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What you should know about pneumatic nail guns and nailers

What you should know about pneumatic nail guns and nailers

There are pneumatic nail gun, staplers and nailers of most different designs, depending on the supplier and the fastener types. Some major terms and versions are explained below.

• Automatic valve
  serves the stepless setting of the stapling speed. When the release lever is held pressed, up to 20 staples per second can be set.
• Attachment, height-adjustable
  allows setting the drive-in depth, e. g., for flush nailing of fiber cement panels.
• Anti-double shot mechanism
  avoids accidental double shots, i.e., setting a second staple or impact of the driver on the part.
• Hanger
  Is located at the head of the cylinder cap for balanced hanging of the tool.
• Coil magazine
  The nail strips are formed into a coil. The nail magazine has the same shape.
• Drive-in depth control
  The drive-in depth can be set for different types of timber.
• Single shot trigger
  A shot can only be triggered if the tool is placed on the part and the lever is then triggered. (Also see: Contact trigger)
• Dejammer
  Jams in the nose can be removed without a tool.
• Ergonomy
  Good ergonomy reduces fatigue and improves handiness and flexibility.
• Glass moulding attachment
  is a special tool for deforming (bending) a brad nail to ensure that when driven in it holds the glass moulding in the sealing rebate and moves away from the pane.
• Contact trigger
  The tool can also be triggered if the release lever is pressed at first and then the tool placed on the part. Holding the release lever pressed enables rapid work.
• Long magazine
  increases the magazine capacity and reduces time for reloading.
• Long nose
  The tool has a long nose (front plate projection) for shooting in edges and grooves.
• Air consumption
  is specified for each shot and is used for calculating air consumption of a compressor.
• Noise level
  is measured in units of decibel (dBA). Low levels are welcome for reasons of hearing protection.
• Blank shot guard
  prevents triggering a shot when there are no nails/staples in the tool.
• Magazine capacity
  effects the reloading frequency, i. e., few interruptions of the work flow =weniger Zeitverlust.
• NOSAG attachment
  is a special attachment at the tool nose for fixing nosag loops and tacking in the holes provided for them.
• Top loader
  Most frequent form of loading the tool, i. e., the center bar is inserted in the magazine from above.
• Profile tool
  The thin nose (front plate) of the tool enables fastening of plastic profile tape for production of upholstered furniture.
• Profile timber claw tool
  A special nose for fixing profile timber claws and fixing them to the relevant holes in the frame.
• Noise attenuation
  is mostly integrated in the cap of a tool and reduces the noise level.
• Lubrication/oiling
  Normally, a pneumatic nail gun should be lubricated with a few drops of acid and resin free oil through a hose tail once a week. The recommendations can be found in the instructions for use / parts list of the tool.
• Slanted magazine
  allows access to places difficult to reach, the fastener ist "stepped" in the magazine.
• Shot rate
  depends on the speed at which the tool is used (release lever pressed or tool applied to the part with the valve lever pressed) or the speed setting of the automatic valve.
• Side loader
  Some fasteners are easy to load in the magazine from the side (e. g., pins, brad nails)
• Safety
  All tools must comply with the applicable regulations and have the CE label.
• Straddling tool
  is a special device at the staple outlet (tool/nose) which - depending on the type of the staple - causes the shanks to turn inside or outside (e. g., fastening of fabric or foam)
• Bottom loader
  The magazine is loaded from below, for which the tool must be turned top down. Small tools are usually bottom loaders.
• Vibrations/rebound
  Permanent strong vibration and rebound can cause inflammation and industrial disease. Therefore, vibrations/rebound should be low. (measured according to ISO 8662-11/E)
• Front plate projection
  is the distance between the magazine underside (front) and the nailer nose on the part. The larger the projection, the better can recesses be stapled.

What you should know about fasteners

Fasteners/joining elements are made of different materials, surface finishes, points or heads in the case of nails. Every supplier uses his own designations and abbreviations/codes. Following is an overview of the most common types with explanations:

Material

• BK
  Bright steel, mainly used for nails, has no corrosion protection.
• NK/GALV/zinc plated
  zinc plated steel, mainly used for staples, pins, and brad nails, with corrosion protection.
• NKS/Stahl/ST/hardened
  zinc plated, very hard steel for staples and nails for hard materials, e.g., plastic.
• RF/NR/A2/A4
  Staples or nails of corrosion-free wire, in most cases of material number 1.4301, are used in permanently moist and other environments.
• ALU/AL
  Staples and nails of aluminium wire are used if the part undergoes further machining/processing (e.g,, sawing).
• MS
  Brass wire, use of staples as above.
• FVZ/fZn/FZN/FEUV
  Hot-dip galvanised, improved corrosion protection as zinc plated products. Mostly used for roofing felt nails and slate pins.
• KU/Copper/CU
  Nails made of copper wire, e. g., slate pins or nails for fastening copper sheet.

