I recently had the pleasure of talking with a caller from a consulting firm that specializes in improved ergonomics. They work with clients on everything from preventing carpal tunnel syndrome through the use of things… More
Heavy Duty Air Conveyors Resist Abrasion, Transfer Heavy Materials
As an Application Engineer, I get the pleasure to speak to many companies about trying to find a simple, long-lasting, powerful but quiet transfer systems. They have operators that climb steps to dump bags of material in hoppers above. Or they need a compact way to remove scrap from their process. Or they have budgetary constraints to convey material from point A to point B.
If your company had to tackle any of these issues, EXAIR can help you. We manufacture Air Operated Conveyors that do not have any moving parts, are very compact in design, and have a high throughput capacity. They can attach easily to standard hoses, pipes, or sanitary flanges. These inexpensive conveyors are designed to make conveyance safer and ergonomically better for your operators. EXAIR calls this product line, Line Vac™.
Line Vacs use a small amount of compressed air to generate a vacuum by a Venturi effect. The unique design generates a high velocity to create a powerful vacuum on one side. Once the product reaches the throat area of the Line Vac, the compressed air will carry the product the rest of the way. The product can reach horizontal distances up to 100 feet (30 meters) and vertical heights up to 20 feet (6 meters). EXAIR manufactures a variety of Line Vacs in different sizes, styles, and materials. In this blog, I will cover our most powerful and abrasion resistant type, Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vac.
Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vacs are designed to convert regular piping into a powerful conveying system. They range from ¾” NPT to 3” NPT and can connect easily to PVC and steel pipe fittings. The construction is made from a hardened alloy steel to resist wear from abrasive bulk products like steel parts, sand, glass, ceramic, etc. The Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vac can create a higher vacuum level to pick up heavier objects as well as conveying larger volume of material.
When purchased as a kit, the Line Vac will come with a filter, regulator, and a mounting bracket. This adds overall value in mounting, controlling, and protecting the Line Vac for years to come. This simple device is a great product to use in rugged industrial applications, and with no moving parts, you will not have to worry about any motors or bearings prematurely wearing out.
If you need to convey heavy materials like steel shot or abrasive products, the Heavy Duty Line Vac could be a blessing for you. Not only can they transfer material safely and quickly, but they also will help ergonomically in saving the backs and knees of your operators. If you would like to discuss your conveying application further, please contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR. We may have a solution for you.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
About Sliding Vane Air Compressors
In positive-displacement type compressors, a given quantity of air or gas is trapped in a compression chamber. The volume of this air is then mechanically reduced, causing an increase in pressure. A sliding-vane compressor will consist of a circular stator that is housed in a cylindrical rotor. The rotor then has radially positioned slots where the vanes reside. While the rotor turns on its axis, the vanes will slide out and contact the bore of the stator wall. This creates compression in these “cells”.
An inlet port is positioned to allow the air flow into each cell, allowing the cells to reach their maximum volume before reaching the discharge port. After passing by the inlet port, the size of the cell is reduced as rotation continues and each vane is then pushed back into its original slot in the rotor. Compression will continue until the cell reaches the discharge port. The most common form of sliding-vane compressor is the lubricant injected variety. In these compressors, a lubricant is injected into the compression chamber to act as a lubricant between the vanes and the stator wall, remove the heat of compression, as well as to provide a seal. Lubricant injected sliding-vane compressors are generally sold in the range of 10-200 HP, with capacities ranging from 40-800 acfm.
Advantages of a lubricant injected sliding-vane compressor include:
- Compact size
- Relatively low purchase cost
- Vibration-free operation does not require special foundations
- Routine maintenance includes lubricant and filter changes
Some of the disadvantages that come with this type of compressor:
- Less efficient than the rotary screw type
- Lubricant carryover into the delivered air will require proper maintenance of an oil-removal filtration system
- Will require periodic lubricant changes
With the host of different options in compressor types available on the market, EXAIR recommends talking to a reputable air compressor dealer in your area to help determine the most suitable setup based on your requirements. Once your system is up and running, be sure to contact an EXAIR Application Engineer to make sure you’re using that compressed air efficiently and intelligently!
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS
Photo Credit to Compressed Air Challenge Handbook
Sanitary Flange Air Conveyors in Type 316SS
EXAIR currently offers a multitude of configurations when it comes to the Line Vac – air operated conveyors product line. One of the easiest to install and best suited for food, pharmaceutical, chemical or other sanitary environments is the Sanitary Flange Line Vac¯.
