Air Assist Pump

Anything to do with air assist, vacuum tables, fume extraction and related...

Air Assist Pump

Postby buildsomething » Wed Jan 13, 2010 4:53 am

I think I have to be out of my mind using this pump as air assist, but when the price is free...then why not eh?....heck...this is only a hobby :D

I don't know what the flow rate is but the max pressure that I can attain is about 30 psi which is way more than I think I will ever need. Me thinks me has to add a regulator. :lol:

Richard
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Gast air pump.....aren't free donations a good thing!!!
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Re: Air Assist Pump

Postby lasersafe1 » Sat Feb 13, 2010 3:44 am

My pump just ate the end radial bearing. It was always a bit loud. I see quite a few videos on YouTube where people are using the compressor from a refrigerator or freezer and letting it pump air instead of the freon. On one hand it would indeed be the quietest thing you can find, but on the other hand there might be some oil residue coming out with the air. Perhaps a refrigerator compressor into a nice cotton water filter canister and then to the machine?

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Re: Air Assist Pump

Postby bdring » Sat Feb 13, 2010 2:06 pm

I have almost the exact same "Gast" pump only mine is a called a vacuum pump. I bought it for vacuum clamping on my router. I bought it from Surplus Center. I also got a filter for it because I heard the pump guts are sensitive to dust, etc. This filter is bigger than it looks, at over 3" diameter. It was about $6. I think it came with the filter, because I don't recall buying the filter.
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Re: Air Assist Pump

Postby lasersafe1 » Sun May 02, 2010 1:47 am

Yes, the Gast pump is actually designed for vacuum. It is not that the pump is sensitive to dust, the pump will create the dust. The Gast pump uses carbon vanes that swipe against the sides of the cylinder. This forms a tight seal that makes it a good vacuum pump, but the exhaust port will have "lots" of carbon dust. You will want to put the filter on the exhaust port. Not sure if carbon dust would be a problem for the final lens.

The best pumps for this application are rubber diaphram pumps. The large aquarium air pump is ideal.
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