Month: March 2016

EXAIR E-Vacs For Pick-And-Place Applications

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

Over the last two weeks I’ve trained a number of our distributors on EXAIR products.  We’ve discussed the benefits of engineered compressed air products, the way these products can impact a company’s bottom line, and how they work.

One of the topics which is sure to produce good conversation is our vacuum generator product line, the E-Vacs.  Using a compressed air powered venturi to produce vacuum, the E-Vac is attractive for a number of applications because the vacuum flow is instantaneous.  This means we can produce vacuum only when and where it is needed rather than keeping a vacuum pump in continuous operation.

Battery snip
Power supplies to be lifted with EXAIR E-Vacs

This instantaneous nature of the E-Vac was recently attractive to an end user in need of a better method to handle electronic power supplies used in their computer production process.  They wanted the lifting and placement of the power supplies to be semi-automated, with an operator turning the lifting system on and off.

This type of application is perfect for an E-Vac.  In order to determine the best solution, for this or any E-Vac application, we have to first determine the following:

  1. Is the material/item to be lifted porous or non-porous?
    1. Porous materials will have leakage through the material itself, or through inconsistencies in the material surface. Items such as cardboard, fabrics, or a golf ball are considered porous.
    2. Non-porous materials will not have leakage through the material. Items such as smooth glass and flat plastics are considered non-porous.
  2. What is the weight of the item to be lifted?
  3. How will the item be lifted?
    1. Will the vacuum cups mount to the top of the workpiece to the side? This will determine if the suction cups will be in a horizontal or vertical plane when lifting the product.
Battery dims
Dimensions of the workpieces

Using this information we can determine the proper safety factor to apply (2 for horizontal orientation of the vacuum cups, 4 for vertical orientation), and the potential vacuum cups to be used.  Then, based on size of the workpiece and space constraints we can select the proper vacuum cups.  And finally, using charts on file with the EXAIR Application Engineering department, we can select the correct E-Vac or E-Vacs for the application.

If you have a pick-and-place need in your facility, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.  We’ll be happy to help choose the right components for your setup.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Keeping the Confusion Out of NPT Pipe Thread Dimensions

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I recently had the pleasure of helping a caller solve a problem with a Super Air Nozzle.  He had measured the opening on the outlet of his air gun, and ordered accordingly…unfortunately, he didn’t know that 3/8 NPT did NOT correspond to a 3/8″ diameter of a threaded fitting.  I explained the reason for this, a while back, in a blog entitled “When Is A Half Inch Not A Half Inch? When It’s Half Inch Pipe, Of Course!”

The ID of a 1/8 NPT threaded fitting is actually pretty close to 3/8". Here's a dimensions table that I reference often.
The ID of a 1/8 NPT threaded fitting is actually pretty close to 3/8″ (left.) Here’s a link to a dimensions table that I reference often to keep this (on right, a 3/8 NPT nozzle with an 1/8 NPT air gun) from happening.

 

As you can see, the Model 1105 3/8 NPT Super Air Nozzle will not fit the 0.405″ (not far at all from 3/8″ if measured with a ruler) ID of a 1/8 NPT threaded connection.  No matter; these are all catalog parts that we have plenty of stock on, so, after a brief discussion of pipe thread sizes, he got a Model 1103 1/8 NPT Super Air Nozzle, and it fits just fine:

IMG_5789
Model 1103 1/8 NPT (male) Super Air Nozzle installed in a 1/8″ NPT air gun.

Sometimes, an adapter is required for air guns that have straight threads.  Two common sizes for these are 5/8″-28 and 3/4″-32 – and we have adapters for both of these (call for details.) Other adapters are readily commercially available…you may find them in the plumbing aisle of your hardware store, or from a local pipe & pipe fitting supplier.  We’ve seen some air guns, though, that have a proprietary thread that doesn’t match up to anything else…in these cases, we have four types of Safety Air Guns on the shelf, ready to ship.

If you’d like to find out more about using quiet and efficient engineered Super Air Nozzles for your air gun applications, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Selecting An EXAIR Air Knife

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

Many times we receive a  call from a customer looking for an Air Knife but they are unsure which design is the best to suit their needs. With 3 options to choose from, the Super Air Knife, Standard Air Knife and Full-Flow, it can seem like a somewhat daunting task so lets take a look at some of the key differences between the units. We keep all of these models in stock and can ship same day on orders we receive by 3 pm.

Super Air Knife
EXAIR Super Air Knife

Let’s start with our most popular choice, the Super Air Knife. The Super Air Knife is our most efficient unit, using a 40:1 amplification rate of entrained surrounding air to compressed air, it consumes only 2.9 SCFM per inch @ 80 PSIG while maintaining a low sound level of 69 dbA. This unit produces a laminar airflow across the entire length of the knife and there are air inlets on each end, as well as on the bottom. We offer lengths from 3″ up to 108″ in aluminum, 303ss, or 316ss. Additionally we offer lengths up to 54″ in PVDF (Polyvinylidene Flouride) for applications requiring superior chemical resistance, like those associated to acids, solvents or aggressive chemicals. There are 1/4-20 tapped holes on the bottom of the knife which can be used for mounting. We recommend the Super Air Knife most often because it uses the least amount of compressed air and has the most even airflow from end to end.

Std Air Knife
Standard Air Knife

Secondly we offer our Standard Air Knife which provides a 30:1 amplification rate, consuming slightly more compressed air at 3.4 SCFM per inch @ 80 PSIG. These units are louder at 83 dBA and feature air inlets on each end. Lengths available from 3″ up to 48″ in aluminum or 303ss construction.  The airflow length is 1″ smaller than the length of the knife (1/2″ of no flow on each end), for example a 12″ Standard Air Knife has a 13″ physical length with a 12″ airflow length. This is the first knife we ever manufactured and is a solid choice with good performance.

Full-Flow
Full-Flow Air Knife

Lastly, the Full-Flow Air Knife. Again providing a 30:1 ratio of entrained ambient air to compressed air, has the smallest dimensional footprint. Air consumption is slightly less than the Standard Air Knife at 3.1 SCFM per inch @ 80 PSIG with an airflow length equal to the length of the knife. We offer lengths from 3″ up to 36″, again in aluminum and 303ss and the air inlets are on the back of these units. The Full Flow Air Knife fills the need for customers with limited mounting space and who cannot fit a Super Air Knife into the desired location.

Hopefully this information will help in making the best decision to fit your needs. Of course if you still need additional support, please don’t hesitate to contact one of our Application Engineers for assistance.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

Super Air Knife Protects IR Camera Lens

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment
2016-02-25 10.24.50
The blue compressed air line feeds the Super Air Knife used to keep a camera lens clean.

Our German distributor, Eputec Gmbh contacted me the other day regarding a customer they have been working with to supply 3” Aluminum Super Air Knives for keeping an infrared camera lens clear. The mentioned cameras were supplied with an “air ring” of sorts from the manufacturer, but they consumed a good deal of air and were not effective for the task of keeping the lens area with a clear view of the process it was intended to monitor.

With that, the end customer wanted to improve on this characteristic of their equipment. And so they contacted the technical specialist at Eputec Gmbh to discuss options. After determining the need, they chose a Model BP110003 (3” Aluminum Super Air Knife) to blow away the smoke and other light debris that can tend to float into the view of the camera. A photo of one of the IR cameras with Model 110003 fitted along with a heat shield and an automated lens cap to keep the lens clean when not in use.

Blowing lenses of cameras, sensors, lasers and other similar devices used to monitor process and provide feedback has been one of the more common uses for the Super Air Knife over the years. If you have a similar process that could benefit from using Super Air Knives, contact us and we will be glad to render the same quick service to help you through your application.

Neal Raker, International Sales Manager
 nealraker@exair.com
@EXAIR_NR