Month: June 2010

Just Give Me the Bottom Line!

Published on by Bryan Peters1 Comment

After “featuring” my daughter in a previous blog about Earth Day, my family has been asking me when I was going to do an entry including our other child.

Son, unfortunately for you, I needed a topic this week and your number came up…

Connor turned 17 a couple of days ago.  He’s an awkward kid.  At this point, he’s nearly 6’4” tall and wears size 15 shoes that seemingly can only be found on the internet or the nearest clown costume store.  He’s an honor student who learned to read at age 2.  He loves sports, funny movies and heavy metal music.  He’s violently allergic to talking with members of the opposite sex, unless texting counts as talking (cue Lou from Hot Tub Time Machine).  He’s a chronically slow eater, but his teenage appetite most closely resembles the 10,000+ calorie per day training diet of Michael Phelps.  My wife generally refers to him as being “pokey”, but I’m pretty sure she still holds a grudge over 23+ hours of labor.

Connor will be a senior in high school this year.  We’re doing the Great College Quest all summer, it seems.  After playing three sports for most of his youth, he decided to focus on football this year and has trained six days a week since January.  While laughing almost to the point of debilitation at Tony Horton when he first tried P90X, he finally set that aside and now will actually do extra reps of the “Mason Twist” voluntarily.  There comes a time in every father-son relationship where the balance of power shifts in the “who can take whom?” debate.  In our particular relationship, we are nearing that tipping point.

My son is generally impatient.  Details are boring to him.  He really doesn’t care about story behind most things, unless you count a player’s career stats as “back story” material.  Connor doesn’t care about the different color options for an iPod, he just wants the one with the most storage capacity.  Stat!

He really just wants to get to the bottom line, the end result, the payoff.  Just give him what he needs, when he needs it.  Don’t make things complicated.  While some customers want to know every single detail before making a decision, others want the quickest, simplest possible path to the right solution.

In other words, an “express lane”.

EXAIR has an express lane.  We make it very simple for those kinds of customers.  We make VOLUMES of technical information available in our catalog and on our website for those that want all the details.  If that doesn’t suit your personality, or if you are short on time, simply contact one of our Application Engineers by phone, e-mail, live chat or Twitter.  Our engineers have unmatched experience, and they can evaluate your application and get you on your way to a solution as quickly as possible.

Due to his mannerisms more than his appearance, one of my son’s football coaches nicknamed him “Napoleon Dynamite”.  In honor of that, here are the top ten moments from the movie.

Bryan Peters
President
bryanpeters@exair.com

Addressing Real Customer Concerns About Using Cabinet Cooler Systems

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

Following is a recent e-mail  transcript between myself and a potential client and his concerns about using a Cabinet Cooler System.

Dear Sir,
I have gone through your web. We need a Cabinet Cooler System for our CNC panel. I have lots of question in my mind regarding cabinet cooler.

1) What is force of air inside the cabinet?
Depending on how tight the cabinet is, pressure can build up to about 2 PSIG maximum.

2) How can we control condensation?
The source of condensation would be from the air outside the cabinet, not from the Cabinet Cooler System itself as is often mistaken. As long as you have the cabinet cooler installed properly and have closed off all vents / fans from pulling outside air into the panel, you will have no difficulty with condensation.
It is also worth mentioning that we are not trying to create a refrigerator-like atmosphere inside customers’ electrical panels. Generally, we maintain a target temperature of 95°F (35°C) inside the enclosure, so there is not any real opportunity for condensation to form as a result. In fact, the original volume of air within the enclosure is purged out of the box about 3 times or more during the first few minutes of operation.

3) Humidity affects the electronic circuits – How do we prevent it?
As mentioned in #2 above, when you install the Cabinet Cooler System properly and close off all vents, the enclosure is then purged with clean, dry air. Humidity level within the cabinet will drop to a range of about 45% which is considered dry enough for cabinet cooling purposes. And so, the conditions within the cabinet are such that no condensation would ever have chance to form inside the enclosure.

