Month: April 2016

Super Ion Air Knife Improve Cycle Rates in an Injection Molding Process

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

A die manufacturer created a 12” wide by 24” long (30.5cm X 61 cm) tool for an injection molding machine that contained 80 cavities for an automotive supplier. As contracted with their customer, the goal was to have 30 injection per minute to create 2400 parts every minute.  The tool was designed with 2 chambers, each containing 40 cavities to control production rates.  Also as part of the contract, the automotive supplier required a pre-production approval before signing off on the purchase order.  As they attached the tool to the injection molding machine for a trial run, they began to notice that some of the parts were sticking to the cavities.  In the first 30 minutes, they stopped the machine as they only averaged 16 injections per minute with only 50% of the parts falling out of the tool.  They did notice that they could feel the static electricity on their arms when they reached into the tool to remove the parts.  To try and improve the cycle rate, they attempted to mount a 12” (30.5 cm) pipe with drill holes above the tool. Many manufacturers attempt this because it is simple and easy to do; but, this style of blow-off is very inefficient and not very effective.  As they began the next trial, they did see a slight improvement.  It increased the cycle rate to 19 injection per minute and it was removing 75% of the parts.  It still was not good enough for the automotive supplier.

Super Ion Air Knife Kit includes Super Ion Air Knife, Power Supply, filter, regulator and shim set.
Super Ion Air Knife Kit includes Super Ion Air Knife, Power Supply, filter, regulator and shim set.

The die manufacturer was under pressure to find a solution as he did not want to redesign or rebuild the tool. He noticed that EXAIR was a leader in Static Eliminators and Blow-off equipment, so he contacted us.  In our discussion, he explained how he needed to remove the static and remove the parts quickly out of the tool.  I suggested our model 111212 Super Ion Air Knife Kit.  It is 12” (30.5 cm) long, and it can be mounted easily across the width of the tool.  With a 40:1 amplification ratio and both positive and negative ion streams, it can remove the static and push the parts very effectively.  Once they installed the Super Ion Air Knife, they began the operation once again.  They initially noticed that all the parts were being ejected from the tool.  When they measured the cycle rate, it was running at 33 injection per minute (exceeding the requirement).  The tool was approved and the die manufacture was very pleased.

When it comes to removing static and blowing parts, EXAIR has a great range of products. We can do it very efficiently, quietly, and effectively.  If you have any issues with injection molding, EXAIR may have the product to help you.  You can discuss your applications further by contacting one of our Application Engineers.

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Super Air Knives Are Perfect Solution For Electroplating Application

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
image1
The products on this rack need to be blown off before heat treating

One of our blog readers was searching through our posts, looking for a suitable solution for a problem in their application.  The application needed a system for blowing water from different components on racks (shown above) used during electroplating.  After blow off, these components go through a heat drying process, and it is critical to have as much of the water removed as possible.

Given the width of the rack and the need for even blow off across the full width, the most suitable solution is a pair of Super Air Knives.  The video above shows the dipping process of the rack and components, and this is where the end user wants to install their blow off.

Our recommendation was to mount one Super Air Knife on either side of the rack, across the width. The airflow aimed downward toward the dip tank at a 45 degree angle was also our recommendation.  This will create a complete blow off for the rack and the parts on it, while redirecting the water back into the tank below.  And, these racks have a right to left measurement of 60″, making our stock length 60″ Super Air Knife an ideal candidate for this application.

The consistency and repeatability of the Super Air  Knife provide a unique solution opportunity for this application.  If you have a similar application or application need, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer, we’ll be happy to help.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

 

Line Vacs Save Your Time, Your Backs – and Your Money

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

A while back, I wrote about how Line Vacs Save Time And Backs. Well, it’s happened again, and this time, it’s saving a customer some money, too.

A major manufacturer of machined products used portable electric vacuums to remove chips and coolant from their machines. These electric vacs continually broke down due to clogging, coolant getting into the electric motors, vacuum hose deterioration, etc…all of which caused down time and lost production. They were failing pretty consistently after about 3 months of use.

Electric Vacuums are prone to clogging, wearing out, and motor failure.
Electric Vacuums are prone to clogging, wearing out, and motor failure.

The tanks needed to be emptied on a regular basis as well, meaning the machine operator had to stop what he was doing (which makes the company money) and spend 10-15 minutes emptying out the tank (which does NOT make the company money,) three times per shift, on average. Additionally, the tanks could weigh up to 100lbs when full, so it was no small chore. Although this company reported no injuries (yet,) a common first line in a LOT of workplace back injury reports start out with: “While attempting to lift a 100 pound _____” You get the idea.

