Create a (quiet) jet of air blowing without a compressor?

[tyson77]

Actually prefer vacuum for chip clearing and again that would be where feasible.

so for vacuum source, i assume you guys are using a shop vac? every shop vac ive used, even the small ones are just too loud. is there a quieter alternative? and whats the expected lift of a shop vac running whenever the spindle is running, which i assume is more than the shop vac motor is expected.

[Goemon]

I just started looking at this for my CNC machine as I have similar needs.

For the money, I am tempted to try one or two of these:

12V, 16CFM, 33mm Blower Fan - RobotShop

They are so cheap that it doesn't matter if it doesn't work.... if they don't move chips I'll use them for extra cooling.

The only way I know of to get near silent high pressure jets of air is to get it from a 3000psi scuba or 4500 psi scba tank. With a regulator, you can get an hour or maybe two per fill. Used scba tanks are cheap. I got mine for $115 with fresh hydro and 7 years of life left.

Obvioulsly this is no good for long jobs and filling them would be a PITA. You can get cheap Chinese 4500 psi compressors to fill them for $500 but it's not very practical overall.

I have an air brush compressor. I wouldn't use mine for this. They aren't great for continuous use and they are not particularly powerful.

I have a cheap electric oil vacuum pump 1/8hp which I got for $50 off ebay (for something else). These are quiet (ish) but fill my garage with smoke / vapor after 30 mins of use.

I have a Thomas oil free 1/2hp vacuum pump and compressor in one. I would recommend this above all the other options suggested here so far. They are rated for continuous use. They are powerful and require little maintenance. My 1/2hp model is not super quiet but it is 20 times quieter and less annoying than my shop vac. The vacuum on it is superior (by miles) and the compressor side is adequate to move chips without needing a seperate regulator.

Used Thomas pumps are cheap on eBay and readily available. I bet a 1/4hp or 1/8hp model would be even quieter and still powerful enough for this purpose.

My plan is to run the Thomas pump from another room so I don't have to hear it. If that doesn't work out, I'll make a soundproof enclosure (aka a box lined with sound-proofing foam).

Btw, don't even consider an electric paint sprayer. I have one that I haven't touched since I got it because it is so loud I can't stand it. It's the worst option here.

Please let us know if you find a better option. I hate loud noise when I work so much that I have plans to build an insulated brick wall enclosure around my CNC machine.

[eldata]

so for vacuum source, i assume you guys are using a shop vac? every shop vac ive used, even the small ones are just too loud. is there a quieter alternative? and whats the expected lift of a shop vac running whenever the spindle is running, which i assume is more than the shop vac motor is expected.

You're being overly proactive. All jobs aren't going to require chip clearing once the cutting tool engages the work piece. I'm using a rinky-dink X2, in the video below, to mill 1/2" rolled steel without clearing a single chip until the end...twenty minutes later. The sound of spindle plus milling would probably be more unsettling than chip clearing noises.

[TroyO]

Hmmm, what about a used CPAP machine? It’s an air blower used to keep your airway open while you sleep.

It’s designed to mount up some decent pressure, pretty quiet and can certainly blow as hard or harder than a person.

[genixia]

I just re-read the original post. I can't hear my compressor, nor 45k spindle when 20 feet away down my driveway with the doors closed. Okay, my doors have 2" polystyrene insulation, and the garage itself is well insulated as it's under part of the house, but it begs the question, are you sure compressor noise would be a problem? Avoid loud oil-less compressors and you might be fine. As noted above, the milling noise will be there anyway.

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[tyson77]

A little update.

I went with that 48V radial fan blower. I haven't used it but I wanted to show how I think I'd like to mount it right on the side. I really like how it just fits, and uses some already tapped holes, I got lucky with that.

Now I just need to print a nozzle to angle it toward to cutter.

Thanks for everyone's replies.

I have a cheapo harbor freight oil less compressor. I refuse to rely on that for machine use. Again, I could get a quieter compressor. I'm just looking for other options here. And yes of course cutting noises will be significant and present, I don't want to add more than I really need. So thanks for the other options.

[eldata]

I just re-read the original post. I can't hear my compressor, nor 45k spindle when 20 feet away down my driveway with the doors closed. Okay, my doors have 2" polystyrene insulation, and the garage itself is well insulated as it's under part of the house, but it begs the question, are you sure compressor noise would be a problem? Avoid loud oil-less compressors and you might be fine. As noted above, the milling noise will be there anyway.