4) Where does the exhaust air go?
Exhaust air flows out of the cabinet through the Cabinet Cooler. It has its own vent incorporated into the mounting base. Cold air is delivered through center opening, cabinet air exhaust vents out through a perimeter vent on the base of the cabinet cooler.

5) What is the air consumption?
The air consumption will depend on how much heat load you have in the application but the general range is anywhere from 8 to 80 SCFM @ 100 PSIG to produce cooling powers from 550 Btu/hr up to 5600 Btu/hr. And note, this is only when the thermostat calls for cooling due to the heat load within. So, the Cabinet Cooler System will only use the energy necessary to keep the enclosure at desired set point and no more.

6) Air solution is 3 times more expensive than electricity. How we can save energy?
Utilizing thermostat control is the best way to limit energy use to that only required to maintain desired set point inside the cabinet. We normally work to a 95°F (35°C) set point. This might seem a bit high to the novice user but electronics can live comfortably at this temperature. Remember, we are cooling electronics and not human beings.

When a customer is looking at an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System, they are taking into account a lot more than just the cost of energy in their purchase. It is no secret that Freon based air conditioning units are fairly efficient at cooling. The problem with them is that they are a huge maintenance issue for those companies who have them. With the factory environment being much dirtier and hotter than a typical laboratory or office, Freon coolers do not stand up  to the excessive heat, dirt, moisture, and other contaminations that reduce their efficiency and reduce their effectiveness to a critical point where they fail. (A point that no Freon air conditioner cooler manufacturer is going to admit to).

So, I ask you, what happens when you experience a component failure in a cabinet with a Freon based air conditioner that has failed and you don’t know about it until it is too late? Not only are you out the cost of the repair for both the air conditioner and the failed component(s) inside the cabinet, but also the lost production. So, you are paying more money for repairs, lost production, saving face with your client due to lost production, etc. etc.

What we are selling with our Cabinet Cooler is hassle-free, and virtually maintenance-free operation. When fed with clean, dry, oil-free air, EXAIR Cabinet Coolers operate indefinitely with little input from your maintenance crew. Another benefit of the vortex cooler operation is that the panel is pressurized a bit so as to keep out any dirt, dust or other harmful debris from getting into the cabinet. Many customers involved with materials in their production that tend to be powdery in nature find this feature quite useful. Freon air conditioners placed in the same scenario simply end up with clogged filters and burn up due to low airflow. Click here to check out a quick comparison.

7) Air creates the noise. Will your coolers increase the noise pollution?
Compressed air does create noise when used. This is a fact of life. EXAIR does take every step possible to keep the sound level of our Cabinet Cooler Systems at a reasonably low level. We market the use of our Cabinet Cooler Systems for industrial or factory type applications. Use in a lab or in an office setting is possible, but is not the normal use. When placed on the shop floor or near a large oven, boiler, stamping machine, or mill you would not even know when the unit was operating and not. If you want to know the actual dB rating for each Cabinet Cooler System, you can follow this link.

8) My air compressor has 650 CFM capacity. Your product will consume air from a main air line. Continuous air leakage can’t build the pressure in the reservoir and it’s a costly solution for us.
You write as if you expect our Cabinet Cooler System to take the full capacity of your compressor. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our Cabinet Cooler Systems are designed to turn on and off as needed to accommodate the heat generated within the application. In other words, it is not a constant leak as you have described. And to describe the flow through our Cabinet Cooler System as a leak really gives false indication that it isn’t doing anything. The Cabinet Cooler System IS doing something. It cools the electronics in your cabinet to keep the cabinet up and running so your process does not break down. If you want a high degree of reliability in this sense, great! Consider using a Cabinet Cooler System. Do away with the constant headaches of dealing with repairs to Freon coolers and the electronics inside the boxes they are supposed to be cooling. If you are hyper concerned about only energy use to the neglect of the other costs associated with running Freon based coolers, this is a common mind-set that we encounter in our discussions with customers. You are going to spend money to run production. It is your choice how much of that goes into energy use and how much is dedicated to fixing things that break down. Which would you rather do?

It is my job to point out to you that energy use is NOT the only cost that goes into the decision of what to buy when it comes to cooling equipment for this purpose. I hope I have pointed out a few reasonable issues for you to consider.

9) Main compressor is running continuously to generate the adequate air pressure.
If your compressors are “at capacity”, you should consider a program to have a more efficient operating system. Up to 30% of the average compressor’s capacity is lost through leaks in the piping system alone (in your system that would be up to 195 SCFM!). If you could save almost 1/3 of your compressed air by simply fixing leaks, would you do it? We have products that can help you get a handle on locating and fixing your leaks and also to monitor your air use for any given pipe line in your facility from ½ inch up to 6 inch pipe. Take a look at our Optimization Products

If you have applications where air is being used for things like blowing and cooling, chances are, we have other products that can help you to reduce that air usage too (Air Knives, Air Nozzles, Air Amplifiers). If you have things like open copper tubes, steel pipes and pipes with drilled holes performing blowing within your applications, we have products that can cut down on air use, lower sound levels, and bring you into compliance with OSHA dead end pressure requirements. It’s a matter of management taking the time to implement an air savings program to endeavor to save air (energy) use.  There are other things that can be done on the compressed air production side of things in your plant as well to increase efficiency. Following is a link to an on-line magazine that perhaps you should review to get better ideas of what I’m talking about. http://www.airbestpractices.com/

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

It Isn’t Just Smoke and Mirrors!

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

You can’t beat a great magic act! Several years ago, I went to one of those big stage “illusion” productions. I purposely sat up close to the stage. I wanted to spot any hidden trap doors or thin cable systems used by the magician to make people disappear or mysteriously float into thin air. I have to admit that I had a hard time trying to pick that magician’s act apart. I spent so much time looking at everything else that I didn’t pay much attention to an empty cage no more than 20 feet away from where I was sitting. It was empty and I figured that the magician was going to use it at some point. Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a flash of pyrotechnics and a tiger appeared in the cage. The show went on after that, but ten minutes later I was still asking myself, “How did he do that?”

We get a similar reaction when people see the EXAIR Cold Gun for the first time. Turn on the compressed air, and there’s instant cold air! It’s fun to watch the facial expressions. You get it all – the “puzzled” look, a grin, the shaking head, and occasionally that “deer in the headlights” reaction. There’s no refrigeration unit, no power cords – just a compressed air hose and freezing cold air out the other end. It’s fun to tell them that “it’s just magic!”

Ours is not to postulate how a vortex tube works. It is more important to let people know that cold air can be the solution to the age old problem of heat build-up. Any of you who have used machines or power tools know that dry machining can burn the surface of the tools and materials, shorten tool life, gum up grinding wheels and worse yet, often ruin the part. Instead of burning through tools and parts, or making a big mess trying to use mist coolant, consider a Cold Gun.

Seeing is believing! It’s not as much fun as feeling the ice cold air but, hopefully, this new video can give you a good idea of what the Cold Gun can do.

I can tell you right off that a Cold Gun isn’t a substitute for flood coolant. It can, however, be just as effective as mist coolants where you don’t have the hassle of dealing with the liquid mess, the purchase and disposal of the coolant, and worker related issues of slipping on wet floors or breathing the airborne coolant. Here are some of the success stories to give you an idea what all it can do:

