Larger Compressors - Anyone build an After Cooler

[BloomingtonMike]

Looking at cooling the air out of my Ingersol pump before filling the 80gallon tank. Anyone here build such a setup on their compressor. My plan is to cool, store, filter, and then refrigerate dry the air with the HF drier.

Dry air be used by my plasma cutter and air for the sandblaster and paint guns.

[nicobie]

I built one out of all my leftover copper pipe. Works great. Others have built them out of black pipe.

[Dodis]

I plan to build one in the future (probably distant at this rate), using an automotive oil cooler. They are designed for the pressure and come in many sizes. This is one I have saved in my Amazon list for now: Oil Cooler.

I put my IR compressor on a barley used tank from a dead oiless compressor, and want to add a cooler for drying before the tank to prevent rust. (the reason I had to replace the tank before). It is an old Rand-4000 that had a tank recall. My motor and compressor are in great shape, the tank started leaking, so it got set aside until I could hit a Craiglist deal on a tank. (Naturally, after I bought one, then they popped up all over!)

I have a link to one that I saw built online, but at home... I think it was in Garage Journal, or Welding Web.

Here are a few threads that have some options:
air coolers
GJ - Air coolers
GJ - Aftercoolers

[GDay]

I sent you a PM.

[BloomingtonMike]

Thank you brother for the pm!

There are some write-ups on using a transmission cooler after the pump. Looks interesting. Some reports say they may might be 1/2 id but not sure and not sure what I have now.

[Steve N]

Mike, are you minting $$$$$$$$$ up there?

[BloomingtonMike]

No way lol. Hence DIY. A mint would just buy a compressor with one on it already. What I dont do is anything half as$. I figure it out and dont settle till its done right. If its worth my time doing it and my name is on it I take pride in knowing its safe and correct. Plus I get a lot more enjoyment using everything correctly. Also if I am teaching others and especially my kids and our girl scouts and their parents, then I want to set a good example for them and their parents.

[BloomingtonMike]

This weeks knowledge, turn a pair of water barrels into a water bladder system for air assist plasma water table water height fill and drain to set water height correctly for each metal type and desired cut.

[Dave Diaman]

Mike, do you have a dryer on your compressor? I ask because I use a Multicam CNC router from time to time and the Multicam rep told me that they will not warrantee any of their machines unless the air supply has a dryer on it. This goes for all their CNC machines from the way I understood it. I don't claim to understand why but it is just something I thought might be good to pass on.

[BloomingtonMike]

Thank you Dave!

I just bought a drier (bday gift from my wife actually). I bought one but got two after the first one arrived and had a dent. I called to get a discount as I was just going to fix it. No discounts and no partial refunds so they just wanted to send another. BUT, it was not worth their time to pick up a second one so they just sent the second one.

Some reviews say even two is not worth one of a decent brand


I have been reading that you should dry cool air though so I want to add a cooler just at the pump before storing in the tank. The drier is down the line a bit.

My cnc  routers do not use compressor air - no atc on them.
My tool changer on my cnc knee mill does not care - it filters at the changer.
Zero of my cnc machines have a warranty - their service tech (me) can fix anything air can break


But the plan is to have a drier before the cnc plasma machine and that one I do care about the quality of the air I am delivering. It affects cut quality.

A multicam would be nice!! There are so many great machines out there.