water dryers - air dryers

[abmagrum]

Hi,
Can anyone suggest a water dryer for a cnc plasma system ? Reasonably priced.

Thanks
Al

[PlasmaSpider Store]

Hi Al

You may want to consider the Sharpe 3 stage desiccant unit available on this site at this link http://plasmaspider.com/shop/dryer_sharpe6760.html

This unit is very high quality, extremely effective, and affordably priced.

Holds 5 lbs. of desiccant in the final stage to provide a lower dew point than refrigerated units while providing ultra-fine filtration in the first 2 stages for both raw moisture, oil, and particulate.

The Macair refrigerated unit is great for all day use since you do not need to dry or change desiccant however it is more costly and still requires pre filters to go ahead of it to remove raw moisture, oil, and particulate.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will be happy to help as best I can.

PlasmaSpider Store

[wickedinhere]

I have the mac air and love it of course i am in Louisiana and have to have one. I could tell a big difference when i hooked it up.

[PlasmaSpider Store]

The Macair dryers are great for shops which operate thier plasma tables for long periods of time every day. They are more economical and are almost maintainence free since there is no desiccant beads to dry or replace, the downside being the initial cost of the dryer and the cost of the required pre-filter to eliminate raw water, oil, and particulate. The ideal solution would be the Macair unit with the desiccant unit after it since it has a lower dewpoint and will provide very dry air.

PlasmaSpider Store

[Stout]

I have a SpeedAir refrigerated dryer. I'm getting some moisture in the lines and it may need a recharge. Strange. I had expected completely dry air, even with blow gun attachment. Not so right now. I did reinstall the toilet paper roll to remove the remaining moisture.

Any thoughts?

[Marty]

I have attached pictures of my installation of the same type of system . The extra gauge and regulator at the far right is a dedicated take off connection for my airbrushes, clear coat gun, and general spray paint. I have NEVER had a problem with moisture in the air supply to my Hypertherm CNC Machine Torch or my Hypertherm Hand torch, or for paint/clear coat guns. My system is oversized for the air flow by about 2X, but never a problem, just longer time between filter element and desiccant change outs.
If you buy a desiccant air dry system, I would recommend buying 2 extra quarts of desiccant beads to have on hand. When the beads become saturated with water, they turn from blue to pink. There is a sight window to monitor this. When they get pinkish, I change them out with fresh blue beads (about a 15 minute job) and get back into production. Then I pour the pink beads into a large open baking pan and let them sit in the kitchen oven at 250 F for 3+ hours, stirring occasionally to taste:) (there is no smell during this dry out, I promise) I mean you got to stir them to get the warm dry air working to turn them blue again. I also have another set of water separator/pre filters near the compressor as well, plus an electric timed moisture drain that automatically purges the condensation from the bottom of the tank for 2 seconds every 45 minutes. Or you can buy a refrigerated air dryer, which has a compressor that has to run while using the air, it will also need pre and post filters.

Don?t know your definition of reasonable cost but I can lose lots a $$$ and have a baaad headache if water in the air occurs at the wrong time and causes production shutdown... And when doesn?t a problem occur just at the wrong time ?And if you ask for troubleshooting help with bad cuts from your plasma torch, one of the first things asked is ?Do you have moisture in your plasma torch air supply? ?

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[JTScoatings]

We have a Harbor Freight Unit. We bought it about 2 months ago, but it froze up when we first hooked it up (the adjustment screws were off). I still need to spend the time playing around with it and get it hooked up again. It seemed like the best bang for the buck based on reviews I had seen online.