Month: May 2012

Money For Something…Good

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

My blog a few weeks ago was all about saving, and finding, money. I hadn’t exactly thought about where it was going to go…then I went to a meeting on Sunday afternoon, for Scouts who plan to attend the 2013 National Scout Jamboree. This is an event put on by the Boy Scouts of America every four years, and it isn’t your typical Scout Camp.

The National Jamboree dates back to 1937, and is historically attended by tens of thousands of Scouts, and visited by hundreds of thousands of guests, often including the President of the United States. It’s been held for over 30 years now at Fort A.P. Hill, an Army base in Virginia, but is moving next year to the brand-new Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve, in West Virginia, which is the BSA’s newest High Adventure Base. Scouts will participate in a range of activities, such as rock climbing, zip lines, mountain biking, shooting sports, even SCUBA diving.

As you might imagine, this isn’t cheap, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for my oldest son, who is just old enough to attend. Now, I’m totally sold on the Boy Scout program, so for me, I can’t think of a better “re-purposing” of funds that used to be spent on cable TV.

This was a great, and timely, reminder for me – not only of why it’s important to save money, but how important it is to evaluate what you’re spending money on, and what you get for it. In this case, I’m trading instant mindless entertainment and a promotion of a sedentary lifestyle for an opportunity to instill lofty values and a sense of adventure in a young man who is otherwise inundated by a culture of video games and computer screens. I expect the return on this investment to be priceless.  I’m already thinking about 2017, when his younger brother will be old enough to go.

At EXAIR, we’re focused on providing solutions, and helping you optimize your compressed air use. Consider this Blowoff Comparison, putting our Super Air Knife side-by-side with several other typical blow-off methods.

Where else can your company spend that extra money? I hope you make it count.

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

What is a good Line Vac Application?

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

Many times, we receive inquiries for Line Vac from customers who want to move 400 tons of some bulk material over 100 meters horizontal and 35 meters vertical into a silo (or some similar scenario). We have to let those customers know that our product does not have the capability to work at this capacity.  Such a conveying requirement would require the construction of a custom system with special feed hopper, piping, and blower assembly and sometimes even a cyclone separator at the end.

The Line Vac product is not made for such applications that require a great deal of customization. You may ask, “Well then, what is a good application for a Line Vac?”  I have just the example for you below.

Dear Sir/Madam,

 I am a mechanical design engineer working for a company that manufactures steel pipe systems. Part of the coating process involves externally blasting the pipes with steel shot. During that process a small amount of steel shot falls between the pipes, just outside the blasting cabinet. Presently, the shot is manually collected and recycled. See a photo of the area I am talking about below.

I am looking at installing a small hopper with one EXAIR Heavy Duty Line Vac conveyor at the bottom of the hopper. Another option is to use a Line Vac conveyor as a “vacuum cleaner”. Line Vac conveyor would convey the steel shot inside the blasting cabinet, through a 2-3m long rubber hose.

My estimate is that about half a bucket steel shot need to be recycled every 10 minutes.

1. Could you please suggest whether Heavy Duty Line Vac conveyor is the right choice for the application?

2. Could you recommend the proper size for my application?

Please contact me if you need additional information.

Regards,
Mr. Customer

When I replied to the customer, I did so with a confident, “Yes, our Heavy Duty Line Vac would be the best option for your application”. I went on to explain that the rate and volume of material that he wanted to convey as well as the distance were all well within the parameters of the Heavy Duty Line Vac capability. Beyond the conveying ability, the Heavy Duty Line Vac also has the added feature that it is made from a hardened tool steel alloy that will resist wear for a long time to come. Not a bad feature since the material being conveyed is made specifically to wear away at metals, oxidation and other debris on their pipe.

