I created an air assist nozzle for the 10W laser module. It reduces the residue while cutting wood.
Thanks for this, at what pressure do you run your compressor at?
The compressor does not have a pressure limiter and display. I just switch it on.
The Hailea Aco 500 delivers 280l/min
typical an air assist with 30 l/min is enough, pressure wise you don’t need much - just enough for the friction in the tubing
I use a Sculpfun air-assist (30 l/min, 0,03 MPa) on my diy 10W laser module and have good results.
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I tried purchasing an air assist kit for SCULPFUN S9（30L/min).
The left side with the air assist turned out to be very clean.
I am using a plastic pipe with an inner diameter of 2.7mm to blow air onto the cutting area.
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Hi, I think I can improve on this design.
This model has a plugin hole for an 8mm air pressure tube, and three separate air channels blowing on the cutting area. The channel design creates a quite high air speed even with inexpensive compressors.
I will add live pictures later on, currently my Snapmaker is running as a 3D printer.
Regards
pah
Note added in proof: Of course I will share the STL file, just let me know.
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Hi, this design looks very nice. I would be interested in the STL file.
Regards
H
There are some cool designs posted at FB group
You can find STL files in the post comments or in the list GitHub - shurushetr/awesome-snapmaker: Curated list of things that help you make something awesome with Snapmaker machines.
The picture I posted above is slightly misleading, as the final design for the 10W laser includes a slot for the height calibration laser. Patience please, since I am still trying to adapt this for the 1.6W laser.
Your design looks great prof! I have a vacuum extraction system on mine for the smoke and i’d like to add an air assist to improve the cleanliness of cuts. Definitely watching this thread 
OK, Design and print finished. Actually it was more difficult for the 1.6 W laser module, because this runs much lower across the material. As a result one has to take off the gadget when calibrating. With the 10W laser module a simple slot at the side did the trick.
Air hose intake is 8mm wide.
This will show up on thingiverse tomorrow, licensed as CC-SA
Have fun with it !
pah
Snapmaker_AirAssist_2.stl (118.9 KB)
SnapMaker_AirAssist_1.stl (114.7 KB)
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I tried several solutions, nothing suited me, so i made my own.
All you need is the 3dprinted file, a metal pipe and a plastic tube.
This one is giving me more air flow and i am using a very cheap airbrush compressor which also comes with airbrush tools included for less then 100.-
Its still a work in progress, but this is my first working version.
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So i went a head and bought a X-Tool Air Assist and had the idea to use it as an Air Assist for the 10w Laser modul. But it turns out the X-Tool metal nozzle is about 6mm longer then the original nozzle and the autofocus on the 10w modul cant really focus with the extra distance. Do anyone know of a way to force the “Laser Height” to a specific number to compensate for the extra height of the X-Tool cap? I know i could do it on the 1.6w laser but not with the 10w laser modul.
I don’t really see a reason to complicate things this way. There are tried and true ways to get the air assist working without any shenanigans with software side.
I’m guessing you would need to modify the firmware to get new offset baked in.
That is one beast of the compressor for the air assist =)
Any before and after pics of cuts?
I should have told that the idea was to find a way to buy a kit and print some part and get an easy way to install an air assist without having to find and cut the right diameter and length of plastic and copper tubes.
Right know I think I might have to get rid of the X-Tool metal nozzle and get an M5 nut as an extra piece for the design I’m going for now, unless I can print a viable M5 fitting for the tube. I’ll be back!
Sorry, no pics available but it cuts beautifully while i havent cut a lot without air aissist, everyone knows that without air assist you have bad looking cuts. Most of the time i am 3d printing with my artisan and using the air assist for spraying colors onto my prints.
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Am I correct in believing the 10w laser has a built-in (inadequate) air-assist through its own casing and on to the work-piece?
Correct. I ended up printing one the air nozzles on thingiverse and using my DeWalt air compressor with good results. I did buy an x-tool laser air assist compressors, but it was like using a fish tank aerator (useless).
I did find that most materials cut/engraved better with air assist, but not all (leather was worse).
Thanks @snapUser .
So, as another user has reported the (10W) laser’s own air-assist fan draws in dust etc and clogs the fan and the heatsink inside, especially inside an enclosure, and we know that this fan is inadequate anyway, it seems the best solution is to supply this fan/vent with air from outside the enclosure and give it a boost with another fan/air-supply. This would alleviate both issues.
If the only modification done is to direct a second air supply to the cutting area then the built-in fan would continue to suck in dust.