The question came in the other day about whether our Line Vac product has ever been used to transport glass beads before. Our Line Vacs have been used in a variety of applications from Cleaning up a CNC Sawing Application to Transferring Alumina Desiccant and keeping tension on a Trim Scrap Removal Application. So we are quite familiar with the creative ways in which a Line Vac can be used to make industrial conveying and tensioning applications more effective.
The real question that the customer was asking though is, “Will your Line Vac product hold up to abrasive material moving through it?” The answer is yes, it will. We have engineered a material and hardening process for our Heavy Duty series of Line Vac product, which gives superior resistance to abrasion from the kinds of materials that are intentionally used to “blast away” surface rust, debris, or paint from surfaces, usually to prepare them for some sort of coating. In fact, during the testing phase of development, we tested a variety of very harsh, abrasive materials through the Heavy Duty Line Vac continuously, long term, until we arrived at just the right combination of material and hardening process that provided us with little to no wear effect from the abrasive material.
150100 Heavy Duty Line Vac
So, whether you have a job to clean up after a bead blast operation or need to transfer an abrasive material from one tank to another, the Heavy Duty Line Vac product is definitely something you will want to consider for the job.
Contact us to discuss your application today!
Neal Raker, International Sales Manager
nealraker@exair.com
EXAIR_NR
A Quality Control department had static issues when analyzing color swatches. Their production process was screen printing on polycarbonate sheets. They had our Super Ion Air Knives and Ion Bars in their production process to remove static and debris. During the die cutting operation, a color swatch was removed for QC to inspect. They would use an instrument to verify the color and clarity. During the inspection, they would periodically have a rejection. In inspecting the swatches, they noticed a lot of debris that was collected on the surface. This would affect the reading of the instrument. They tried to wipe off the debris, but because of the static build-up on the surface, it was hard to remove all of it. Being that they were familiar with EXAIR products, they contacted us and I suggested our Ion Air Gun. The ions would remove the static while the air flow would remove the dust. Once in use, the reliability of the inspection instrument was much improved.
Ion Air Gun
One of our more versatile Static Eliminator products is the Ion Air Gun. You can turn the unit on and start blowing ionized air to remove static and contaminants from lenses, sheets, plastic wrap, plastic products and other materials holding a static charge. It comes with a 3 meter cable to give you a long reach and a High Velocity Air Jet that produces a large amplification ratio to reduce the amount of compressed air use. The ergonomic, light-weight, and rugged design makes it an effective air gun to remove both static and debris.
In this instance, the Ion Air Gun was a nice accessory for the QC department to clean surfaces before inspection. It made their job more effective and less time consuming. If static is a big issue, you can always contact an Application Engineer for help.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
As many of us gather together for the holidays we may get to see (or have to see) family members and old friends we do not normally visit. I particularly enjoy this time of year (not only for the food) but I get to see my 2 cousins, 1 who lives in Texas and the other in North Carolina. This is the only time we can ALL get together and this year is a little more special as one of my cousins gets to meet our new son for the first time.
My family celebrates the same way a lot of families do, by preparing a lot of food, complete with all the trimmings. As most families have their own tradition, mine isn’t much different. After we say grace, we start at one end of the table and work our way around so everyone has a chance to give thanks for their blessings. I personally am thankful for more than words could ever express. I have a beautiful wife, who supports me through all life’s craziness. I’m blessed beyond measure to have 2 wonderful, healthy boys who I cherish more than anything and a family I can confide in and turn to whenever needed.
The other thing I have been particularly blessed with is my job. I have an awesome job! I am truly thankful that I work for a company who values it’s customers and it’s employees just the same. I have only been here a short time, but it has truly been the best year and a half of my career.
Our offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday of this week and next week so our employees can celebrate Christmas and the new year with their families. Everyone has a tradition, and whatever yours is, I hope you celebrate to the fullest and enjoy each other’s company. We never know what tomorrow brings so be thankful for the days you have and live life to it’s fullest. Have a blessed and Merry Christmas!
The month of May, in 1977, was a great time to be ten years old. I was finishing up my fifth grade year, a pivotal one, thanks to Miss Walker, who ended up being my favorite teacher ever. She had a pet rat named A.J. that we took turns taking home for the weekend. She rewarded us for class performance by taking us outside to play softball on warm & sunny spring afternoons. I trace my love for math (and hence, my inspiration for a career in engineering) to the excitement she instilled in me for the subject…I was among the first to master the multiplication tables.
And then there was Star Wars. There were commercials for the movie and the toys and the merchandise on TV; I swear they ran every five minutes. A fast food chain released a series of posters (free with purchase) and every time a new one came out, Miss Walker promptly hung it on the classroom wall. None of us, her included, could hardly wait until the premiere. I could go on (and on and on and on,) but suffice it to say (for the purposes of this blog,) I’ve been a BIG fan ever since.
Which brings us to today…opening day for “Star Wars, Episode VII: The Force Awakens.” The first time, by the way, a Star Wars movie hasn’t premiered in the month of May, but I digress. The 10 year old inside me wants to go see it RIGHT NOW, but the grownup I have to be has a company Christmas party, two Boy Scout events, and a pre-holiday “honey-do” list to attend to first.
Of course, the “other” epic space movie series couldn’t resist launching THEIR new trailer this week…
All this talk about The Force (capital “F”) and the fact that I write this blog on company time has me thinking about compressed air applications that involve force (lower case “f”) and how using force (unlike “The Force”) is not always prudent.
This is the case in just about any blow off application that uses air under pressure. Open ended copper tubing, drilled pipes, etc., are common and easy ways to discharge compressed air for debris removal, drying, or cooling a part. But the fact is, they waste a LOT of the energy devoted to compressing the air by simply turning it into brute force and noise.
This is where EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products(r) come in: by using the energy of the compressed air to entrain air from the surrounding environment, the total air flow is amplified, resulting in a high velocity blast, at minimal consumption. No; it doesn’t have the same amount of force as an open ended discharge device, but most blow off applications don’t need all that much force anyway.
“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away,” the continuing theme of the Star Wars saga is to use The Force properly. For the past 32 years, the continuing theme at EXAIR is to help you use the force (of your compressed air) properly. Let me know how we can help.
May The Force be with us all…this weekend, and always.
