How Luxfer Paintball Cylinders Are Manufactured
Luxfer has pioneered developments in paintball cylinder technology to provide the strength, durability and lightness of weight necessary for a longer-lasting, more enjoyable game.
Luxfer routinely destroys cylinders in every batch to ensure optimum integrity and performance. To achieve the highest standards of quality and safety, all Luxfer paintball cylinders are rigorously tested both by highly trained Luxfer technicians and independent inspection agencies.
Aluminum Paintball Cylinders
Aluminum alloys were first developed during World War II for military transportation and ammunition. Luxfer now uses the most advanced aluminum alloys to design and manufacture high-performance paintball cylinders.
The Luxfer aluminium cylinder manufacturing process:
A hydraulic ram presses and shapes a solid billet into a hollow shell, the open top of which is closed and threaded. The newly formed cylinder then undergoes a heat treatment regimen that adds strength and durability. After being thoroughly tested to standards established by regulatory agencies, the cylinder is painted. The result is a seamless, lightweight aluminum cylinder with a consistent wall thickness and naturally non-corrosive oxide finish that make it ideal for high-pressure gas containment.
Composite Paintball Cylinders
Using composite materials developed by NASA for space exploration, Luxfer pioneered an innovative process for mass-producing cylinders that are even lighter than aluminum cylinders. Luxfer composite cylinders feature a lightweight aluminum liner that is fully wrapped in layers of Kevlar, glass or carbon fiber in a durable, impact-resistant epoxy matrix. Composite paintball cylinders operate at higher pressures than aluminum cylinders, providing extended game-time between gas refills.
The Luxfer composite cylinder manufacturing process:
Cylinders are produced using seamless aluminum liners manufactured by the Luxfer Gas Cylinders Hydropsin Division from either aluminum plate or extruded aluminum bar. Each liner is cold-drawn to a specified thickness and hot-spun closed on the open end. The liner is then subjected to a solution heat treatment and artificial aging process to create the required strength and toughness. Prior to fiber wrapping, the liners are coated with a proprietary insulating layer to prevent the potential for corrosion between the liner and wrapping.
The liners are then wrapped with carbon fiber in an epoxy resin. A layer of glass fiber is then wound over the carbon as a sacrificial impact and abrasion layer, and finally a label is applied under the last layer of glass fiber to protect it from damage.
Luxfer operates a state-of-the-art composite cylinder manufacturing facility in California , and in 2005, Luxfer will open a full-wrap composite cylinder production line in France .
Quality Checks
Quality control is built into every stage of the Luxfer manufacturing process to ensure that our paintball cylinders consistently meet and surpass the most stringent industrial standards. Cylinders are regularly:
- Destroyed for verification of neck forming
- Subjected to tests of hardness and tensile strength in order to confirm adequate heat treatment
- Crushed or bent to test for internal wall integrity
At every stage of the manufacturing process, each cylinder undergoes a visual inspection and hydrostatic testing to pressures well in excess of rated specifications. Luxfer Gas Cylinders manufactures to all major global specifications and in accordance with all major standards.
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