Nice job! For the cost of the Bolt, Thunder Laser should of done a better job with the air assist, they should be blowing air along the path of the laser, instead of from an angle.
Thank you. Overall I think the stock air is fine, I mean it’s consistent with the air on like any other machine. I do like the extra power of the shop air though. The laser head is a little different than what you find on a standard glass tube C02. That makes it necessary to have the air shoot in from an angle. I don’t have a problem with that, it’s easily adjustable to make sure it’s blowing directly on the laser path.
Hey thanks for watching. Upgrading to shop air not only gave me a cleaner cut, but it helped me cut faster. The Bolt’s 35w RF tube is awesome but cutting through 5-6mm MDF is tough on any laser, this upgrade improve upon an already great laser.
I guess that’s possible. But in my experience even the strongest of those style pumps only put out like 5psi. Plus the size of the air pump would be limited to what would fit inside the stock location, unless you wanted to run it externally. For me adding an external compressor is best because I’m able to put out 25-30psi which greatly helps the cutting ability but most off all and charring that occurs. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Brett, great video as always. What was the gauge of wire you were using. I’m going to do this on my machine. Already have the compressor. This was very helpful! Thanks so much!
Thanks a lot! I used 18awg wire, I added the link to the description of the video. I'm really happy with the results of the upgraded air assist, I think you'll be pleased too.
Great content! I was originally torn between the Thunderbolt and Aeon Mira series. I then see a video on OMtech's Pro series which leads me into three machines I'm evaluating/researching. The OMtech Pro claims similar cut speeds to the Thunder but air assist has yet to be seen. On the Thunder Nova series, I see you can control the air with some knobs on the front of the machine (really awesome). I understand the video is about the Volt but all the research I have done leads me to believe that all these lasers cut better with an external air source vs the stock pumps. My question is which of these machines are easier to upgrade and add air assist? I also appreciate your candid info at the end of this video. How are your controlling how much PSI is being pushed out for each job/type? Are you tweaking the pressure regulator at the machine?
Thanks! Yes, all machines can benefit from a little more air I believe. They can only fit a limited sized pump inside the cabinet after all. Picking machines is not easy. I mostly work with 1/4” mdf so I’m almost always running 25-30psi. If I need to lower it I just turn down the regulator. I’m not sure which machines are easier because I don’t own those. But they are all really similar basically.
Great video. Do you know if it would be possible to just install the solenoid but still use the factory air assist so that I could control air off and on in Lightburn?
Nice job! For the cost of the Bolt, Thunder Laser should of done a better job with the air assist, they should be blowing air along the path of the laser, instead of from an angle.
Thank you. Overall I think the stock air is fine, I mean it’s consistent with the air on like any other machine. I do like the extra power of the shop air though.
The laser head is a little different than what you find on a standard glass tube C02. That makes it necessary to have the air shoot in from an angle. I don’t have a problem with that, it’s easily adjustable to make sure it’s blowing directly on the laser path.
Im sorry i didn’t get it
What did u achieve out of this exercise ?
A cleaner cut
Or better cut
And 35w is not a good enough power?
Hey thanks for watching. Upgrading to shop air not only gave me a cleaner cut, but it helped me cut faster. The Bolt’s 35w RF tube is awesome but cutting through 5-6mm MDF is tough on any laser, this upgrade improve upon an already great laser.
Could you potentially just upgraded the internal pump to a strong one, is that a thing?
I guess that’s possible. But in my experience even the strongest of those style pumps only put out like 5psi. Plus the size of the air pump would be limited to what would fit inside the stock location, unless you wanted to run it externally. For me adding an external compressor is best because I’m able to put out 25-30psi which greatly helps the cutting ability but most off all and charring that occurs. Hope this helps and thanks for watching.
Brett, great video as always. What was the gauge of wire you were using. I’m going to do this on my machine. Already have the compressor. This was very helpful! Thanks so much!
Thanks a lot! I used 18awg wire, I added the link to the description of the video. I'm really happy with the results of the upgraded air assist, I think you'll be pleased too.
What voltage is the solonoid you ordered? Great info !
Thanks! 110 volt
Great content! I was originally torn between the Thunderbolt and Aeon Mira series. I then see a video on OMtech's Pro series which leads me into three machines I'm evaluating/researching. The OMtech Pro claims similar cut speeds to the Thunder but air assist has yet to be seen. On the Thunder Nova series, I see you can control the air with some knobs on the front of the machine (really awesome). I understand the video is about the Volt but all the research I have done leads me to believe that all these lasers cut better with an external air source vs the stock pumps. My question is which of these machines are easier to upgrade and add air assist? I also appreciate your candid info at the end of this video. How are your controlling how much PSI is being pushed out for each job/type? Are you tweaking the pressure regulator at the machine?
Thanks! Yes, all machines can benefit from a little more air I believe. They can only fit a limited sized pump inside the cabinet after all. Picking machines is not easy. I mostly work with 1/4” mdf so I’m almost always running 25-30psi. If I need to lower it I just turn down the regulator. I’m not sure which machines are easier because I don’t own those. But they are all really similar basically.
Great video. Do you know if it would be possible to just install the solenoid but still use the factory air assist so that I could control air off and on in Lightburn?
Thank you very much. With the stock setup there’s no need for the extra solenoid. The stock setup will turn on and off through lightburn.