I would like the simplest / cheap way to dry air for my plasma cutter. I am mainly using electric tools and blow gun so only need dry air for my plasma cutter. I have seen the cooper snake on the wall setup and the hose in ice water As well as the modified radiator cooler. What about the desiccant setups would that be good enough for me?
Desiccant
- Thread starter uscarry45
- Start date
Renegade1LI
Well-known member
You want to clean regulate and dry it, something like this.
Shoreline_
Well-known member
At work, the owner has something that has two tanks and cycles back and forth. I remember looking at it once, we had no air. The thing was just leaking a ton of air out of the bottom. But the owner said something about the air is good enough to paint with? I dont know. I just know I never see mist coming out of our tools.
Sorry my point is I thought it was called a dessicant dryer.
Sorry my point is I thought it was called a dessicant dryer.
Google THB 3 stage Filter Regulator Drier. Thats the product he linked on Amazon. I have something similar from eastwood but honestly they're probably made in the same factory. It has a "water trap", coellessing filter, and dessicant filter, as well as a regulator.
I think the problem is, if the moisture in the air is still trapped in vapor form, it's tough to filter it out no matter what kind of filtration or dessicant you use. That's why you see so much attention put on cooling the air coming out of the compressor (copper lines etc) first before filtering. The air will eventually cool either flowing through your air hose or through your plasma cutter hose and when it does, it will condense and you will get water. By pre-cooling, you ensure that most of the water vapor has condensed out of the air before you pull it out of the line with a filter etc.
Desiccant dryer will work work well for that application. A single unit and a spare desiccant refill will be fine, assuming you’re not in a production environment.
Desiccant can be dried once it changes color (don’t tell your wife it’s in the oven).
The industrial units are capable of instrument quality air (-30 F dew point).
Desiccant can be dried once it changes color (don’t tell your wife it’s in the oven).
The industrial units are capable of instrument quality air (-30 F dew point).
engineer2
Well-known member
Look for a used refrigerated air dryer. You can't filter all the moisture out of compressed air.
kaymccampbell
Well-known member
I've got a desiccant bead dryer after my oil cooler dryer. The setup makes dead dry air. The plasma cutter loves it.
