It didn’t come with a bracket. I tapped the holes on top and made a bracket to fit with the plasma table. I can probably dig up the cut file, if you need it.
1 Like
I would not turn down your offer for the cut file. Thank you!
For the money, this thing seems outstanding. Thanks to those that posted about it. Save quite a bit of money with Global Industrial and additional 10% off after signing up. When I first saw the box this thing came in I was thinking where in the heck am I going to put it… They just stack the canister on top of the gallon of desiccant which made it look huge. Dont get me wrong the XXL unit is still huge…
1 Like
If your compressor is capable of the mod, installing an after-cooler and water separator between the pump and tank will pull out a lot of moisture before the Dessicant. Will extend the life and effectiveness. Not particularly expensive or complicated if you buy the right parts.
1 Like
ScorchedEarthMW - Not sure if you were replying in general or to my post, but I have done a aftercooler mod already using a transmission cooler. As you stated works well and fairly easy to do.
1 Like
Here is the DXF file. It’s just a simple bracket, bend the section with the three screw holes up 90 degrees.
dessicant dryer bracket-BodySketch.dxf (7.5 KB)
Do you have a picture of the bracket with the dessicant dryer? I opened the DXF file in fusion but I’m struggling to picture where to bend it and what all the different holes do?
Do you put beads in the bullseye? I just bought a similar one wondering how accurate it is. Do you jus change the beads on a schedule?
I didn’t bother to put beads in there, because it didn’t look like it would be very accurate. I just take them out and bake them occasionally.
If I’m doing a lot of cutting, I’ll do it every two weeks. Lately I haven’t been cutting a lot, so I’ll go a month or more between drying the beads.
2 Likes
How long do you bake the beads to dry them and at what temp?
I put them in an aluminum pan and bake then at 300f until they turn dark blue.
Do you monitor them constantly or do you have ‘some’ idea on how long that takes??
When I dry beads I usually do 2 hours at 300 f. I have enough to fill my canister about three times. So after I’m done drying all the beads it won’t fit in the container I put in a mason jar keep them dry until I need them. The only thing to watch is too high of a heat will wreck the adsorption ability of the beads. But the wetter they are the longer it’ll take.
Here’s a little blurp off the internet that talks about the microwave drying method which I haven’t tried yet. I should next time I do have a microwave in the shop.
“Silica gel is a granular form of Silicon Dioxide made from Sodium Silicate to produce an amorphously
structured porous matrix. Silica gel will remove moisture at temperatures as high as 150°F, but it is
best used at room temperature (70‐90°F) and high relative humidity. Silica gel can absorb upwards of
40% of its weight in water vapor at 100% humidity, and can reduce relative humidity (RH) in a closed
container down to below 40% at any temperature in its range, until it is saturated.
As moisture is absorbed, blue granules will turn purple and then pink when they have absorbed 8% of
their weight in moisture; when fully saturated at 40%, the gel will turn white and will no longer absorb
moisture.
Saturated Silica Gel can be reactivated by placing in an oven at 150°C (300°F) for up to 3 ½ hours or
until the blue color is restored, Note: heating above 162°C (325°F) can damage the gel and render it
unable to absorb moisture.
Gel desiccant can also be reactivated using a microwave oven. Loose desiccant should be placed in a
shallow microwave safe pan and heated at a medium power setting for 3 to 5 minutes. If the blue color
has not returned, stir gel and heat for another 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat until all of the gel has returned to
the original blue color. Reactivating one pound of gel will take 8 to 12 minutes. Avoid high power
settings as overheating can damage the gel and render it unable to absorb moisture.”
4 Likes
I monitor them and stop when they all turn dark blue. That’s usually around 20-30 minutes. Maybe I’m not drying them long enough, but I have then in a single layer in a large pan.
1 Like
And this line right here kind of doubles down on why it’s important to keep your air temperatures down before it reaches the dessicant. If the air is too hot the water vapor within it will just move right through the desiccant without being adsorbed.
3 Likes
Have you seen anything about air too cold affecting desiccant beads ability to remove moisture? I have my bead dryer right after my refrigerated dryer.
Just asking because that said best at 70-90. Should one move the beads farther away? Here is a picture of my dryer after a 30 minute pull.
Whoa! That’s serious cool down!
That is my thoughts as well. Wondering now if the temperature is too cold to be effective.
I bought that dryer just recently. The beads In it are new on them the fire control show 3.5 hours of torch time. I have 2 hours powder coating and installed 200ish 1/2 nuts. I plan on opening it up to see how much change there is.
Holy what is the relative humidity of the air in your shop.
I would put some distance between the refrigerated air dryer and the desiccant beads and also make sure there is a drip tee/ coalescing filter before the beads.
I’m not sure how to cold would affect it. I tried searching around a little bit on the internet didn’t find anything about the effects of air being too cold. I can imagine this is seldom the problem with the vast majority of systems is the air being too cold.
1 Like
Yeah I did a 3 hour pull a week or so ago the blue filter and pipes was sweating as well. On that run about the time the post flow stops the torch would refire.
The after cooler catches a lot of moisture. Since the weather has been warming up some I am seeing the refrigerated catch more but not a lot. I am amazed at how well my consumables last.
Not sure on the humidity I am curious an being able to check the airs humidity. I haven’t really looked into the means to do that yet. My guess is my garage has 1 and a half sides underground. In southwest VA everything is built on a mountain.
I have even wondered about doing a remote air intake. Mainly because I hear it could help with the noise of the compressor.