Month: June 2014

Adjustable Spot Cooler Used to Cool Sterilization Chamber

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

ASC Application

Adjustable Spot Coolers actually have a wide range of uses other than for machining applications. What makes them so nice is they have a convenient 3/8 pipe connection at the cold outlet and the air temperature as well as air volume of the outlet flow is adjustable over a wide range.

In this latest application, a customer had a sterilization chamber they wanted to cool down rapidly to reduce the overall waiting time for the process. In this case, the customer wanted to get the sterilization temperature up to 122°C for their specified duration of time, but then they wanted to cool the chamber to 80°C in under 15 minutes.

So, we recommended model 3725 Adjustable Spot Cooler only. The customer made their first test with the unit operating at 80 PSIG and were able to cool the chamber down to 80°C in less than 10 minutes. Previously, they had to wait over an hour for the heat to dissipate down to the desired temperature. Certainly, this represented a huge time savings for the customer.

Perhaps you have a similar situation. Consider the Adjustable Spot Cooler for your ready-made, small chamber cooler.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

EXAIR Nozzles Used In Cold Roll Mill

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

I spoke with an end user recently about a performance concern with the EXAIR product in their application.  During the phone call I requested a drawing of their system to better understand the application.  They obliged and sent a PDF version of their CAD file, showing their cold roll mill, full of annotations and component number call-outs, multiple views, and even sub assembly descriptions.

Having so many details was great!  And yet I found myself playing a game of Where’s Waldo, only instead of looking for the guy in stripes I was trying to find an EXAIR 1122 2″ Flat Super Air Nozzle in the machine’s schematic.

I scanned the drawing a few times before deciding to zoom in for a better look.  And, lucky for me there was an annotation for “EXAIR 1122 2″ Flat Super Air Nozzle, Qty 13”.  It’s always great to see EXAIR spec’d into a design.

After confirming the installation orientation, I had no concern about how the nozzles were installed (as far as angle of attack and use of the spray pattern), but I wanted to get a peek at the nozzles in use.  This wasn’t possible, but the manifold which houses the nozzles was off of the machine and before long I had the pic below.

Cold Roll Mill Manifold for 1122s

Immediately upon receipt, I could see a potential performance killer – the quick disconnect at the compressed air inlet.  I’ve blogged before about the importance of proper plumbing.  Providing adequate flow of compressed air is just as important as providing adequate pressure.

I advised the end user to step up to a manifold free of quick disconnects, and with compressed air inlets on each end.  They agreed to make the necessary changes before installing back into the machine and I have confidence each nozzle will meet the performance specs we publish in our catalog.

It isn’t often that an EXAIR device doesn’t perform as it should.  Plumbing problems, pressure drops, and contaminated air sources are the most common causes of performance disruption.  If you have an application for an EXAIR product our Application Engineers will provide you with their compressed air application knowledge and experience, give us a call.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Getting Better All The Time

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you’ll know that the week following the third Sunday in June is when I write about my annual Father’s Day Weekend Camp out…this week is no exception. My best friend and I treated our wives to a guy-free weekend at home while we and our sons:

*Watched the full moon rise from a hilltop near Malabar Farm on Friday night.
*Kayaked the Clear Fork River.
*Fished a couple of ponds at the farm (to no avail.)
*Gigged for frogs at a couple of other ponds (results below.)
*Had frog legs & scrambled eggs for breakfast.
*Hiked and climbed to the top of Big Lyons Falls at Mohican State Park.

With the exception of watching the full moon rise (and maybe the unsuccessful fishing expedition), NONE of this would ever have happened when we started this tradition nine years ago with two six-year olds and a four-year old. It’s hard to believe that, now that our whole party pretty much passes the height/weight requirements, we’re looking for a campground with zip lining nearby for our 10th annual camp out next year. It looks like my fear of heights is going to be confronted by my fear of being ridiculed by my teenage sons. I’ll be sure to keep you posted on which one wins out.

As time passes, we all have to “step up our game”…I’ve heard it said that if you’re not constantly improving on what you do, you’re actually getting worse, because it’s a given that others ARE improving on what they do, and it’s going to leave you in the dust, even if you are just as good as you were yesterday.

cc optionsEXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are a prime example…over the years, we’ve gone from two sizes (1,700 and 2,000 BTU/hr) to nine (from 550 to 5,600 BTU/hr). To the original NEMA 12 (oil tight/dust tight, indoor duty) rated systems, we’ve added NEMA 4 (splash resistant, indoor/outdoor) and NEMA 4X (corrosion resistant, indoor/outdoor), so our Cabinet Cooler Systems are suitable for installation just about anywhere your enclosures might be.

High Temperature options are available for installation in areas with ambient temperatures up to 200°F (93°C). Non-Hazardous Purge systems maintain a slight positive air pressure to prevent internal contamination of enclosures located in particularly dirty surroundings. 316SS construction systems are available when the higher alloy is specified for food service, pharmaceutical, or particularly harsh/corrosive environments.

Oh, and all of these multiple-award-winning products are in stock and ready to ship today.  If you’d like to see if an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System is the solution to your electric/electronic enclosure heat problems, give us a call.  We’ll even throw in a free AC Sensor if you order before the end of July.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
www.exair.com
twitter.com/exair_rb
facebook.com/exair

 

Straight To The Source

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

201010-w-pies-aroma

This week I took a call from a bakery who was using an air knife to remove the left over crust in their silicone lined stainless steel baking pans. They purchased the air knife through a reseller who made the recommendation. They noticed there wasn’t much of an increase in velocity and little force coming from the exhaust side of the air knife so after several attempts at re-mounting the knife and adjusting the input air pressure, they still weren’t able to remove the remaining crust, so they returned the unit.

They called EXAIR looking for a recommendation and provided the part # for the air knife they had recently returned. It turns out that the air knife they returned was actually a 12” EXAIR Super Ion Air Knife. The Super Ion Air Knife provides a laminar sheet of ionized airflow, with a 40:1 amplification rate,  to remove a static charge from a process. I asked if the customer was needing to remove a static charge and their answer was simply, “No, we weren’t even using the ionizing feature”.

The customer mentioned the crust falls right out if a pan is turned over, the need for static elimination was most likely unnecessary. I recommended the same solution as the reseller, but without the static elimination qualities, the EXAIR Super Air Knife  can get the job done. After troubleshooting the lack of performance they experienced, I determined they were using quick disconnects and tubing, which per my previous blog titled “(Im)Proper Infeed Pipe Size For The Super Air Knife”, was incorrect.

SAK

The customer is going to re-pipe their supply line so I recommended re-ordering our 12” Super Air Knife. Since they already have an account with the supplier, they wanted to order through them. Of course this was perfectly fine but I reminded them we also sell factory direct and we make placing your order easy.

Regardless if you order your EXAIR product direct or from another source, we are always here to help troubleshoot your application to ensure you are achieving optimal performance.

If you have a current process or a new application that requires assistance, please do not hesitate to contact an Application Engineer.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
JustinNicholl@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_JN