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Imagine for a moment that there are those without basements or garages who'd also like to machine at home as this fellow indicates;

The main reason I haven't just bought an air compressor is that they are loud as a jet engine, usually in the order of 85-95 dB and that just doesn't cut it in an apartment complex.

Home Shop Machinist: Silent air compressor

[tyson77]

Imagine for a moment that there are those without basements or garages who'd also like to machine at home as this fellow indicates;



Home Shop Machinist: Silent air compressor

hey, thats neat! yeah I've realized i really need to COMPRESS the air. i like this idea of repurposing a cheap commodity appliance unit.

ill keep it in mind for later. thanks.

[genixia]

Imagine for a moment that there are those without basements or garages who'd also like to machine at home as this fellow indicates;



Home Shop Machinist: Silent air compressor

That's why I'd previously added a suggestion, but thanks for reminding me that I need to work on my empathy skills.

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[Fastest1]

It will be interesting to see if that fan moves anything but saw dust.
Are you going to mill something with that endmill? That is a lot of stickout.

[Goemon]

Imagine for a moment that there are those without basements or garages who'd also like to machine at home as this fellow indicates;



Home Shop Machinist: Silent air compressor

X2. And it's not just people in apartments that need or want a small, cheap, quiet set-up at home.

The guys on this forum are actually pretty good at giving tailored advice if the parameters are clearly specified in the question. It's a different story on forums like Practical Machinist. No matter what you ask over there, you get the same three guys telling you that you should being buying a Haas vertical machining center instead of whatever you want to do. As if any normal person would put a full size 6 figure machining center in their home.....

Creating as little noise as possible should be a universal requirement. My farther lost most of his hearing thanks to working in a noisy factory for years.

For any scenerio where noise is a huge issue like in an apartment, I think that the only effective and practical method is an enclosure. It shouldn't cost much (or be hard to build) using an aluminum T-slot frame with plexiglass panels and pyramyd style sound proofing foam. Regardless of how chips are cleared, it's the spindle cutting that will bother the neighbors. When I used to live in Manhattan in an apartment, the neighbors below would complain if they could hear me walking on my floor....

[eldata]

X2. And it's not just people in apartments that need or want a small, cheap, quiet set-up at home.

The guys on this forum are actually pretty good at giving tailored advice if the parameters are clearly specified in the question. It's a different story on forums like Practical Machinist. No matter what you ask over there, you get the same three guys telling you that you should being buying a Haas vertical machining center instead of whatever you want to do. As if any normal person would put a full size 6 figure machining center in their home.....

Creating as little noise as possible should be a universal requirement. My farther lost most of his hearing thanks to working in a noisy factory for years.

For any scenerio where noise is a huge issue like in an apartment, I think that the only effective and practical method is an enclosure. It shouldn't cost much (or be hard to build) using an aluminum T-slot frame with plexiglass panels and pyramyd style sound proofing foam. Regardless of how chips are cleared, it's the spindle cutting that will bother the neighbors. When I used to live in Manhattan in an apartment, the neighbors below would complain if they could hear me walking on my floor....

Without denying their obvious advantages, personally, I'm not a fan of things like enclosures and flood coolant use in home environments, especially for hobby purposes, and would probably want to investigate other approaches first. Example, the work piece material one uses often determines the planning, tools, wear/tear, time, motion and noise levels involved. Avoid machining metals, if at all possible, when plastics will suffice. My favorite plastic is delrin and keep black delrin rods/plates on hand always for ad hoc use.

If metal is required, then choose Aluminum over steel if possible. We all note that Aluminum is almost always used as the work piece when high speed CNC milling is being demonstrated. Fast forwarding...That leaves us with steel, the bane of machining materials for small mills. If one must use steel on a small mill then consider the capability of annealing it first if it's hardened. Also, on a vertical mill, the closer the cutting tool is to the column support point, during machining, the better. That's because the moments of cutting forces about the column support point increase with the height of the head/tool. This increases vibration, noise, wear and tear. Avoid using a vise, if at all possible, when milling steel on a small mill since this raises the head/tool. If a vise has to be used then separate it from any swivel base that comes with it.

Machining in an apartment environment does present challenges. And we haven't even mentioned tools like angle grinders or miter (aka chop) saws. The noise level and sparks from cutting a length of steel plate or angle with a chop saw, for subsequent milling or whatever, could probably give a Super or apartment building owner a heart attack.