University of Cincinnati CCM Pneumatic Projects Fall 2021 (Snow Machine)

Hello! My name is Thomas Iodice and this is my Final Project for Pneumatics class, Fall 2021. I am a junior Technical Production major at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

This is a step by step instructable on how to build a pneumatic snow machine.

How does it work?

It works by mixing low pressure water (household water pressure) and compressed air externally to create small atomized water droplets.

I used a lot of supplies that I had in stock. I converted to PVC for part of my project to help build up a little bit more pressure and because I had the pieces laying around. Your design could have less pieces!

For the water line:

• 1/4" Pipe, 65° Spray Angle, Brass, Standard Fan Nozzle
• 2 1/2" Female to 1/4" Female Reducers
• 3 1/2" Pipe Nipple
• 2 1/2" Female to 3/4" Male PVC Reducer
• 2' of 3/4" PVC
• 3/4" PVC Elbow
• 1/2" Galvanized Union
• 3/4" Male to Garden Hose Adaptor
• 30' of Garden Hose

For the air line:

• 1/4" Pipe, 65° Spray Angle, Brass, Standard Fan Nozzle
• 1/2" Female to 1/4" Female Coupler Reducers
• 1/2" Interchange Quick Connect Air Coupling Plug
• 30' of 1/2" Air Hose
• Compressor with a minimum rating of 3CFM @ 90PSI

Misc:

• PVC Purple Primer
• PVC Regular Clear Cement
• Teflon Tape
• 2"x4" Wood
• 3" Wood Screws
• Plumbers Strap

Assemble all the pieces as shown in the picture above. You want to make sure everything is air and water tight so double check before attaching to 2x4's. I made mine 16' tall to allow for as much time as possible in the cold air. I positioned the air nozzle at a 45 degree angle to shoot up into the water.

You need a cold day! You can use this LINK to see if it is an optimal day to make snow in your location. It all depends on the outside temperature and humidity.

As the water is pushed up the garden hose by head pressure you can slowly turn on the air. You want as little water coming out as possible and as much air as possible. This is to help spread out the water molecules as much as possible. The farther apart they are and higher up the more time they have in the cold air. This is what causes them to freeze turning into snow. Honestly, I havn't had perfect success with this system because of the validity of temperature in Ohio. However, in a month or so it should be colder and I will be testing this out again. If I discover anything that helps make this work better I will update this then!!

There are other guides made by Snow At Home if you are interested in their approach to the making snow problem! Check them out HERE