Having had the opportunity to check out 1114’s robot at the Pittsburgh Regional this weekend, they had pneumatic tanks that appeared to be made of a plastic, and I was told they were about half the weight of the standard Clippard tanks. Anyone know where to find these, or something like them?
Thanks,
–Ryan
They are the same tanks we are using. 1114 found them and shared the information with us. We are using 8 of them with no pump. When using the off board pump it takes us almost 7 minutes to fill to 120psi.
They can be found here: http://www.pneuaire.com/reca44cuin.html
They are very light and have a lot more volume than the clippard tanks we are used to using.
We are also using these. One of our mentors found them.
They weigh about .6 lbs as opposed to our previous tanks which weigh about 1 lbs each. They also hold about 30% more air than our old tanks. Definatly worth looking into for anyone using air.
I miss the old days when you had to design your pneumatic system around how much air you could store. Oh well.
What about having to make your own wheels?
Thanks for the heads up on these. These are a great and affordable resource.
When/if you buy one of these tanks, make sure you put in the comments it is for FIRST Robotics. Maybe a new sponsor for the kit…
I’m looking into these now… They look very nice weight-wise.
Do they have the same thread sizes for KOP fittings?
We use these as well, after 1114 pointed them out to us. We love them.
-Nick
Thanks Paul, Rick, Bryan and everyone. Looks like we may have weight for the mini launcher after all… 
–Ryan
According to he Pnueaire Tech rep, they are available in both 1/8" and 1/4" NPT. Burst pressure is rated at 500psi, and working pressure at 125 psi. A no brainer if you want, or need to, save some weight. Also relatively inexpensive, and have plastic mounting brackets available as well.
To the teams that used these:
How did you “prove” the working pressure is rated at 125 psi to your inspectors?
Is a print-out of the specs on their website sufficient, or is there a specsheet somewhere?
Thanks!
A printout would be perfect. It lists the important information right there.
Team 33 graciously gifted 4 of them to us for our Robot “Pneuman”. We will be adding 4 of these for 9 clippards.
weight .50 compared to .88 ( roughly from memory)
cu in 44 compared to 16
http://www.pneuaire.com/reca44cuin.html
We ordered the kewl standoffs for them too. I’ll post pictures next week during our maintenance window.
No problem. You guys were so close on weight, and air is so critical to your design, it seemed like the right thing to do. One of the college students that helped found your team was a former 33 student, so we have carried a soft spot for your team for years.
I work for Liquidweb.com and we call what you did “Heroic”. Here’s a Heroic salute from the work battlelines—>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0WY0xckCt4
Pneuaire seems to have several websites selling their reservoir cartridges (www.smcpneumatics.com, www.coastpneumatics.com, www.poweraire.com; they share the same “online support” image and similar addresses). Their other websites indicate that the RC2.5x10 is actually ~30 cubic inches. But when 8 of these tanks requires 7 minutes to fill, the difference between 30 and 44 doesn’t seem like much. =P
For their full product line and their current stock, check out here: http://www.coastpneumatics.com/search.php?recordsPerPage=25¤tPosition=0&keyword=RC2
It looks like 1712 just found some breathing room. 
I could be wrong, but the Clippard tank provided in the KOP is listed at 33 cu. in., making the plastic tank capacity about 25% greater. Anyone know for sure the weights of the plastic Pneuaire tank and the aluminum Clippard tank for comparison?
Just for additional consideration, in a long-term installation, I would prefer to use aluminum tanks. Plastic, over time, tends to creep and weaken, which should not be a problem on a FIRST robot.
Dateline Okemos Hs. Robot Pneuman successfully survives iron lung transplant.
Successful Lung Transplant. Weight saved Priceless!
http://www.livingsystems.net/DSC00393.JPG
http://www.livingsystems.net/DSC00394.JPG
…Breathe the pressure! ~prodigy
I called this company to try to place an order. They said that since I’m in Canada I had to pay by wire transfer rather than simply by credit card. Hardly the response I’d expected. Have these guys been living under a rock for the last decade or two???