  • A manufacturer of locknuts replaced their troublesome mist systems with (4) Model 5215 Cold Gun Systems so there was no longer the danger of breathing airborne coolants.
  • A machine shop was drilling a thin walled screw machine part with a 1.1mm (0.0433”) jobber’s drill that was breaking after 12 holes. They installed the Model 5215 Cold Gun and can now drill hundreds of holes before it has to be replaced.
  • A manufacturer of aircraft engines uses a belt grinder to remove excess, hard cobalt from reconditioned turbine blades. The grind created burning of the part and loaded up the zirconium grinding belt after 2 blades. They installed a Model 5315 Cold Gun System which eliminated the burning and increased the belt life to 7 blades.
  • A manufacturer of board games uses the Model 5215 to cool the ultrasonic welding horn so they can make more game pieces per minute.
  • A healthcare company uses the Model 5215 Cold Gun to quickly set a hot melt adhesive used on surgical pads.
  • A tool company that makes routers for the woodworking industry installs the Model 5315 Cold Gun on their machines so router bits that used to last 4-5 hours can now last 10-12 hours.

I think you get the idea that applications are limited only to the imagination. The Cold Gun works great and there’s no smoke and mirrors here!

Gary Gunkel
ggunkel@exair.com

Genuine Fake Rolex

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My sister bought a “Genuine Fake Rolex“. My first question to her was how can something be fake and genuine! Although it had the general appearance of the real thing it woefully lacked the quality and value of the real thing. I asked her if she needed service where would she take it since she bought it from a sidewalk vendor who has long since disappeared? She had no answer.

 We are in a global economy and with the internet anyone can set up a virtual company, copy your product, and sell them at a lower price. But…you’ll get what you pay for. EXAIR is the leader in compressed air nozzle technology. Any machine shop can reverse engineer them and sell them under their own brand. Making the stuff is one thing but providing the logistics to support the product and the customer is where we part ways.

To ensure that you are getting the “Genuine “ product, ask these questions:

What is the company’s core business.

Years ago I worked for a company that purchased a product line. While we were in the air tool business, we not in the hot melt glue dispenser business. You would think machining is machining, but that is not the way it worked out. There was so much confusion that it became a “Red Headed Step Child”. They were not able to provide informed support to the customer nor their distribution channels and eventually the product line was dropped.

EXAIR’s only business is compressed air products. All of our people from the president to the mail clerk have a compressed air mind-set. This enables us to perform our individual functions in a way that best serves the customer.

How long has the company been in business and is it a part of a conglomerate

We have all witnessed the ravages of  Wall street profiteers and the ill effects that they have had on once viable companies. We have seen corporate raiders siphon off liquid assets leaving behind an anorexic business incapable of growth and competitiveness.

Not all buyouts are as sinister but to a lesser degree the effects are the same. When a company is owned by a conglomerate all profits go to the mothership.  To reinvest some of those profits back into the company, it has to go through the R.O.I. process. If the parent company can invest those funds more profitably elsewhere, you lose.

Another company that I once worked for was owned by the empire of  Warren Buffet. We were one of many that he owned but the mantra for all of us was the same. When his henchmen would come in for a plant visit, they reminded us that our job was to make money for the boss (Warren Buffet). Sadly that directed the focus of our top management to an accounting game rather than the core values of the company.

EXAIR is privately owned by an owner that knows what makes a business viable and is willing to invest in it to better serve the industry. He is a “bean counter’s” nightmare because he does what is right for the business.

Is the company easy to do business with both before and after the sale?

  • Customer service should be a prerequisite before doing business with any company. Anybody can hang out their shingle but can they support you and their product?
  • Do they have associates knowledgeable on the product that can help you make an informed decision?
  • Do they have a call line should you need help after the purchase or do get a recording and list of numbers to push for this or for that?

EXAIR has been in business assisting customers with their application and saving compressed air for 27 years. When you call you speak to a real person. We have a team of applications engineers that will provide you technical support via phone, Fax, email or online chat.

EXAIR has such confidence in its products that it provides a 30 day evaluation on whatever you order out. If you are not completely satisfied for any reason you can return the product for a full refund. Then it backs it up with a 5 year built to last warranty.

I would be happy to assist you in your next compressed air application.

Joe Panfalone
Application Engineer
joepanfalone@exair.com