Surface finish

• HZ/hard./H/HA
  In some cases, the designation of the resin finish is a combination of the manufacturer's name and the designation "cote". The staples or nails are coated with resin, the colours are different from different manufacturers. Resin gives makes the surface slide when driven in the material, the clamp enters the material more easily (less energy). The resin becomes hot when the clamp is driven in and when cold forms a bond with the material, which improves resistance to extraction (durability).
• Ring/groove/RS/RI
  For nails, describes a ring shank which improves pull-out resistance.
• SCREW/SCH
  describes a screwed shank of a nail which improves pull-out resistance.

Colour

Fastening elements/fasteners with coloured back or head are used where the fastening should not be visible outside .

Point

• C/CP
  The chisel point is the standard point of staples and, depending on the hardness of the material, ensures that the staple moves in a straight line in the material.
• D/DP
  Depending on the hardness of the material, divergent point or sawtooth point cause the staple to be diverted or straddle in the part, which improves resistance to pullout.
• C/D,F CP/DP
  is a special point developed for fastening Fermacell panels and accepted by the supplier for this purpose.
• EC/SA
  Stepped point of staples, when a steel plate is hit, the legs of the staple are folded in the way known from paper staples.
• DS
  A diamond tip is the most frequently used point for nails.
• RIVET
  The nails are pointed at one side and when a steel plate is hit, the nail is folded (riveted). The effect is similar in the case of standard nails (diamond point), when the tool is applied to the part at an angle and the nail folds at a steel plate.

Approvals

Before certain fasteners/joining elements can be used in building construction or the production of pallets, they require official approval, for example:

• Anchor nails
  according to DIN 1052 part 2 for connecting timber. The approval letter must be available and can be requested.
• Staples
  usually of wire diameters 1.55 and 1.80 mm, also according to DIN 1052 part 2. The approval letter must be available and can be requested.
• Staples
  for fastening Fermacell panels have been tested and recommended by the manufacturer (point C/D).
• Round head nails
  the standard version usually complies with DIN 1052 part 2, which specifies the tensile strength of the wire and the head diameter. A works certificate is accepted by all building authority and quality surveillance testers as an admission for use by the supervising authority.
• EPAL-approved
  Convex ring nail officially approved by Deutsche Bundesbahn German railways for the production of pallets.

What you should know about compressors

Compressors come in different sizes, for permanent installation or mobile application and of different quality. Some frequently used terms will be explained below.

• Drain valve
  is located at the lowest point (if possible, at the end) of a pipeline system under the compressor reservoir. Condensed water, which forms in the system, is drained here.
• Shut-off pressure discharge
  The remaining pressure in the line is relieved.
• Start-up load relief
  System to ensure "soft" start of the motor.
• Intake flow
  denotes the air volume, in liters per minute, which the compressor takes in for compression.
• Atm(g)
  is an old pressure unit (atmospheres gauge pressure). The unit used today is "bar".
• Sample test
  If the sample test certificate is available, no other test is required for the first start-up.
• Speed
  Low speed (revolutions per minute) means long life and little noise (e. g., 65 dB(A)).
• Maximum pressure
  The specified maximum pressure should never be exceeded because this will void the supplier's warranty and the life of the tool will be much shorter.
  
  
• Reservoir capacity
  denotes the air and therefore the energy reserve in the reservoir. If the reservoir capacity is too small, the motor starts too often and its life is shorter. If the reservoir is too large, the motor takes too much time to fill it with compressed air. If the reservoir is oversize, the compressor is mostly too heavy and unwieldy for mobile applications.
• Condensing water
  collects in any pipeline and collects at the lowest point. It should be drained from time to time, including from the air reservoir - the drain valve can be found under the reservoir.
• Silent run
  Low speed (revolutions per minute) means long life and little noise. A noise level of 65 dB(A) or less is typical of a low-noise compressor.
• Line loss
  The line loss is in each case about 1 bar for every 15 m compressed air pipe length.
• Delivery volume
  This figure, in units of litres, is needed the calculate the efficiency, i. e., how many and which tools can be supplied by the compressor without problem. To calculate the delivery volume, the air consumption of all tools should be known; it is specified in the product description.
• Motor output
  specified in KW. Should bear a good relation with the required output and the reservoir capacity. Should be such that the compressor starts without problem.
• Motor protection switch
  If the compressor is overloaded or too much air is consumed, the motor protection switch automatically switches off the motor/compressor.
• Oil level
  Approx. 60 % of all cases of compressor damage are due to lack of oil or no oil; the oil level should be inspected regularly.
• Safety reserve
  The compressor type is calculated on the basis of the known air consumption of all tools. To consider incalculable consumption (air leaks, higher working pressure, additional tools), the calculated consumption should be doubled and the compressor type selected accordingly. This ensures sufficient reserve and extends the life of the compressor.
• Voltage
  Compressors for 230 V alternating current can be used everywhere without problem. 3-phase 400 V supplies are not available everywhere.
• Maintenance unit
  Comprises an air filter/water separator, pressure reducer with pressure gauge and a oil mist lubricator. This ensures that the air is clean, contains some oil and the line pressure is as required. Maintenance units should be set up as near to the work places as possible. 6-10 pneumatic tools can be supplied by one maintenance unit without problem.
• Number of cylinders
  The more cylinders a compressor has, the more output / power is supplies.