Get Cleaner Cuts With Your Thunder Bolt Laser: Upgrade Tutorial! | Brett's Laser Garage

With this air assist guide, discover how to upgrade your Thunder Bolt Laser for cleaner and faster cuts. Start your next project with the best tools in hand! Shop now and Get 10% off Monport lasers & accessories using CODE Brett10 at bit.ly/3VUoFXt.
This tutorial is perfect for anyone looking to enhance their laser-cutting projects. Check out the full tutorial and see the difference it makes. Remember to subscribe for more laser-cutting tips and tricks!
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This video is about Get Cleaner Cuts With Your Thunder Bolt Laser: Upgrade Tutorial. But It also covers the following topics:
Laser Air Assist Setup
Thunder Bolt Laser Mods
Laser Cutting Performance
Video Title: Get Cleaner Cuts With Your Thunder Bolt Laser: Upgrade Tutorial! | Brett's Laser Garage
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Hey there! Welcome to Brett's Laser Garage - your go-to place for everything lasers, CNCs, and creative projects. Get into my garage, where my wife and I turn ideas into reality using laser engraving and CNC routing. I've covered you, from cool DIY guides to detailed reviews of the latest tools. Join me as I explore the ins and outs of running a home-based business with these amazing tools. Whether you're here to learn or just for fun, there's something for everyone. Remember to subscribe and be part of my journey!
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[@1-Nice-Guy]

Nice job! For the cost of the Bolt, Thunder Laser should of done a better job with the air assist, they should be blowing air along the path of the laser, instead of from an angle.

[@LaserGarage]

Thank you. Overall I think the stock air is fine, I mean it’s consistent with the air on like any other machine. I do like the extra power of the shop air though.
The laser head is a little different than what you find on a standard glass tube C02. That makes it necessary to have the air shoot in from an angle. I don’t have a problem with that, it’s easily adjustable to make sure it’s blowing directly on the laser path.

[@sharksys]

Brett, great video as always. What was the gauge of wire you were using. I’m going to do this on my machine. Already have the compressor. This was very helpful! Thanks so much!

[@LaserGarage]

Thanks a lot! I used 18awg wire, I added the link to the description of the video. I'm really happy with the results of the upgraded air assist, I think you'll be pleased too.

[@michellepickard4742]

Great video. Do you know if it would be possible to just install the solenoid but still use the factory air assist so that I could control air off and on in Lightburn?

[@LaserGarage]

Thank you very much. With the stock setup there’s no need for the extra solenoid. The stock setup will turn on and off through lightburn.

[@computercreationz]

What voltage is the solonoid you ordered? Great info !

[@LaserGarage]

Thanks! 110 volt

[@Yukam1912]

Im sorry i didn’t get it
What did u achieve out of this exercise ?
A cleaner cut
Or better cut
And 35w is not a good enough power?

[@LaserGarage]

Hey thanks for watching. Upgrading to shop air not only gave me a cleaner cut, but it helped me cut faster. The Bolt’s 35w RF tube is awesome but cutting through 5-6mm MDF is tough on any laser, this upgrade improve upon an already great laser.

[@rmpbrown01]

Great content! I was originally torn between the Thunderbolt and Aeon Mira series. I then see a video on OMtech's Pro series which leads me into three machines I'm evaluating/researching. The OMtech Pro claims similar cut speeds to the Thunder but air assist has yet to be seen. On the Thunder Nova series, I see you can control the air with some knobs on the front of the machine (really awesome). I understand the video is about the Volt but all the research I have done leads me to believe that all these lasers cut better with an external air source vs the stock pumps. My question is which of these machines are easier to upgrade and add air assist? I also appreciate your candid info at the end of this video. How are your controlling how much PSI is being pushed out for each job/type? Are you tweaking the pressure regulator at the machine?

[@LaserGarage]

Thanks! Yes, all machines can benefit from a little more air I believe. They can only fit a limited sized pump inside the cabinet after all. Picking machines is not easy. I mostly work with 1/4” mdf so I’m almost always running 25-30psi. If I need to lower it I just turn down the regulator. I’m not sure which machines are easier because I don’t own those. But they are all really similar basically.