Use the air supply hose with the correct ID as recommended by the air tool manufacturer.Coupler/plug should have maximum flow to eliminate air restriction to the tool.Insufficient air supply or drop-line diameter (ID) may be too small for the air tool PSI/SCFM requirements.If the air tool has a speed regulator, it may be closed.The air supply hose, air fitting, air tool inlet, or air tool exhaust may be plugged.When an inline regulator is being used, the unit may be too small, not adjusted properly, or defective.When an inline filter is being used, the unit may be too small, or the filter element may be plugged.Too many air connections or fittings are being used.The air connections or fittings have an ID that is too small.The ID of the hose is too small for tool PSI/SCFM requirements.The air supply hose is too long (>20 ft.) or there is more than one coupler.Prevent and Eliminate Air Supply Restrictions The following suggestions and recommendations can assist in maintaining maximum performance of a pneumatic tool and abrasive.įigure 2: Test results in show a significant removal difference between the air pressures.

If using a standard tapered plug, productivity could be reduced by more than 50 percent. Depending on the material being ground, the grit size used, and the abrasive type, the improvement in productivity gained by switching from a standard tapered plug to a maximum flow plug could exceed 100 percent. Providing maximum airflow to the tool optimizes the performance of the abrasives on the tool. The maximum flow assembly removed the weld in less than half of the cycle/takt time. This difference has a direct impact on tool and abrasive performance, as seen in the stainless steel weld ( Figure 8) removal evaluations. Note that the standard/tapered plug orifice diameter is approximately 35+ percent smaller than the maximum flow one as shown in Figure 7. Three weld removal evaluations were conducted with each type of coupler/plug assembly (maximum flow and standard/tapered) at 90 PSI/43 SCFM to determine the impact of the orifice diameter on cycle time/takt time. To demonstrate that PSI is not the only factor that has a direct impact on airflow and abrasive performance, a controlled evaluation was conducted with two different coupler/plug assemblies – maximum flow and standard/tapered on a 304 stainless steel weld using the parameters shown in Figure 5. Figure 4 shows the percentage improvements and percentage savings difference per PSI, which are significant. This is further demonstrated by the sparks visible in Figure 3, which correlate directly to removal rate for example, more sparks indicate a greater removal result. Test results in Figure 2 show a significant removal difference between the air pressures. (All images are available in the slideshow.) To prove that PSI has a direct impact on abrasive performance, two controlled evaluations were conducted on 1018 carbon steel flat stock using the parameters shown in Figure 1. If one or both criteria are not met, either the grind cycle/takt time will increase, removal rates will decrease, or both will occur, causing lower performance and higher costs. Pneumatic tools have an air requirement to operate at maximum efficiency under load, which is 90 PSI with the proper SCFM for the tool being used. These include the air receiver tank capacity, main trunk line diameter, drop-line diameter to manifold, plug/couple type, inside diameter (ID) and length of hose to tool, and whether the facility has a loop system.Ī proper air system is important for delivering optimal abrasive performance when using a pneumatic tool for grinding or sanding. Not only does the size or horsepower of the compressor make an impact, several other critical factors have a direct effect. This is false ‒ in fact it is a combination of both PSI and SCFM. There is a common misconception that if the line pressure (PSI) is high, all air requirements will be met. Knowing the proper requirements for optimizing the compressed air system is essential to meet all air needs. Figure 1: Two controlled evaluations were conducted on 1018 carbon steel flat stock to show the direct impact pneumatic air has on abrasive performance.Ī compressed air system must be able to deliver an adequate volume of air in standard cubic feet per minute (SCFM) increments and maintain the proper operating pressure in pounds per square inch (PSI) to supply all compressed air requirements for a facility and its related applications.

Compressed air tool