Month: October 2009

Blowing off Hams

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Customer processes picnic hams. Their process is to insert the ham into a wrap as it exits the oven. The heat from the ham shrinks the wrap, providing an air tight seal. The wrapped ham then enters a water bath to cool it for bulk packing and to stop any further cooking. The wrapped hams are then labeled.  They were having problems with applying a label to a wet surface as well as wetting the corrugated boxes they were packed in.

Using (2) 9″ Super Air Knives Model #110009 to blow off the sides and a 24″ Super Air Knife Model #110024 to blow off the top, they were able to remove residual water so that the labels were able to stick. This eliminated all re-labelling and avoided having to pack them in expensive waterproof lined boxes.

Joe Panfalone
Application Engineer
joepanfalone@exair.com

Vacuum Generator Comes Through for Moving Metal Plates

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

I worked through an application the other day with a customer who had some metal plates with dimensions of 2 meters by 1 meter. The plates weighed about 25 lbs. each. The customer wanted to move these from a stack onto a roller table in order to position for water jet cutting. There is no easy way to grab these plates so the customer wanted to use vacuum technology to move them.

After taking into consideration the size and weight of the plate, I recommended (6) 2″ vacuum cups and (3) Model 80005M E-vac vacuum generators, (2) cups per vacuum generator.  The cups were arranged in two rows of 3 onto a suitable lifting frame. Having 6 vacuum cups was necessary due to the length of the product in order to provide stability during the lifting action.

The system works quite well and provides safe movement of the sheets which the customer used to move by hand.

This is an example of a typical vacuum cup application. If you have other applications that require vacuum, but maybe are not lifting or product placement applications, give us a call. We would be glad to discuss and see if we have something here that can help.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

Mixed Material Chips and Shavings Cleanup

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I got a call last week from a guy who works for a signage and awning manufacturer.  They use many materials, including aluminum and plastic, to make their signs.  He was looking for a quick easy way to collect loose chips and shavings from the different machining operations around the plant.  Mixing of the materials was not a problem. 

I quickly recommended a Model 6293 Deluxe Chip Vac System.  It will easily mount to any standard open top drum and connect to a central compressed air supply line.  It comes with a drum dolly to allow for portability around the shop, as well as all sorts of cleanup tools to allow the user to access both large and small areas of the machines.  This unit will allow them to use one tool for all their dry material cleanup needs and collect everything into one central receptacle for quick and easy disposal.

Emily Mortimer
Application Engineer
emilymortimer@exair.com

Air Amplifiers Cool Mig Welded Parts

Published on by Kirk EdwardsLeave a comment

An automotive manufacturer who is making air coolers has a mig welding operation. The air coolers are placed on a rotary indexing table as the welds are made. The time from load to unload is about 20 minutes. The parts then go to a leak testing operation, but they are remaining too hot to go directly to the leak test immediately after welding.

Our customer saw an opportunity to speed production if they could find a way to cool the parts while on the indexing table. The EXAIR Model 120022 2″ Super Air Amplifier provided a compact, quiet and efficient solution for blowing large volume of air across the welded air coolers.

Our customer mounted a total of 4 Super Air Amplifiers, at the last four stations of the indexing table to provide constant air flow over the part to remove the heat buildup. The result is parts which are cool enough to bring immediately to the leak testing operation and increased production.

EXAIR’s Super Air Amplifiers are use for cooling, venting, and blow off across industry. They are available in 5 sizes and provide large volumes of air; 12-25 times the inlet air. The result is an efficient, hard working flow of air.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com