Month: November 2008

A large Japanese radiator manufacturer in Indonesia used a Freon based air conditioner unit to cool an electronic motor drive module. The air conditioner dripped condensation inside the cabinet causing a short  in the electronic motor drive. The motor drive had to be replaced at a cost of $20,000 US due to the water issue. The failed motor drive caused 1 of 2 production lines to go down for 1 month while they waited for the replacement. They lost 50% production while this happened.

Once the new drive came in, it was decided to use a large fan to blow in at the electronic module instead of the leaky air conditioner unit. They still had to stop the production line many times due to the controller being overheated, even with the fan running. Also, the atmosphere was somewhat corrosive. This condition caused the case of the new controller to rust with the door open and fan running.

The customer ended up applying a Model 4330 NEMA 12 Cabinet Cooler system to their panel. The Cabinet Cooler system allowed the customer to run their line continuously without a condensation problem and allowed them to run the equipment with the cabinet door closed. This kept dirt and the corrosive atmosphere from affecting the electronic motor drive module. The customer has been able to run their line, trouble-free 24/7 for the last 6 years without any maintenance issues or down time.

 

 

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

I had reason for a family gathering over the past week. I had the chance to see folks from Texas, Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. I was speaking with an auto body guy from Michigan, a tech for an electronics company in Texas, a construction guy from Ohio and a farmer from Indiana. As conversations go, we began to speak of the economy. My impression, being in Ohio, is that many jobs which remain domestic are moving to Texas and the southern states, that Michigan has it the worst and Indiana is similar to what we see here. What I learned was we are all in very similar positions. The technician in Texas has seen her hours cut by 30%. The auto body guy works for a dealership in Michigan and is very busy with repair work, but the underlying tone is not good considering the state of the “Big 3”. The construction worker has commercial jobs through 2009 but nothing coming in to sustain beyond that. The farmer has seen prices for corn fall dramatically. Everyone chimed in to say how each of them is alerted to ways of keeping costs down, ways to spend money wisely, and ways to run more efficiently. If these things cannot be done we may all face tougher consequences.

Though I did not take the opportunity to sell compressed air products on the spot, I did begin to think about our products and their ability to fit within any of these industries. I recognized the way we maintain our competitiveness is through productivity improvements. Whether it is electronics manufacturing, automotive, agriculture or construction; EXAIR can be useful to them all. Anywhere there is a compressed air system, we believe there is room for improved efficiency. EXAIR products are money well spent as the return on investment is quantifiable and quick. We offer the tools for you to begin your own intelligent compressed air efficiency program. And we are available to help you along the way.

Kirk Edwards
EXAIR, Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com

Ever get tired of walking up and down a set of stairs or a ladder, carrying buckets full of heavy material to dump into a hopper?  You aren’t the only one.  I get this call a few times a month.  Most recently, I spoke to a wire and cable manufacturer who needs to load plastic pellets into a tote bin from a gaylord box for their extrusion process.  In order to maximize material throughput, they needed to move close to 25 pounds of pellets per minute, over a distance of 10-15ft.  There is no way one person would be able to carry that much material in that time frame.  So, they came to us for help.  I recommended a model 6085, 2.5″ Line Vac, for the job.  It produces good vacuum and will move the required amount of material.  Either way, installing a Line Vac will be a much more efficient means of moving the pellets than the traditional “bucket and ladder” method.  Time will be saved, and the ergonomics issues associated would be eliminated, saving the backs of the bucket carriers.

Emily Mortimer
Application Engineer
emilymortimer@exair.com