Month: August 2012

ETC Electronic Temperature Control is Just What the Customer Ordered

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

One of our long standing OEM clients serves the power utility, pulp & paper, industrial, petrochemical and commercial nuclear industries in the area of providing diagnostics, sensors and imaging for system control and optimization. In other words, they have their equipment operating in some of the hottest industries around.

In one case our customer had an application for which they needed to use one of our Cabinet Cooler Systems with thermostat control. However, the application dictated that the thermostat control have a visual feedback mechanism included so the operator could verify with a quick look as to the temperature status of this very important panel.

EXAIR does have two different levels of thermostat control. Our standard version which consists of a bi-metal thermostat and a solenoid valve which simply monitors temperature and turns the system on when needed, but there is not any feedback possible.

We also have a second version of our thermostat control we refer to as ETC or Electronic Temperature Control.  The advantage of the ETC in this case was that it provides a digital read out of the actual internal cabinet temperature. The unit can also be adjusted to maintain a set point between 80° – 120°F (27° – 49°C) through push button controls. The unit can also be changed to output the reading in either Fahrenheit or Celsius.  The enclosure is rated for all applications up to NEMA 4X requirement.

Considering all the above features, the ETC not only provided the customer with their desired feedback, but did so in a clean, ready to use package.

Neal Raker, Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

Where Does Oil Come From?

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In spite of some popular misconceptions, oil doesn’t come from dead dinosaurs. In fact, most scientists agree that oil comes from creatures the size of a pinhead. These one-celled creatures are called diatoms.  Follow this link to The Paleontological Research Institution for an interesting treatise on the subject.
With the recent push for alternative energy, the basic fact is that we will never be free of our dependency on oil. As far back to ancient times, before crude was discovered, oil was used. It just came from different sources like olive oil and in later times whale oil. Crude oil has more uses than powering our automobiles. Is is the essential component for many of our pharmaceuticals, plastics, and fertilizers.
Sustainability is not really that complicated if we just follow the laws of nature. Emulating the process that the diatoms create crude oil, agricultural waste (biomass) can be converted to fuel. Agriculture residues result from crop harvesting and processing. They include rice husk, bagasse, sugar cane tops and leaves, groundnut shells, cotton stalks and mustard stalks. Forest residues result from logging and wood processing. They include small trees, branches, tops and un-merchantable wood left in the forest.

A new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance, states bio fuels have the potential to replace over 50 percent of the global demand for gasoline by 2030.  Furthermore, only 17.5 percent of the agricultural residue would be needed to overcome the global economy’s dependency on crude oil, the report believes.

EXAIR’s core competency is energy conservation in the form of conserving the use of compressed air. Our products are engineered to more efficiently perform blow off, cooling, vacuum, and non-contact ejection with less compressed air than conventional systems.
Give one of our application engineers a call 1-800-903-9247 to see how you can save the planet and use less compressed air.
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

Stories from the past

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

When I was fresh out of college with very little idea of what I wanted in a career or a job, I landed a job in the machine tool industry.  This was for a small company that was a master distributor of CNC metal-cutting machines.  The job title I had was, Product Specialist.  This job encompassed everything from unloading the machine from the truck, inspecting the machine, adding options / customizing the machine if needed, testing, packaging, and shipping the machine.  I would then go to the customers site, install, test again, train the staff there and then provide on-site and over-the-phone technical support and warranty work.  As the business evolved, the requirements grew and more responsibilities were added.

One of the best parts of the job was trade shows.   It was always hectic, but to see something come together in a small amount of time and see the finished product always made you feel good.   The largest show I would travel to was IMTS, which just happens to be going on in another month.  This is the largest machine technology show in the states.  I would always be running a machine cutting some kind of trinket or sample part.  The main piece I was cutting my first year there was a light bulb out of aluminum.

As my knowledge of the machinery grew, I came to realize the part wasn’t that complicated but it still amazes me to this day.

A lot of our products here at EXAIR do the same thing to people who have never encountered them.  They are absolutely amazed by the Cold Gun’s ability to drop your compressed air temperature by 50° F while having no internal moving parts and only using compressed air.  Just today, I had a customer come in for a demonstration and couldn’t believe he had been struggling with a heat problem for so many years when we were right down the highway from him.

So if you have an application that is impeding your process, or if you have an interesting use for some of our products don’t hesitate to contact us.  Maybe even stop over at our Facebook page and drop us a note or some pictures.  You might be surprised at what you get in return.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Chess Moves

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

Recently I’ve picked up the hobby of playing chess again.  Feeling that my strategic fundamentals were beginning to waiver, I thought this would be a good place to start brushing up.  Along with the chess games, I’ve been reading up on the Strategy and Business postings, which are almost always a good read.

One of the things that has stood out to me is the need for proper strategy, and, moreover, the frequent lack thereof.  I don’t mean this in a demeaning way, but as more of an introspective process.  I found that in my first games of chess my strategy was based more on reaction than forward thinking.  After getting bound up in a few well planned takeovers, I started thinking one, two, or three moves out.  Keeping a contingency plan for my prized pieces (and my queen, however effective, is never ruled out as a sacrifice fly to bring in the win) I started seeing the “tangible” benefits of a good strategy.

For a lot of people and companies, especially in the manufacturing field, good strategy isn’t a choice, it’s a must!  As I think back to the number of end users who’ve said they tried other approaches but got bound up, and eventually made EXAIR a part of their strategic approach, I realize the position we’ve earned in our market.  We’re strategists.  And when our clientele needs to strategize, they call us.  That’s awesome.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
leeevans@exair.com
@EXAIR_LE