These are offered in four standard pipe sizes, 1-1/2″, 2″, 2-1/2″ and 3″. The models are only available from stock in 316 stainless steel. The sanitary flange is designed to be compatible with ISO 2852. These can easily be used with a “Tri-Clover” clamp and gaskets of varying materials to fit your needs. They have no internal moving parts and offer a compact, high throughput, quiet conveyance for parts, gases or ingredients.
With the sanitary flange design installation or removal are simplified in order to remove the unit for cleaning or reversing. If you would like to discuss just how easy these are to upgrade your existing system or to install into a new system, please contact an Application Engineer.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
EXAIR Around the World
I would like to share a conversation with a company that I visited in Singapore. They manufactured natural rubber material, and they were having issues with material sticking inside the oven. In our conversation, they would have to stop the process in order to clean the area near the chopping blades where the rubber material would collect. The system would have to be shut down for the entire day to clean the oven which lost profit and production yields.
I was familiar with this company because they are global. I remembered that I helped their American counterpart with the exact same application. I was able to make a quick recommendation for the same product; two model 110260SSPKI Stainless Steel Super Air Knives. They purchased and installed the Super Air Knives to generate an air curtain to keep the rubber material from sticking to the wall and forcing it into the grinder below. This helped them to save a lot of money for unscheduled shutdowns. If the U.S.A. company was able to share this information, it would have been a great cost savings for the corporation as a whole.
Since the establishment of EXAIR in 1983, customer satisfaction has always been the cornerstone of our business model. And with that business model, our business continues to grow each year. Now EXAIR is recognized as a brand of excellence. We shaped this culture by having great customer service and high-quality products that are safe, effective, and very efficient. With thousands of products in stock, we are able to ship with over a 99.9% on-time delivery. As a company, EXAIR offers free expert technical advice and share solutions to pneumatic issues through EXAIR Blogs, Videos, application library, and social media.
In today’s market, many companies are global and have plants and facilities throughout the world. If details like cost savings, safety, increased productivity, problem solving, and energy efficiency would be shared; it would be very beneficial for everyone. It can help to grow profits, protect employees, improve throughput and save energy which will help to protect the environment. Since EXAIR is a leader in these areas with compressed air products, we can help you and your affiliates with pneumatic solutions.
EXAIR sells direct in the U.S.A and Canada, and we have over 50 distributors located throughout the rest of the world. EXAIR has structured our world-wide presence by country in our International Map located on our website. It is simple to use. To find a distributor, click on this link, International. Fill in your Name, Email, and Country. We also ask if you would like to receive news about EXAIR products in the future. You can select “Yes” or “No”. If you would like to obtain information monthly from EXAIR about new products, special notices, or featured products, then click “Yes”. And, if we do not have a distributor in your area, EXAIR has an International Department that can assist you directly.
Just like the customer above, if the U.S. manufacturer was able to share the information with their sister company in Singapore, it would have saved them a great deal of grief. To be more effective and efficient as a global company, there should be communication between associates. If you or your affiliates use compressed air to cool, dry, clean, convey, vacuum, or remove static electricity, EXAIR can improve your process. And if you have locations outside of U.S. and Canada, we can still help you. You can contact us directly or visit our International Map. You may find someone near you that can speak your language and discuss the values that EXAIR represents. You will be glad you did.
Welcome to EXAIR.
Bienvenido a EXAIR.
Bienvenue chez EXAIR.
Добро пожаловать на EXAIR.
Witamy w EXAIR.
欢迎来到EXAIR。
Willkommen bei EXAIR.
Tervetuloa EXAIR: iin.
EXAIRへようこそ。
Bem-vindo ao EXAIR.
EXAIR에 오신 것을 환영합니다.
مرحبًا بك في EXAIR.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
Proper Plumbing Prevents Poor Performance
There’s nothing quite like an ice-cold Coke from McDonald’s. While there’s many reasons for this, one of the reasons for the unique experience of a McDonald’s Coke lies in the straw itself. In their drinks, they provide wider straws that are designed to help enhance the taste of Coca-Cola, or so they claim. Another impact of this is it allows you to drink significantly faster. The wider the opening for liquid to pass through, the more volume you’re able to drink. Imagine trying to drink your Coke, or any other beverage, through a coffee stirrer. I imagine you’re going to have a difficult time and a dry mouth as you try and force what little amount of liquid you can through the small I.D. of a coffee stirrer. Try that with a milkshake and the problems compound…..
The same is true when it comes to plumbing of your point-of-use compressed air products. I recently assisted a customer that was experiencing lackluster performance from the Super Air Knife they purchased. The application was fairly straightforward, they were hoping to reduce the rate of rejected material on their production line of plastic sheets. The sheet goes through a washing process to remove any residual contaminants, then would air dry as it made its way down the line. As the material dried, there were water spots left on the material that would have to then be cleaned off. In the hopes of speeding up the drying process, they purchased a Model 110060 60” Super Air Knife to provide a wide laminar sheet of air to dry the material.
When they hooked everything up, the flow from the knife seemed far less than they were expecting. They were supplying full line pressure (just over 90 PSIG), so in theory they should feel a strong blast of air from the knife. When they installed a pipe tee and pressure gauge directly at the inlet, they noticed the pressure was dropping to 35 PSIG while the knife was in operation. When this occurs, it’s indicative of a lack of volume of air. This can be caused by undersized compressor, or improper plumbing. In their case, they were only plumbing compressed air to one center inlet of the knife. For a 60” knife, EXAIR recommends a minimum of (4) air inlets to ensure adequate volume.
The size of these lines is also critical. You can’t force greater volumes of air through a smaller hose or pipe, just like you can hardly drink through a coffee stirrer with any great success. A 60” knife requires a supply pipe size of 1-1/2” for up to a 50’ run, if you’re trying to supply a knife of this length with a 100’long, ¼” ID hose, you’re not going to get the performance you expect. If you’re experiencing less than optimal performance from any of your EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products, there’s a good chance air supply is the culprit. The first step is determining what the actual inlet pressure is, install a pipe tee and pressure gauge right at the inlet. Then, give us a call and we’ll help work through the proper line sizes and ensure that you’re getting the most out of our products.
I hope I didn’t make you hungry or thirsty… But I think I know where and what I’m having for lunch 😊!
Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD
Adjustable Spot Cooler Keeps Rollers Rolling
A manufacturer of automotive power transmission shafts was experiencing frequent failure of high pressure plastic rollers on their spin tester. There are four rollers in a 90° array that center the shaft during spin testing. They exert a pressure of around 1,500psi onto the shaft while it’s rotating at 1,000rpm. This generates enough heat to actually melt the rubber coating on rollers, which means stopping testing (which holds up production) while they change out the rollers. Just for it to start all over again.
This, of course, was an ideal application for a Vortex Tube cooling solution. They wanted to aim the cold air flow from the dual points of two Model 3925 Adjustable Spot Cooler Systems at four points of the shaft, right where it starts to contact the rollers.
Thing was, they wanted to mount the Adjustable Spot Coolers where they could have access to the Temperature Control Valve, but the cold air Hose Kit wouldn’t reach the shaft. So they got a couple of extra sections of the cold air hose…they needed one section of the ‘main’ (shown circled in blue, below) to reach into the test rig’s shroud, and two sections of the ‘branch’ (circled in green) to reach to each roller.
Now, adding too much hose length will start to put line loss on the cold air flow, and it will pick up heat from the environment. But if you just need that extra foot of hose to get the job done, this generally works just fine. The extra foot or so they’ve added (5″ to the main and 6″ to each branch) has solved their problem…they haven’t had to replace a roller since the Adjustable Spot Cooler Systems were installed.
If you’d like to find out more about how EXAIR Vortex Tubes & Spot Cooling Products can prevent heat damage in your operation, give me a call.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Common Compressed Air Symbols
When any product / system is designed drawings are made to assist in the production of the designed product. For example if a mechanical part is being machined you may see symbols like these to verify the part is made correctly:
Same with an electrical panel, they use symbols like the ones below to note the type of equipment used in a location.
Then there’s the Piping & Instrumentation Diagram (P&ID)…it depicts an overall view of a system, showing the flow (usually fluid or electricity) through that system’s components, giving the viewer an understanding of the operation, and expected results from said operation.
Some examples of symbols you might find in a compressed air system are:
Compressors:
Air preparation & handling:
Instrumentation and control:
Occasionally, we’re asked if there are standard ANSI or ISO symbols for any of our engineered Intelligent Compressed Air Products…and there aren’t. Perhaps one day they might make the cut, but for now, their standard convention is to choose a shape and call it out by name. It might look something like this:
If you have questions about any of the quiet EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Products, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
Send me an email
Find us on the Web
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS
