Month: January 2012

Resolutions

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

For the past few weeks, the locker room at the gym has been pretty full. No matter; it’ll thin out soon…this happens every year, when people flock in droves to fitness centers, seeking to capitalize on that fresh commitment to make this the year that they realize their fitness goals. Some will stick with it, though, and I sincerely hope they find the payoff they’re looking for…mainly, because I’m one of them.

Just as the new year provides an opportunity for us to examine and evaluate our current personal situations – physical, financial, relational, just to name a few of the “usual suspects” – it’s also a popular time for organizations to take stock as well. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the President of the United States traditionally delivers the State of the Union address soon after the beginning of the year, nor do I find it curious that the lead article on www.sustainableplant.com yesterday was “Ten Areas to Examine on an Annual Energy Audit.”

I assume this won’t come as a surprise, but “Air System” made the list. This point is of particularly keen interest to us at EXAIR, since many of our products are used to specifically address the issue of compressed air optimization. This is normally the place where I’d go through the Six Steps to Optimization, but our Brian Farno did such a good job with this a few weeks ago, so I’ll go deeper “into the vault” with this gem of a video, and let Professor Penurious tackle the subject, as only he can. As an added bonus, I hope this also serves as a reminder for the sports fans and Seasonal Affective Disorder sufferers among us (I plead guilty on both counts) that the basketball Madness in March is just over six weeks away…

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
(513)671-3322 local
(800)923-9247 toll free
(513)671-3363 fax
Web: http://www.exair.com
Blog: http://blog.exair.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/exair_rb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

There’s no such thing as too large a compressed air line

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Whenever I am troubleshooting an application that is experiencing a pressure drop, the first thing I look for is the air line and fitting sizes. In one such application we reviewed the customer’s piping. The drop line size were within specs from the size and fitting charts but they were still experiencing a pressure drop at the application. The obvious conclusion would have been that they did not have enough compressed air to begin with. This did not bear out because their compressor was more than adequate.

Come to find out, the size of pipe they were using for the main header was too small to carry the volume of air the compressor could produce and needed throughout the shop. Their thinking was that the smaller pipe would reduce air consumption. In the end it does not work out that way. With the smaller pipe there is more resistance to flow which has to be overcome by increasing pressure at the compressor which is what they eventually did. Problem is, high pressure air is more expensive to produce and deliver than low pressure air. For a system operating at around 100 PSIG, a rule of thumb is that every 2 PSIG increase in operating pressure requires an additional 1% in operating energy costs.

The moral of the story is there’s no such thing as too large a compressed air line. To control consumption, focus should be centered on the point of use by using engineered nozzles designed to more efficiently use compressed air.

If you would like assistance with your application, give us a call at 1-800-903-9247

Joe Panfalone

Application Engineer

Phone (513) 671-3322

Fax (513) 671-3363

Web: www.exair.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/exair_jp

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

Winter time blues

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

So after waking up to a nice 16° F temperature outside this morning I am ready for Spring.  Ok, I have to admit, we haven’t even got an accumulation of snow yet.  That doesn’t matter to me, I am ready for some track time on the ole SV.  Everyday I have to look at it sitting in the corner of the garage all surrounded with other warm weather items and then go out into the cold to get into my car.  It absolutely eats at me every single day.  Video below is of what I can’t wait to get back to.

[youtube:http://youtu.be/aTcV8M_dqtc?hd=1%5D

Fortunately, here in Cincinnati we normally start warming up around April.  That means first track day of the season, unless it suddenly decides to start dumping snow in April now.  If it does then I guess all the propaganda is true and global warming is real.

What brought this on is he handful of calls I have received this week about sizing the appropriate Cabinet Cooler System for electronic enclosures.  This isn’t a seasonal product for us like book bags or Easter baskets are for retail stores.  We sell these year round to customers across the globe.   It doesn’t have to be Summer to be getting a heat failure in a cabinet.  The application yesterday was for a new cabinet that was located outside of a heat treating furnace and was already overheating just do to the ambient temperature being around 150°F.  This is exactly why we developed our High Temperature Cabinet Cooler Systems.

They can withstand ambient environments up to 200° F and will still be able to maintain a safe working temperature for your electronics inside the enclosure.  So if you are still operating with the panel doors open on your machine because it’s hot inside and snowing outside the plant, give us a call, email, tweet, fax, or even request a live chat on our site.  With a little bit of information we’ll calculate how much cooling you need and tell you just how we are going to keep that panel cool.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

PLAST 2012

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

At EXAIR we pride ourselves in being a manufacturer.  In addition to the manufacturing process, obstacles and rewards, we also have a dedicated marketing staff.  Our marketing department has spent many late nights at the office to design and develop catalog information, product specific literature, and the excellent artwork we refer to on a daily basis.

Many of our followers are aware of our market presence overseas, and part of that market presence comes from our participation in trade shows.  These wonderful marketing materials and our meticulously engineered products will be displayed this May 8-12, front and center, at the PLAST exhibition in Milan, Italy.

The trade show in Milan will be my first international venture for EXAIR and I’m excited to make the trip with my colleague and superior, Ivan Banks.

If you have any interest in contacting EXAIR at the PLAST 2012 exhibition, we will be at stand B 61 on pavilion 24.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
leeevans@exair.com
@EXAIR_LE