Month: November 2008

I wanted to share a unique application with you all that I came across last week in one of my discussions with a customer.  This particular application will likely hit closer to home for all you make-up wearing ladies out there : )  But, anyone dealing in hot-melt gluing processes can appreciate this as well.

A customer who supplies cosmetics companies with brushes for nail polish, lip gloss, and the like, uses a hot-melt glue to adhere the caps onto the plastic tubes into which the brush bristles are inserted.  In order for the adhesive to set properly, the hot-melt needs to be cooled quickly.

Our model 3925 Adjustable Spot Cooler was the perfect thing to recommend.  This is a spot-cooling product, and this customer had a spot-cooling requirement.  It also has the benefit of adjustability with regard to temperature and flow volume of cold air, so they can fine-tune the cooling to be just right for the job; not cooling to fast and not cooling to slow.

After installing and setting the Adjustable Spot Cooler, the number of rejected parts due to improper adhesion and pieces falling apart, significantly decreased and thus productivity improved.

Emily Mortimer
Application Engineer
emilymortimer@exair.com

I received a call from a company that produces colored construction paper for the art and school industries.
Tablets of colored construction paper consist of about 10 – 15 sheets of paper per tablet. This customer has to insert a piece of “chip board” or heavier cardboard for each 10 – 15 sheet stack as a backer. This is similar to the cardboard used on the back of a legal paper pad. They have a problem inserting the chip board into the stack due to friction. They end up about 3 inches short of complete insertion every time. This causes obvious problems with productivity and line speed.

I recommended our model 110036 (36″ Aluminum Super Air Knife) to the customer due to the fact that the tablets are 36″ wide at the time of this step.

The Super Air Knife was able to provide a horizontal airflow to float the small stack of construction paper to allow full insertion of the chip board every time.  The customer has experienced a 15 – 25% increase in productivity.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

Much of my day is spent assisting customers by providing solutions to a blow off or drying application. It is also fairly common to hear from a customer who is manufacturing automobile parts and needs to cut back on the rejected parts from the car company they are making parts for. This customer fit both profiles. He is a fuel tank manufacturer who places the tanks underwater during a leak test. Part of the tank is the female portion of a pin connector, similar to one you would find on your printer connection. This pin connector provides data to an on-board computer about fuel levels and economy. The female pin connector holds the water from the tank and needs to be blown out before it gets bulk packed.

They have been simply turning the tank and letting the water drip out of the connector which has not been accepted by the car maker. The pin connector is 2″ wide and a perfect fit for our model 1122, 2″ Super Air Nozzle. An instant blast of air will quickly remove any residual water left in the connector and can eliminate the rejected parts. As we all experience a slower economy, a more efficient process is a necessity. We are happy to contribute even one nozzle to help the cause.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com