Month: September 2014

3 Common Mistakes in Your Compressed Air System

Published on by Dave WoernerLeave a comment

Every day I speak with engineers who are having trouble using compressed air products. A common problem they have is not providing an adequate air supply to their unit. I go through a basic troubleshooting technique to ensure that their pressure and flow rate is adequate. I ask them to install tee on the inlet to the compressed air product in order to install a pressure gauge right at the inlet to the pipe. This allows us to know exactly what pressure we are supplying to the product. Customers are always surprised how the gauge on the compressor or the regulator may read 120 PSIG, but the gage on the inlet to the compressed air product is significantly less.

Last year, my colleague, Russell Bowman, made an excellent video showing how the inlet pressure at the knife will have a significant impact on the performance of the Super Air Knife.  In the video, he changes the length and ID of the compressed air supply to illustrate the difference a proper supply line will have on the performance of a compressed air products.

Not providing adequate air supply is commonly caused by these three mistakes, when plumbing compressed air systems.

1. Incorrectly Sized Piping – This can be the single biggest problem. A lack of planning before installing a compressed air product. Not all compressed air systems are created equal. Though a 1/4″ shop air hose may work for a number our products, some of our products require a larger air line because they require more volume of air to be effective. We often speak with customers an illustrate this problem by stating small air lines are like trying to feed a fire hose with a garden hose – there simply is not enough volume to create the pressure necessary to reach the fire, or solve the application in our scenarios. We publish the flow rates for all of our products and make inlet pipe size recommendation in the installation and maintenance guide furnish with the products so you may avoid this common problem. We also have air data tables in our Knowledge Base or  you may consult an application engineer who will be happy to make the proper recommendation.

2. Quick Disconnects – These handy connectors are great when operating a brad nailer, or a small blow gun, but the small through diameter can severely limit the flow rate into a long air knife, large diameter air operated conveyor, or big vortex tubes.  Due to this fact it is strongly advised to use threaded fittings or over-sized quick disconnects.

3. Adding extra hose or pipe – Extra hose is never a bad thing, right? No, an extra 30 feet of air hose can significantly drop the pressure of a compressed air system. 20 feet of ½ Pipe can flow 70 CFM with a 5 PSI pressure drop.  50 feet of ½” pipe will only flow 42 SCFM with the same 5 PSIG pressure drop. Keep your hose or pipe lengths to a minimum to improve the volume of air you can deliver to a compressed air product.

Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
DaveWoerner@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_DW

Video Blog: Features and Positioning of EXAIR’s Digital Sound Level Meter

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

This video explains a few of the features on the EXAIR Digital Sound Level Meter. It also illustrates proper positioning of the meter when taking sound level readings. This sound level meter is an important tool to quantify noise exposure of employees and identifying the sources of noise.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Reduce Noise Exposure with Super Air Nozzles

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

News from the CDC that those of us involved with industrial safety are paying close attention to is the release of their NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) division’s Hazard Evaluation Program Noise Measurement Database, which contains data obtained through Health Hazard Evaluation surveys performed between 1996 and 2012. It includes hundreds of personal noise exposure measurements (how much noise was received by individuals) and almost as many area noise measurements (how much noise was made.) A comparison of these measurements, of course, is valuable in determining if appropriate measures are being taken to abate the exposure, which is key: there are an awful lot of industrial processes where there’s nothing that can be done about the generation of noise…they’re just simply LOUD. So, they focus on what they can do to limit exposure: Use engineering controls (retrofit open line with engineered nozzles, build sound barriers) , use administrative controls (relocating personnel away from the sound), use personal protective equipment, and spending as little time as possible near the source.

Regardless of what people can get used to, the area noise associated with compressed air use CAN be reduced, while still maintaining the efficiency of the operation. Here’s the deal:

*The most basic form of air blow off is a piece of pipe, tubing, or hose connected to a source of compressed air. When it’s opened to the atmosphere, the compressed air exits with a great deal of force. This makes quite a racket, and the only way to quiet it down is to reduce the air supply pressure. Then you get less force, however, and it might not get the job done.

*Engineered air nozzles, such as EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles, solve this problem by design:

air nozzle flow

The compressed air supply (black arrow) uses the Coanda effect when it exits the series of holes recessed in the array of fins (dark blue arrows.) This serves to entrain an enormous amount of air from the surrounding environment (light blue arrows,) which not only results in a high volume flow rate at minimal consumption, but also makes the resultant air flow very quiet.

EXAIR Super Air Nozzles are quiet, efficient, and easy to get…we maintain inventory of anything you see in the Catalog, all available for same day shipment. If you’d like to know how EXAIR products can be easy on your ears…and your wallet…give me a call!

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
(513)671-3322 local
(800)923-9247 toll free
(513)671-3363 fax
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Promo’s: Everybody Loves Free Stuff

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

I have been wanting to purchase a pair of good quality headphones for a while now and with vacation coming next week, I figured now was a good time to make my purchase. I was pretty set on the manufacturer but the tough choice for me was going to be if I wanted a set of earbuds (that fit directly in the ear) or a more traditional pair of “over the ear” headphones. smiley_face_headphones_tshirt-d23545082320430684226v7p_325I tried about 4 different pairs of over the ear units to see what the quality of sound was versus the feel/comfort and was pleasantly surprised but was still leaning towards earbuds. Unfortunately, due to health/cleanliness issues, you aren’t allowed to try on earbuds – which makes sense. So if I was going to go the earbud route I wanted to make sure I had all my questions answered so I decided to get a salesperson to assist me.

We went over features/benefits but this only made me question myself more. Seeing that I was struggling with a decision, the salesperson decided to make my choice a little easier – he mentioned that his store, along with the manufacturer, were offering a free promo but only if I purchased a set of earbuds (at a certain price of course). Due to the sound quality and trusted manufacturer, I was leaning towards a set of earbuds anyway, but hey – who doesn’t love FREE stuff? What they were offering was a free carrying case (not really free since it was already in the box), a free 2 year service agreement ($37 value) and a $25 gift card to their store.

Of course, I took advantage of their offer and made the purchase. After listening to the earbuds while I finished my packing, I couldn’t be happier with my selection.

At EXAIR, we occasionally run promotional offers too. From now through September 30th, 2014, if you purchase one of our Precision Safety Air Guns, Soft Grip Safety Air Guns or our Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns (with or without an Aluminum extension), you will receive a FREE Chip Shield.

Free Chip Shield Promo
The polycarbonate Chip Shield, meeting OSHA 1910-242(b) for compressed air use, offers the operator safe and smart protection from flying debris as well as any splashing. Not to mention that all of our Safety Air Guns incorporate one of our Engineered Super Air Nozzles that meet or exceed the same OSHA standard and reduce air consumption and sound level.

This offer is good for all three models of our Safety Air Guns:

  • Durable, Lightweight, Precision Airflow – The Precision Safety Air Gun is a small ergonomic gun good for light duty cleaning or blowoff and fits well in smaller hands. It also has a strong focused blast of air capable of reaching into tight spaces.
  • Versatile, Industrial Duty, Most Popular – The Soft Grip Safety Air Gun is our most popular gun cast from aluminum with a comfortable four finger trigger to reduce fatigue over long periods. A large variety of air nozzle options provides a solution for light to heavy duty blowoff applications.
  • Powerful, Rugged, Robust – The Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun is the powerhouse you need for the harshest environments and stubborn blowoff applications. It is outfitted with many of our most powerful nozzles to provide the highest force upon your application.

To learn more about this offer, please visit our website www.EXAIR.com or if you have a specific application you would like to discuss, give us a call at 1-800-903-9247.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
JustinNicholl@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_JN