Since the customer had only 2 – 3 meters through which the material needed to travel and only about a half a bucket every 10 minutes, I recommended model 150125 (1-1/4” Heavy Duty Line Vac) for his application. He began using as an in-line vacuum cleaner, but then implemented a tapered bottom hopper and has been satisfied ever since.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

200,000 “replacement workers” Needed for Ohio Manufacturing Jobs

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According to a 2010 Ohio Manufacturing Association report, manufacturing was the top private sector employer, comprising 14.11 percent of Ohio jobs in 2008, higher than health care and retail trade, second only to government. As older workers retire it is estimated 200,000 replacements will be needed.[1]

Further complicating matters is advancing technology, which requires new workers to have greater skills and problem-solving abilities. Today’s advanced manufacturing is not your father’s job. No longer is it a repetitive, mundane, minimal involvement job. Todays machinist are pretty much in control and responsible for his/her operation. Somewhat like a mini company within a company.

According to the bureau of labor statistics the annual mean wage for industries with the highest published employment, machinist wages are $40,000 which is comparable to computer operators, massage therapists, and social workers.[2]  The money is there, the jobs are going unfulfilled, and the future of these jobs is long-term. So why aren’t more folks gravitating to this industry…the negative stereotype of years past. Eric Burkland, president of the Ohio Manufacturing Association said  “We in manufacturing need to do a better job of communicating the opportunities that are available in manufacturing and we need our public partners to assist in that”[3]

Isothermal Community College (Spindale, North Carolina) is combating the metalworking industry’s skilled labor shortage by altering young people’s misperceptions about manufacturing and improve the industry’s view of community colleges. They have made a substantial investment in modern machine tools. Most community colleges are teaching with machines that have been donated to them. These are basically antiques which advanced machining techniques cannot be taught. Mike Saunders made the statement “To upgrade our workforce and get more people interested in manufacturing, it is going to take a financial commitment on the part of the colleges, support by the manufacturing community, and getting the word out to our high school students that manufacturing is a great career.

Ohio is not the only state with a skilled labor shortage. Throughout the United States there is an estimated 500,000 manufacturing jobs unfulfilled because of the lack of skilled labor. Despite the nay sayers, manufacturing is not dead in the U.S., it is a problem of staffing.

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

[1]Dayton Daily News Sunday, August 21, 2011

[2]Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates United States

[3]Dayton Daily News Sunday, August 21, 2011

What Makes Compressed Air Vacuums Better

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

I was recently given an article that was titled, “Shop Vac Flaws Grind Use to a Halt”.  This article was written by a gentleman whose original electric vacuum had declined in performance which led to acquiring a new model electric vacuum. The conclusion he draws in the end is, an old worn out decreased performance electric vacuum is better than a new electric vacuum. EXAIR knows the only comparison you can make with electric vacuums is to compare one to another – when comparing an electric vacuum to a pneumatic powered vacuum, there is no comparison. A pneumatic vacuum with no moving parts to wear out, break or decline in performance is a better vacuum.

In the end the author goes back to using his old vacuum because it didn’t require as much maintenance as his new unit.  This is where the beauty of a compressed air powered vacuum comes into play.  If he would have originally purchased a unit such as our Chip Vac or our Heavy Duty Dry Vac, which are both available in 5, 30, 55, and 110 gallon sizes, he wouldn’t have experienced any of these problems.  Our units have no internal moving parts, no bearings to grease or wear out, no motors to oil or clean. The author’s electric vacuum was missing a screw, EXAIR’s level of quality inspection eliminates the possibility for a product to arrive without a fastener.

Our units will not lose suction over time because the impeller is weak,  this is because there is no impeller to even worry about.  The only maintenance item you will encounter on our unit is the 0.1 micron filter bag which is washable and reusable.  This means you could have one vacuum that will last decades and will not need to be repaired every year.

The EXAIR Chip Vac has the equivalent suction force of around a 5 HP electric vacuum while the Heavy Duty Dry Vac will be equivalent to around a 7 HP vacuum.   No matter which unit you would choose to try they are both backed by EXAIR’s 30 day guarantee, along with our 5 year built to last warranty.  I don’t know of any electric vacuum cleaner made for shop use with a warranty or guarantee that can come close to that.  So why buy something that was designed by monkeys, choose something that was designed and made by experts in their field who stand behind what they make.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF