Paslode Impulse

Paslode Impulse is a trademarked name for a cordless nail gun.

Cordless nail guns do not need an air compressor. Instead they use what its maker calls a "fuel cell" (not a fuel cell as usually known), which is a small metal can filled with pressurized flammable gas (similar to a butane cylinder used to fill a mini torch). There is also a battery pack and a high-voltage power supply to deliver a spark. The design resembles a small two stroke engine.

The combustion chamber is in two parts and is normally open to the atmosphere. When the contact tip is pushed onto a piece of work, the lower pastion chamber (which also serves as the piston bore) is pushed into the upper part, sealing it. Simultaneously, a metered amount of fuel is squirted into the chamber from the fuel cell. When the trigger is pulled, a spark plug ignites the fuel charge, pushes the piston and connected drive pin to the bottom of the chamber, and drives a nail. A small amount of combustion gas is briefly stored in a side chamber and is used to push the piston back into the ready position after the nail is driven.

After the contact tip is lifted from the work, the combustion chamber opens and a small fan blows away the exhaust gas.

Pressing the contact tip to the work without pulling the trigger uses one of the metered fuel charges. The unburned fuel is then blown away by the exhaust fan when the contact tip is removed from the work. These are best used in finish-nailing situations and is where these tools are most common.

Paslode Impulse guns are available as framing and finish nailers using a variety of nail types and lengths. They are well known by tradesmen for the smell of the emitted spent gas, which some may find offensive. The fuel is a mixture of 1-butene and propane.

References

• http://www.paslode.com/