Month: May 2016

Standard Air Knife – 24 Years in an Application and Counting

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

“I’ve  been using your Model # 2018SS 18″ Stainless Steel Standard Air Knife since 1992 and it’s STILL working great!”. This was the first thing a customer told me last week when we began our conversation. Of course we really appreciate hearing about success stories like this as it just further demonstrates our commitment to provide top quality, energy efficient, compressed air operated products.

Std Air Knife
Standard Air Knife – available in lengths from 3″ up to 48″ in aluminum and 303ss construction.

 

The next part of the conversation was a subject we don’t necessarily like hearing, as the customer was thinking of replacing our unit with a blower driven air knife due to the concern of the amount of compressed air usage and resulting energy costs.  They initially inquired about using the blower to supply our unit but all of our products require high pressure, compressed air to operate and wouldn’t run on a blower type system. They are using the Standard Air Knives on their extrusion operation where they have a unit mounted above and below the part as it exits the machine, to remove the remaining moisture from the part.

I explained that blower systems may seem like a more economical choice due to the lower energy demand compared to a compressor, but in actuality, they require a lot of maintenance hours in the form of replacing bearings, belts, filters, etc. Some of these repairs can’t be performed at the site and require the unit to be taken offline and sent back to the manufacturer for refurbishment, resulting in costly downtime. In addition, these type of systems require a large footprint for installation and large duct for the airflow.

EXAIR actually performed a comparison test putting our 24″ Super Air Knife up against common blowoffs in the form of drilled pipe, a manifold of inefficient flat nozzles and a blower driven air knife. Please note, the Super Air Knife is more efficient than the Standard Air Knife that the customer is using, but as you will see in the chart below, the minimal increase in compressed air requirement for the Standard Air Knife would be quickly offset by the overall bottom line.

Air Knife Blowoff Comparison

While the annual electrical/energy cost was higher for the Super Air Knife, the initial purchase price and annual maintenance costs were significantly lower, making the 1st year of ownership over 3.5 times less than that of the blower driven unit. Also, with the design of our Air Knives entraining large volumes of surrounding air, wind shear is reduced, which decreases the noise level generated. As a result, our units are going to produce sound levels well below the allowable noise exposure levels set forth by OSHA Standard 29 CFR – 1910.95(a) when compared to other devices.

After explaining this information to the customer, they are going to re-evaluate their requirements. As the customer put it, “it is kind of hard to argue against 24 years of successful operation with your product”. I would tend to agree!

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler Systems Cool Electrical Enclosures

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

One of the main focuses for Cabinet Cooler Systems is to cool electrical enclosures that are overheating due to inadequate cooling, failing air conditioners, or heat exchangers that are not performing due to high ambient conditions.  Another focus is the fact that the Cabinet Cooler Systems don’t require refrigerant based coolants, or fans that can move dirty ambient air into the cabinet. This is the portion I would like to focus on today.

If there are vents on the enclosure then these are sometimes covered with a filter media that is an easily forgotten maintenance item –  sometimes they are even removed.  This is an issue as it starts to allow the contaminants from the surrounding area to begin to enter the inside of an enclosure.  In case you have never seen a circuit board that is covered in oil mist and metal chips, it is terrifying to see a maintenance person that is trying to troubleshoot the machine for failures.  Not only does this present a fire hazard but it also presents the internals of the panel with a strong probability of failure.

Another item I have personally seen fail in the field are small fans mounted within enclosure vents to help circulate air through the enclosure.  This is a great idea if the ambient environment is climate controlled and has no dirt or debris in the air.   Even in a facility that is climate controlled there is still potential for airborne debris, dust, and contaminants to enter the cabinets. These are merely accelerated into the cabinet by the fan and distributed throughout the entire enclosure instead of just coming in and covering the area just inside of the vent.

The solution to all the problems above which can easily save thousands of dollars worth of damaged circuit boards or drives is an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler System.  The Cabinet Coolers will all provide a slight positive air flow within the enclosure and will help to keep those external ambient conditions out of the cabinet and away from valuable electronics.  Even with our thermostatically controlled systems (which turn on and off as needed to maintain internal temperature AND save air) we offer a Non-Hazardous Purge option which will permit a 1 SCFM flow of air through the Cabinet Cooler to always keep a slight positive pressure within the enclosure. When the cabinet needs to be cooled, it will open the solenoid valve and provide the full rate of cooling from the Cabinet Cooler System.  The Non-Hazardous Purge function is available for all three NEMA types of Cabinet Cooler Systems, 12, 4, and 4X.

NHP.PNG

If you would like to discuss the other benefits of utilizing EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems and which model is right for your enclosure, please contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Step by Step Guide – Choosing Atomizing Spray Nozzles

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EB1040SS

Atomizing spray nozzles atomize fluids to create a fine spray in a variety of patterns for a variety of uses. They are commonly used to mark products, paint or coat, cool, reduce dust, lubricate and clean parts.

With the numerous types of Atomizing Nozzles sold by EXAIR, it can be challenging to shift through all the information. We can help you to narrow down the field to quickly find the correct Atomizing Nozzle for your application.  In a summary, here are the basic questions that need to be answered:

1.) Are you using a pressurized liquid feed?

2.) What is the viscosity of the fluid?

3.) What is the liquid feed rate in gallons per hour (gph) or liters per hour (lph).

4.)  Should I use the No-Drip option?

EXAIR’s flow chart with easy-to-follow steps will walk you through the decision tree and land you at the best Atomizing Spray Nozzle for your application. In answering these simple questions, this chart will guide you to the correct page in our current catalog to get additional information and specifications.    Click on Link below to determine the best nozzle for you.

Step_by_Step-Atomizing_Spray_Nozzle_Picker

When it comes to spraying a fine mist, EXAIR has a great range of Atomizing Nozzles. If you follow the flow chart, you will get the best product to spray your liquid and reduce waste.   If you have any problems or questions, you can contact one of our Application Engineers at EXAIR.

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

Super Air Knives Clean Slide Ways, Rails and Tracks of Machinery

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

Until a few days ago I was relatively unfamiliar with flying cold saws, their operation, and purpose.  I knew they were used in manufacturing, particularly with regards to piping, but had no real idea as to how or why.

So, when prompted with a need to examine an application for a flying cold saw, I thought to find a schematic or video online.  Thankfully, I found the video above of the exact machine being used in the application, and it helped me to fully understand the application needs.

What was needed, was a method to keep the rails of the flying saw clean and clear of debris created during the cutting process.  There is a waste material removal system incorporated into the saw, but it cannot prevent stray scrap material from deflecting during cutting and landing on the rails used to position the saw.

We’ve found success in similar applications using Super Air Knives to clear debris off slide ways on large CNC machines and from the tracks for rail cars, so I felt confident we could find a solution here.  In selecting the proper air knife for this application we considered size (width) of the rails, ambient temperature, and required force from the knife.  This application uses 6″ rails in a typical factory setting (with ambient temperatures up to 110F max), with small stainless steel debris on the rails – a “perfect” fit for the aluminum 6″ Super Air Knife, model 110006.

This customer chose to use (4) 110006 Super Air Knives, two on each side of the knife used on the leading edge and on the trailing edge.  Limit switches of the saw will trigger the air knives positioned on the leading edge to turn on, clearing debris from the rails as the saw travels back and forth.

This was a great application for use with Super Air Knives, and we were happy to help solve the customer’s problem.  If you have a similar application, give us a call, send us an email, or use our online chat feature to contact an Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE