This year I was the only team member that setup the Pnuematics, I just still have not gotten the trick of teflon, It grids of when you screw it in and that caused us a piston that got jammed.
Tips?
Hrrmm. Never had that happen. Are you wrapping it in the correct direction?
Try and try again; had to try a couple times every now and again when the teflon wouldn’t screw in right.
are you layering the teflon too much? that or you’re wrapping in the wrong direction. i think… i used to have that problem, and i just ignored it…luckly it didnt jam anything, and eventually i think learned how to do it now.
Generally you don’t need more than two or three wraps of teflon tape to get a good seal. If you do then the threads are bad and you need to junk the fitting. DO NOT wrap all the way to the end of the threads. Leave a little gap uncovered and you will prevent pieces getting lose and jamming things up
I would suggest you taking a look in the FIRST Pneumatics Manual for in it the proper use if the teflon tape on the parts is shown, it shows you about how much to put on and where not to put the tape. I know that has helped out many people this past year.
There is a like paste stuff that you can put on it too, i dont know what it is called or if its legal or not but all i know is i have seen it used for fixing older pipe. You may want to check out the local Home Depot or Lowe’s and ask them about it! (thought i would throw in an ad)
You might find it called “pipe dope” or “pipe thread sealant” or some such thing. Depending on the type of fitting, and on how often it is removed and replaced, that may be a viable option. It goes on messy, and doesn’t really dry (like a glue would), but forms a airtight seal between the threads. As always, apply it sparingly, and don’t let any get inside of the fitting (just on the thread surface).
Note that neither pipe dope nor teflon tape are appropriate for some high pressure fluid lines (like hydraulics)–that shouldn’t be a problem for FIRST, but in the “real world” you may encounter dry compression threads (e.g. tapered plugs on hydraulic systems).
:ahh: I see I put teflon on the first ring or the screw and the First Pneumatics Manual said not to 
I also would like to add that Loctite makes a thread sealant also. It’s more liquid (not as thick) as the typical brush on gray pipe sealant you get at hardware/home improvement stores. For the small 1/8" or so threads we use on the pnuematics in our kit it would be a better option. It is also removable (not permanent) so if you need to replace fittings or cylinders all is not lost. The gray stuff will work but it’s more designed for larger fittings like the pipes in your house.
I also want to say it should be one or the other. You should never us pipe sealant and teflon on the same joint.
And a little hint. For most threads (right hand) if you hold the fitting with the threads facing you and wrap the teflon tape clockwise you will wrap it in the correct direction and not have to worry about the tape “bunchin up” or trying to unwrap when you install the fitting.
If you find teflon difficult then use loctite 545 or a similar product. We use it at work and its much easier.
never heard of it but thanks 
When I normally do pnuematics dealing with teflon i usually only wrap the teflon once to twice around and make sure i really rub it in so the threads are outlined in teflon…if you use to much it bungs the threads and it will rip/tear or wont stay on.
-Pat
hmm, good tip to rub it in so it doesnt shread
After making thousands of fittings up in my 25 years here are some tips.
Don’t use tape on pneumatics - eventually you will have pieces that find thier way to plug up a valve. We Never use tape on our process air for that reason. Can you imagine shutting down a huge chemical process plant becase of a piece of tape debris, it happens. There are a lot of good thread sealants you can use. Contrary to popular belief in this area less is better. Again you don’t want your thread sealant in your process. Don’t over tighten - Brass seals fairly easily. Cross threading - every year we get a least one fitting that is cross threaded and then someone tries to keep it from leaking by using more tape or over tightening, throw away the fitting and get a new one. Remember tape is not the only debris - keep your pneumatics clean.
Have a great weekend
Ken
About the teflon - is it mandatory? I’ve found that I’m able to make air-tight joints without it (or pipe dope, loctite, etc.), but I don’t want to have to rip apart our pneumatics system the day of the competition because I didn’t use teflon…
It’s not mandatory, but it’s a good idea … it’s better to use then tape, even if you think you already have an air-tight connection, than have to redo your system once you get to the competition.
Thanks for the info! I wasn’t worried about having to rip it apart because of leaks (we can hold air pressure for hours), but for a rule violation - one of our guys, though also worried about the teflon gunking up our valves, thought that it might be required by the rules. Thus far, AFAIK, teflon is only a suggestion on FIRST’s part.
Like Katie said and i will restate, using Teflon tape or for that fact any sealant on pneumatic fittings is only a suggestion and is not a rule. While maybe i can help you out a little here. While testing in your facility alone or with only 1 or 2 other robots it isn’t aggressive, but once at a competition you will find that these robots must be built durable and robust enough to “survive”. While you may not think about it now but when at a competition you may be flipped over or on a side, hit by other robots or even accidentally “speared” by another robots arm. The fittings most teams use are brass and plastic and are damaged easily. While working at many events with other teams, pneumatic leaks can be time consuming to find and fix while being in a crowded and loud work area. Using the Teflon tape, if a fitting is hit by another bot, you will most likely not get a leak. This tape helps the fittings mate to the cylinders and not unscrew themselves easily. Also if you do get a small leak many time the Teflon tape will help keep that leak contained and not be a problem. I will suggest you to use some sort of thread sealant, whether it be the Teflon tape or a brush on sealant, it doesn’t need to be much at all but i would say to use something.
I am sort of the pneumatics guru on my team, I also worked with our sponsor who deals with pneumatics and hydraulics. if you use teflon tape or liquid teflon be sure to not wrap arround the first two threads. also NEVER back out once you started screwing the fitting in. Doing this is just asking for leaks!