air assist

[geekinesis]

Hello
Has anybody any experience of using air assist.
Does it make a difference on wood? Sometimes when using air the wood seems to scorch more than without (more air means more oxygen and more burning?)
I can see that with acrylic it is useful though

[KPBadger]

Hi Geekinesis

i find that air assist can be a double edged sword with certain materials.
ie. it can cause greater charring, but can sometimes be necessary to suppress flame.
i think the trick is to use the minimum amount of pressure you can get away with for each job.

One obvious advantage of any gas flow is to prevent smoke and debris entering and contaminating your lens so for this reason i feel it is good practice to use a very slight airflow even if not especially required for cutting. ( maybe others will disagree? )

i believe nitrogen ( or other gas? ) offers advantage over air by reducing charring and extinguishing flame, but then its another cost and system to maintain. weigh up the realtive pros and cons.

regards
KPBadger