What is an air compressor? In simple terms, it is a machine that increases fluid pressure. It works by either changing the volume of air, positive displacement, or by changing the velocity of the air… More
Dude, Where’s My Safety Air Gun?
I am the poster child for misplaced items. A couple of years back, I lost the key to my truck. I looked for it for WEEKS (it’s not my daily driver) — and finally admitted defeat. A local locksmith offered mobile service, which was kind of expensive but not as bad as I thought, and made me a new key in about a half hour. He actually made two (my wife insisted) and having my truck back just in time for that spring’s mulch was well worth it. Knowing the location of the spare key is nice & comforting too.
Just last fall, I lost my glasses one fine Friday afternoon. I’m only moderately nearsighted, so it was just a mild-to-moderate inconvenience. After a quick trip to the eye doctor and a local business that makes glasses on the same day, I had two new pairs of glasses (my wife, again, insisted on the 2nd pair.) When I got home, my “lost” glasses were on the counter…she’d found them between the arm of the couch and the end table. Ironically, if I’d had a pair of glasses, I’d have found them easily since that’s one of the first places I looked, but was unable to see them with my compromised vision.
Last month, both of those incidents came to mind when the Press Release dropped for a new EXAIR product: our Model 5920 Air Cradle.
It’ll hold up to 10lbs, so you can even leave the air supply hose hooked up. Using the Air Cradle means you won’t have to search for your Safety Air Gun, worry about it getting damaged or dropped, and you’ll be one step closer to having a well-organized work space.
Now, I’m not saying that if I had a “truck key cradle” or an “eyeglasses cradle” I wouldn’t have lost my keys or glasses…it’s important to note that one has to actually USE handy organizational tools to be organized…but it would’ve definitely lowered the chances of losing them.
I think it’s also important to note that the Air Cradle came about as a direct result of a customer or two asking about properly stowing their Safety Air Gun. We have regularly scheduled meetings where we discuss calls like that, and the Air Cradle was the direct result of such a conversation. If you have questions about compressed air in general, or EXAIR engineered compressed air products specifically, we’d love to hear from you…whether your call leads to a new product’s development or not!
Russ Bowman, CCASS
Application Engineer
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Super Air Wipes™: Product Overview
EXAIR manufactures two types of Air Wipes; the Standard Air Wipe™ and the Super Air Wipe™. They are designed to blow an airstream in a concentric pattern around the outside of pipes, cables, extruded shapes, hoses and much more. In this blog, I will focus on the features and benefits of the Super Air Wipes.
The Super Air Wipes are used in applications to blow-off, cool, clean and dry products. The air is blown in a conical 360o pattern completely around the outside of parts. EXAIR engineered a Coanda profile to entrain large amounts of ambient air. This will increase efficiency by using less compressed air and still generate a large force to perform the task. The Coanda profile is set at a 30o angle to increase the contact area and keep debris away from the portion of the product that has already been cleaned.
The construction of the Super Air Wipes is also unique. It has a split design to allow for an opening which installs around the material; so, you will not have to break or re-thread the material. They also use stainless-steel screws and stainless-steel shims. For diameters up to 4” (102mm), they will come with a braided stainless-steel hose to supply compressed air to both halves. The stainless-steel components give the units better corrosion resistance, higher temperature ratings, and more durability.
EXAIR manufactures Super Air Wipes with two different body materials; aluminum and 303 stainless steel. EXAIR stocks aluminum models with inner diameters from 3/8” (10 mm) for wire and cables up to 11” (279 mm) for large pipes and hoses. The aluminum models have a temperature range of 400oF (204oC). We also stock stainless-steel models from ½” (13 mm) to 4” (102 mm) inner diameters, and they have a temperature range up to 800oF (427oC). If you require different diameters or different types of body materials, don’t be afraid to ask. EXAIR can also make specials.
What can improve the function of the Super Air Wipes? We offer kits to help get the most out of the Air Wipes. A kit will include the Super Air Wipe, a filter, a regulator and a shim set. The filter will remove bulk liquids and debris from the compressed air to keep optimal performance. The Regulator is used to control the force. This helps to not overuse the amount of compressed air required for the job. With a regulator, you can make fine adjustments to get the proper amount of air. For coarse adjustments, you can add shims to increase the air flow and force. They are easy to install on the Super Air Wipes to permit applications to have more cooling, faster drying, and better removal of tough debris.
Here are some additional advantages to using the EXAIR Super Air Wipes that I did not cover. They are OSHA safe from dead-end pressure and noise exposure. So, they are quiet. We placed pre-tapped holes in each half of the body for easy mounting with brackets or attachments. They do not have any moving parts or require any electricity to operate. The non-contact wiping actions that the Super Air Wipe can provide help to support cleaning items without affecting the surface finish. Also, you won’t have to worry about replacing cloth or brushes that will be worn over time and slow down production.
With the creation of the EXAIR Super Air Wipes, uniform cleaning, cooling, and blowing around the outside of parts is a simple task. You don’t have to worry about a variety of nozzles to target the circumference or make a fabricated blow-off device that will waste air and take a lot of time out of your day. A simple purchase of the Super Air Wipe is all you need. You can order them from our website at www.EXAIR.com or call us at 800-903-9247. If you need help in selecting the proper product for your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR for help.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
Utilizing EXAIR Accessories
At EXAIR, we take great pride in our Intelligent Compressed Air Products, which are renowned for their efficiency and minimal maintenance requirements, thanks to their design featuring few or no moving parts. While we often highlight these advantages, we also do not want to overlook the importance of the accompanying accessories that enhance our products’ performance. These accessories play a crucial role in ensuring our compressed air solutions maintain their low maintenance and reduced noise levels, further solidifying their compliance with OSHA safety standards.
Compressed air filters and regulators are among the most essential accessories we offer, and we highly recommend their use with all our products, as well as with other brands. The Filter Separator effectively eliminates water, dirt, and rust from your compressed air system, while the 5-micron filter element prevents contaminants from clogging or damaging connected equipment. For more precise and additional filtration, an Oil Removal Filter should be installed downstream of the Filter Separator; it utilizes a 0.03-micron element to remove oil and solid particles. Our Pressure Regulators allow you to set the desired operating pressure, and we advise maintaining the minimum pressure necessary for optimal performance. This not only conserves air but also fine-tunes the efficiency of EXAIR products in various applications.
We offer specialized accessories designed to enhance the performance of some of our products. For instance, our Line Vacs are complemented by the Line Vac Hose, while our Cabinet Coolers can be paired with Thermostats and Solenoid Valves. Additionally, we recommend Mufflers for optimal use with our Vortex Tubes. When it comes to our Air Knives, we provide several excellent options. The Universal Air Knife Mounting System offers a straightforward and dependable solution for mounting. For applications requiring longer knives or independent control of airflow sections, our Coupling Bracket Kits are ideal. Lastly, our Air Knife Plumbing Kits simplify the plumbing process for Air Knives exceeding 24 inches in length.
For those looking to connect Intelligent Compressed Air Products, we offer a range of compressed air hoses and fittings designed to enhance the convenience of installation. Coiled Hoses are an excellent match for our Safety Air Guns, providing greater mobility during operation. Additionally, our Compressed Air Hoses are frequently utilized with our Industrial Housekeeping products, ensuring that both the drum and dolly have the necessary reach for effective use.
If you are looking for an effective solution to mount or position your Air Nozzles, consider our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings, which can be combined to create a comprehensive setup.
If you have questions about our accessories, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk
The Invisible Nuisance: Where Static Electricity Comes From and How to Kill It
We’ve all experienced it: the sudden “zap” when touching a doorknob, the frustration of plastic wrap sticking to everything but the bowl, or the sight of dust stubbornly clinging to a freshly painted surface.
While static electricity is a minor annoyance at home, in an industrial environment, it’s a productivity killer. It causes materials to jam, ruins electronic components, attracts contaminants, and can even pose a significant fire hazard.
But where does it actually come from? And more importantly, how do you get rid of it?
At its core, static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges on the surface of a material. Most objects are electrically neutral, meaning they have an equal number of positive protons and negative electrons. Static is generated through a process called turbocharging. When two materials come into contact and then separate, electrons are “ripped” from one surface and transferred to the other.
Common industrial culprits include:
Friction: Material pulling off a roll (webbing) or sliding down a conveyor.
Pressure: Objects being squeezed through rollers.
Separation: Rapidly peeling a protective film or label.
In a perfect world, these charges would bleed off into the air. However, in dry environments or when using insulators (like plastics, paper, and textiles), the charge gets trapped on the surface. It stays “static” until it finds a way to discharge—usually into your hand or a sensitive piece of equipment.
So why is static a nightmare for production? If you are running a high-speed line for example, static electricity manifests in three expensive ways:
Dust Attraction: A charged surface acts like a magnet for airborne contaminants, leading to poor paint finishes or contaminated food packaging.
Product Misbehavior: Sheets of paper might double-feed, or plastic parts might “fly” off a conveyor belt due to repulsion.
Operator Shocks: Repeated painful shocks lead to fatigue and safety concerns for your team.
This is where EXAIR’s Gen4 Static Eliminators come in. You can’t always stop the friction that creates static, but you can neutralize the charge immediately after it’s formed. Unlike simple grounded brushes that need to touch the surface, EXAIR products use ionizing technology combined with compressed air to neutralize charges from a distance.
Through the use of the Corona discharge method, EXAIR ionizers create a flood of both positive and negative ions. When this “cloud” of ions hits a charged surface, the surface automatically attracts the ions it needs to become neutral. Several common applications for our products are:
Ionizing Bar: High-speed webs, paper, and flat surfaces.
Ion Air Cannon: Neutralizing parts from a distance or in hard-to-reach areas.
Ion Air Gun: Manual cleaning and neutralizing of parts before painting or packaging.
Super Ion Air Knife: Providing a wide “sheet” of ionized air to clean and neutralize large surfaces simultaneously.
So why choose EXAIR? Our Gen4 technology is designed for rugged industrial use. They are shock less, meaning they are safe for operators to be around, and they require no moving parts, which translates to incredibly low maintenance. By integrating these into your process, you can increase line speeds, reduce scrap, and keep your workplace safe.
Ready to stop the shocks and start the flow? Give us a call!
Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer
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