I had any comments it would be that the air compressor, again, is probably my favorite I have ever owned and the push to connect fittings could have better tape on them.
Make sure to check out the rest of my website and blog! My store has many of the common items I personally use and the WHY behind it.
Have a great one!
Royce
Hill Country CNC & Woodworking is an affiliate marketing business, but it is one with ethics and morals. We only promote the items that we use in our daily business. Let’s help each other! I will give you my experience (and discounts sometimes) and you can help me grow.
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