After hearing about the EXAIR Line Vac and calling us to discuss, they decided to try a couple of Model 6064 2″ 303SS Line Vacs. These were mounted near the machine with a short section of suction hose to reach inside, with a discharge hose taking the chips & coolant to the disposal bin. So, with a little help from EXAIR, they’ve saved:

*TIME: Machine operators never have to leave their workstations to lug the heavy tanks across the shop for emptying, meaning no work stoppages.

*BACKS: Because they don’t have to worry about those heavy tanks anymore, they’ve eliminated the risk of lifting-related injuries.

*MONEY: With no moving parts to wear or electric motors to burn out, the Line Vacs will run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free.  For an investment of $3,700.00 (2016 List Price for a Model 6064 2″ SS Line Vac is $370.00 x 10 machines,) they’re saving $5,400.00 annually (the current replacement cost of the electric vacuums is $135.00 per unit x 4 per year x 10 machines) for a first-year savings of $2,700.00.

A Line Vac and two pieces of hose are all you need for a durable, easy to use, no maintenance, reliable vacuum conveyor.
A Line Vac and two pieces of hose are all you need for a durable, easy to use, no maintenance, reliable vacuum conveyor.

The first two Line Vacs worked out so well for them, they were able to justify adding them to the other eight machines in their facility. These are operated intermittently, so there’s not a drastic impact on their compressed air system demand. It’s a win-win-win…win.

If you’d like to find out how EXAIR’s engineered compressed air products can produce “wins” for you, give me a call. We ARE keeping score.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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EXAIR Static Eliminators Remove Static Issues for Multiple Label Printing Process

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

Recently, I visited a local customer to look at a specific application. This company prints over 146,000 different labels on plastic film, paper and foil. They called because they were seeing several different static related issues during printing and stacking processes.

On their first application, involving a 60″ wide sheeter, they were having an issue with irregularities as the sheet travels over several rollers where it enters the print head of the machine, then is cut and stacked. At the time of the visit, they were using a competitor’s product after the printer but those products were not effectively removing the static. We were able to determine they were not working by using  our Digital Static Meter which told us there was still a 2.7 kV charge after the treatment area. I recommended the customer replace the ineffective units with our 60″ Ionizing Bar. The Ionizing Bar produces a bulk of positive and negative ions to eliminate the surface static of an object when mounted within 2″ of the surface of the material. The bar features a mounting flange that would allow the customer to use the existing bracket for easy installation.

Ionizing Bars Work
Ionizing Bars – available from 3″ – 108″.

The second machine we looked at was a 42″ 3-sheet press. Our readings ranged from 4.2 kV on the top sheet, 1.4 kV middle sheet and 9.9 kV on the bottom sheet going into the press/print head and around 15.6 kV at the discharge. This unit also had another anti-static device taped in place but was clearly no longer operational. I again recommend the Ionizing Bar for this application as well. After speaking with the operator, he was saying he was also seeing an issue with the sheets lifting and trying to separate as they were being stacked. To remedy this problem I recommended using our Super Ion Air Knife at low pressure to blow ionized air from behind the sheet to help it float onto the stack and remove static at the same time. The Super Ion Air Knife is our Super Air Knife with the Ionizing Bar attached and is capable of dissipating 5kV in less than half a second.

Super Ion Air Knife
Super Ion Air Knife provides laminar sheet of ionized air across the length of the knife.

Lastly, we looked at their smaller sheeting machine and on this unit we were seeing around 3.5 kV as they stack was fed into the feeder and 7-8kV at the end stacker. At the beginning of the process we noticed the customer was using an air blowoff on each side of the sheet stack to assist with lifting and getting some separation between the sheets for the mechanical lifter to feed the machine. At this area they were experiencing some issues as occasionally the lifter would pick up more than 1 sheet and cause a jam which shut the system down. It turns out the airflow across the sheets was actually generating a slight static charge as we were seeing higher readings around 4.2 kV. Since they were already using air, I recommended replacing these blowoffs with our Ion Air Jet. This would aid in reducing the static and result in a more effective separation between the sheets allowing for a cleaner lift. For the sheet itself, we would recommended the Ionizing Bar if they were able to mount within 2″ or the Super Ion Air Knife for further mounting distance.

NEW Ion Air Jet
Ion Air Jet produces concentrated ionized airflow.

 

We realize we can’t look at every customer’s process but any photos or videos you could share of your application, we would gladly review and make a possible recommendation. Please contact one of our application engineers for assistance.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN