Air-Assist compressor for laser cutting

When the team at Priest Sheetmetal ordered a new laser cutter from overseas, they knew that the new machine needed to run in a cost-effective way. Traditional laser cutting machines had been powered by nitrogen, however, this was proving expensive in nitrogen hire costs each month.

Working with Industrial Air Systems, Priest Sheetmetal installed a medium-pressure full-filtered compressed air setup. This new system easily powers their new laser cutter ensuring they can cut through thinner material, without the use of nitrogen. 

Priest Sheetmetal consists of a team of expert engineers skilled at cutting, folding, welding, metal punching, and fabrication. Located in Waltham, Christchurch, this locally owned company has worked on all kinds of welding projects, from luxury hot tubs to perforated screens and heavy-duty truck parts. 

The team works with a range of materials, including mild steel, aluminium, galvanised, stainless, copper, brass, Corten, Zincalume, and Coloursteel. Their combined experience and specialised machinery ensure that they can work on a vast range of fabrication projects. 

With profile cutting on its list of specialised services, Priest Sheetmetal needs the very best precision tools. In 2022, they sourced a new laser cutter from overseas and began conducting their own research into how they could run the machine, in the most cost-effective way. They know that hiring high-pressured bottled nitrogen was expensive and since it isn’t necessary for many laser-cutting tasks, it wasn’t the most economical option. Compressed air could be a suitable alternative, as long as it was contaminant-free.

Unfortunately, even after hours of research, Priest Sheetmetal were hard-pressed to find a viable compressed air system for their new laser-cutting machine. While another company was prepared to design a machine to address these concerns, they had never built one before and could not guarantee that it would work.

When we heard that Priest Sheetmetal was importing a laser cutter, we got in touch to offer our services. The client had already done extensive research and knew exactly what they needed – a laser cutter operated with compressed air for the ultimate accuracy and efficiency. A medium-pressured compressed air setup is ideal for this as it is capable of cutting thinner steels and alloys, provided the air quality is high. 

Since our team had already designed and manufactured this product before, we were well-positioned to offer the perfect solution. In August 2022, we supplied an Airpak15 Air-Assist Compressor to power their laser cutter. This is a tried and trusted product, specifically designed to the requirements of the client and approved by resellers in the laser cutting industry.

The PneuTech Air-Assist 16bar 18.5kW compressor is a high-specification, contaminant-free, and reliable tool designed specifically for laser cutting applications. The medium pressure system can be used to cut light gauge metals including carbon, stainless steel, and aluminium. To achieve safe and accurate cutting, this compressor guarantees clean, oil-free and ultra-dry air, meeting the ISO 8573.1.2.1 specifications. With a built-in desiccant dryer and carbon tower, the Air-Assist compressor can process compressed air down to -40°C dew point or lower. 

PneuTech Air-Assist 16bar, 18.5kW, air compressor.

Since the Industrial Air Systems team installed the Pneutech Air-Assist compressor, the Priest Sheetmetal team has been impressed with the results. By cutting all thinner materials with compressed air instead, the new laser cutting machine has reduced regular nitrogen consumption costs significantly. With its signature blue and user-friendly functionality, the PneuTech product is a natural fit in its new setting – check it out below!

We have visited the Priest Sheetmetal workshop since the new compressed air unit was installed  – all equipment is operating as expected and all components of the compressed air system supplied are in great working order.

To learn more about the Airpak15 Air-Assist and its benefits, just click below to download the brochure.