LED Laser cutter air assist nozzle

thingiverse

A simple angled nozzle to greatly improve the quality of laser cutting using LED. Carbonizing of the cut material very quickly limits the cutting depth and discolours the part with the particles. This nozzle provides a directed stream of compressed air, which cools the cut and blows away any carbonized materials. Allows clean cutting through paper as well as wood, with minimal burning or charring. Print without supports - or at least no internal supports, or you will find them impossible to remove! Use a good supply of air at about 3-6PSI and a reasonable capacity. 20L per minute works well. An aquarium pump won't really cut this, so find an air brush compressor or similar. Join to the pipe using some heat shrink tubing, or if it is large, simply push the nozzle into it and use a jubilee clip to secure. Cable tie to the laser case and position so that the jet of air is aimed at the material burn point. If you have it at the right point, you will see small sparks of material being blown away from the cut. Ensure you use a raised cutting bed, so that the air flow can exit the part without causing it to be blown clear. You will find that most parts will then simply drop down into the cutting bed for easy retrieval.