CNC Machine Air Pumps

Source: https://achievement.co.za/cnc-machine-air-pumps

published: 2023-07-10 12:04:32
modified: 2024-08-23 12:13:41
excerpt: https://airpumps.co.za/ Airpumps.co.za offers a wide range of air pumps suitable for CNC machines, laser cutters, aquariums, and ponds. With capacities ranging from 40L to 450L per minute, these air pumps ensure optimal performance for various industrial and commercial applications, making them a reliable choice for your equipment needs.

What this page is

This is the "CNC Machine Air Pumps" post on achievement.co.za, one of AM.CO.ZA's company sites. It points to airpumps.co.za, AM.CO.ZA's air pump site.

Original text (as published): "Airpumps.co.za offers a wide range of air pumps suitable for CNC machines, laser cutters, aquariums, and ponds. With capacities ranging from 40L to 450L per minute, these air pumps ensure optimal performance for various industrial and commercial applications, making them a reliable choice for your equipment needs."

This Knowledge Base version expands that into a plain guide to choosing air supply for AM.CO.ZA machines. The air pumps and compressors themselves are sold on Buythis, AM.CO.ZA's online shop, in the Air Pumps & Compressors section (see the KB guide to that section for the full list with current prices).

Why CNC machines and lasers need air

CO2 laser cutters and engravers use "air assist": a steady stream of air is blown through the laser head onto the cut. It clears smoke and flames from the cut, gives cleaner edges, reduces burning on wood and acrylic, and keeps smoke off the focus lens.
Fiber laser cutters can cut mild steel and other metals with high-pressure compressed air instead of bottled oxygen or nitrogen, which lowers running costs.
Pneumatic machines such as laminators and heat presses with air-driven lifters need compressed air to move.
Nitrogen generators need a supply of clean compressed air to make nitrogen gas for fiber laser cutting.

Air pump or air compressor

An air pump pulls air from the room and pushes it straight into the machine. It gives a continuous flow of air at a constant, low pressure. That is exactly what a CO2 laser needs for air assist.

An air compressor squeezes air into a sealed tank and releases it at a set pressure. The flow is not guaranteed to be continuous, so using a compressor for laser cutting needs a big compressor and a regulator. AM.CO.ZA advises not to use more than 4 bar of pressure on a CO2 laser head. For CO2 laser cutting an air pump is the best choice; compressors are for fiber lasers, pneumatic machines and nitrogen generators.

The air pump range: 40L/min to 450L/min

SKU	Power and flow	Typical use
`AG-AIR/40`	~35W magnetic piston pump, 40L/min, 0.03MPa	Desktop CO2 lasers
`AG-AIR`	~40W-60W pump, 50L-70L/min, 0.03-0.035MPa	Default pump for standard cabinet and flatbed CO2 lasers
`AG-AIR/110`	~110W pump, 110L/min, above 0.035MPa	Cabinet and flatbed CO2 lasers that need steadier airflow on long jobs
`AG-AIR/300`	~380W pump, 300L/min, above 0.05MPa	Large flatbed lasers, heavy cutting, or feeding more than one machine
`AG-AIR/450`	~520W pump, 450L/min, above 0.05MPa	Top of the range for the biggest lasers and multi-machine setups

All the pumps run on 220V. The higher the litres per minute, the more consistent the airflow stays over time. Buy from AG-AIR/40 on Buythis, AG-AIR, AG-AIR/110, AG-AIR/300 or AG-AIR/450.

Which pump for which machine

Desktop CO2 laser (desktop CO2 lasers): AG-AIR/40.
Cabinet CO2 laser (cabinet CO2 lasers): AG-AIR as standard, or AG-AIR/110 for more consistent flow.
Flatbed CO2 laser (flatbed CO2 lasers): AG-AIR or AG-AIR/110, and AG-AIR/300 or AG-AIR/450 for large beds and heavy cutting.
Need more flow without more pressure: join two pumps with a Y-piece connector (available at a hardware store). This doubles the airflow into the machine while keeping the pressure constant.

Setup tips

The pumps come with plugs that fit straight into the laser machine's own power outlet, so the pump switches on with the machine. If you want to change to a normal wall plug, use a qualified electrician.
Use air hose of the right size from the machine to the laser head, such as the 6mm air hose (AG-HOSE/64) used for laser air assist.
Keep the pump in a clean, ventilated spot so it draws in clean air, and check the hose for kinks and leaks if cutting quality drops.

Compressors for fiber lasers and pneumatic machines

AG-AIR/550 is a quiet 550W oil-free compressor with an 8L tank (7 bar), suited to laminators and small pneumatic machines such as the laminators.
AG-AIR/SCREW-15 and AG-AIR/SCREW-22 are 16 bar rotary screw inverter compressors with air dryers, for fiber laser cutters that cut with compressed air (up to 6kW and up to 12kW respectively) and for nitrogen generators. They run on 380V three-phase power. See the 16 bar rotary screw compressor page.
For nitrogen gas on fiber lasers, see the NitroMaker nitrogen generator and the PSA nitrogen generator pages.

Put a filter, oil-water separator and regulator between any compressor and the machine so clean, dry air arrives at the right pressure, for example the AG-AIR/SEPARATOR air treatment unit or the AG-AIR/REGULATOR regulator with filter.

Videos

For help choosing, visit Buythis.co.za or contact AM.CO.ZA sales on 011 397 1429, 021 555 3250, 060 600 6000 or 072 222 2211.