I'm building a small pneumatic control cabinet with a couple filters, regulators, valves, and flow restrictors. I had started by using 8 mm push-to-connect fittings and nylon tube, but it seems I can make things more compact by using metal tubing.
Thing is, I'm having a hard time finding any kind of basics tutorial for how one does this. I've seen a few photos, and found a couple pipe-bending tutorials, but I don't know what kind of fittings to use.
- It seems I can use flared fittings, is that what's usually done?
Unfortunately, I can't find metric sizes on McMaster-Carr, so I'm going with 5/16". But while they have aluminum tubing and bending tools for 5/16" OD tubing, they don't have fittings. They do have 1/4" and 3/8" fittings.
Can I under- or over-size the fitting and the pipe like that?
Are there any good resources for learning how to fabricate a control system using metal tubing?
The thing I'm controlling is the tool changer on a nice spindle motor. It has 8 mm OD push-to-connect fittings, 6 mm ID tubing. 3/8" metal tubing has a 1" bend radius, while 5/16" tubing has an 11/16" bend radius, allowing for slightly more compact layout.