Depending on the context, those may be three words you DON’T want to hear in the same sentence. Case in point…a caller I spoke with recently, who works at a large steel forging plant. During a recent inspection, management was surprised (and disappointed) to find out that, unbeknownst to them, some of their operators had modified some of their compressed air blow off devices.
These modifications left them in violation of both OSHA Standard 1910.242(b) (limit on outlet, or dead end pressure) and 1910.95(a) (limits noise level exposure.) The OSHA inspector left them with an $8,000.00 fine, and a promise to return with an even higher one if the situation wasn’t corrected.
We discussed the ways their current devices were supplied, the conditions they were operating in, what they were used for…and why the operators had modified them. Sadly, we found the devices were underperforming due to air supply issues – hoses that were too small in diameter and/or too long, with restrictive quick connect fittings. And some of their modifications (drilling out the discharge) just exacerbated those problems.
Most of their applications were pretty typical – blowing flash, chips, oil, coolant, etc. from processed metal parts. Typical enough that a couple of EXAIR Safety Air Guns would allow them to determine what they would need, by taking them around to various stations in the plant and trying them out.
Here’s Model 1210-6-CS, fitted with a Zinc Aluminum Super Air Nozzle on a 6″ Rigid Extension & Chip Shield. All EXAIR Safety Air Guns are compliant with OSHA Standard 1910.242(b).
I feel pretty good about the chances of publishing a future blog about the success of this application. If you want to keep up, I encourage to follow the EXAIR blog – there’s a link to the right to provide your email address – for more on this one, other applications, and a wealth of expert writings on how to get the most out of your compressed air system.
As always, if you’d like to discuss a particular compressed air application and/or product selection, give me a call.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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An Air Amplifier with a PTFE plug (left,) a curved Super Air Knife (center,) and a flanged Line Vac are just a few ways EXAIR has provided custom solutions.
Because EXAIR designs and manufactures our own products here in Cincinnati, we can take advantage of the speed, control, and flexibility that comes with full service manufacturing. If you need a customization of a current production product or if you would like to start a compressed air application from scratch, we can probably help. This is true throughout our entire product line, the following custom examples are of our Super Air Knife products.
Do you have an application that may not be best served by one of our stock Super Air Knife products? While we have quite a variety of both materials, sizes, and connection types sometimes a special application requires a special solution. For this reason, EXAIR manufactures special Super Air Knives suited EXACTLY for the type of application or environment that it’ll be operating in.
Unique applications are fairly common, and the Super Air Knifeprovides a great solution to many of them. Consider these situations:
A machine builder had to fit an air knife in a 43″ channel. We had it covered: we made them a custom (non-stock) 43″ 303SS Super Air Knife and shipped it in three days.
A user needed 15″ (and only 15″) of air flow. A Model 110018 18″ Aluminum Super Air Knife, off the shelf, would provide an “overflow” which would disturb product in the vicinity of the blow off. We had it covered…a custom shim can be made to provide 15″ (and only 15″) of air flow out of an 18″ Super Air Knife. It only takes a couple of days to get the special shim. We can make shims to center the airflow, keep it all on one side of the knife, have it come out two separate areas etc.
Our customer needed the lightweight of the aluminum air knife, but the ambient air temp was causing the stock plastic shim to melt and cause leaks. So we made a custom 4″ Super Air Knife and installed a Stainless Steel Shim.
If your application is more challenging than a custom shim, we’ve also made Air Knives with (left to right) curved radius, special material (glass filled PEEK shown here,) flat, double-sided, and even one with end-mount threaded holes.
We’ve also made a variety of special Air Knives, when more than just length is a consideration. So, even if your application is “Unique” it’s very likely that we still have you Covered. Give us a call and we can prove it to you!
Mufflers come in many shapes and sizes. Each with their own benefits.
If you have ever walked into a manufacturing facility and heard the hiss or even worse the banshee scream of compressed air being exhausted to ambient, whether it be from a cylinder discharge, a timed drain going off, or a bypass valve being activated, they all could be hushed with a muffler. A muffler for compressed air comes in several shapes and sizes. EXAIR offers four separate types from stock to help attenuate the noise disruption within your facility.
The OSHA standard for allowable noise exposure is 29 CFR-1910.95(a) and outlines the number of hours per day any individual can be exposed to a particular noise level. These noise levels are expressed in decibels (dbA).
Hearing loss is the best known, but not the only, ill effect of harmful noise exposure. It can also cause physical and psychological stress, impair concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents or injuries.
Reclassifying Mufflers attenuating the exhaust of a pneumatic cylinder.
The first type I would like to showcase are the Reclassifying Mufflers. These are ideal for cylinder exhausts or valves which commonly contain an oil mist within the air stream which can easily contaminate the surrounding area. The patented design of the removable element separates oil from the exhausted air so virtually no atomized oil is released into the environment. They also attenuate the exhaust noise level up to 35 decibels. The filter element helps the exhaust to meet the OSHA Standard 29 CFR 1910.1000, a worker’s cumulative exposure to oil mist must not exceed 5 mg/m³ by volume in any eight hour shift of a forty hour work week.
The chart below helps to properly size the Reclassifying Muffler for a pneumatic cylinder. One key to proper installation of these mufflers is they must be installed vertically in order to properly trap and drain the oil.
Reclassifying Muffler Quick Pick Chart
Sintered Bronze mufflers are excellent choices for tight installation locations and are easily sized.
The next type of muffler to discuss are the Sintered Bronze Mufflers that are offered in ten different sizes. These are an excellent low cost solution which easily install into new or existing ports. Each size is designed to provide minimal back pressure and restriction for the individual port size. The quick pick chart below helps to easily select the correct size for attenuating the exhaust of a pneumatic cylinder. One key difference between these and the Reclassifying Mufflers is, these do not have to be oriented vertically as they do not collect the oil out of the exhaust air.
The model 3913 – 3/4″ NPT Straight Through Muffler
If the process air needs to be directed or plumbed away from the operator then the Straight Through Mufflers are the ideal selection as they offer an NPT threaded inlet and exhaust. They are available in three standard NPT sizes from stock. These mufflers can be installed in any orientation and work well with our Vortex Tubes to help pass the cold air through while lowering the operating sound level of the tube. The average noise reduction of the Straight-Through Mufflers is 20 dB. This can easily reduce the noise level of an operation to below the OSHA standard requiring hearing protection for operators in the area.
The model 3903 Heavy Duty Muffler
The final option for mufflers from EXAIR are the Heavy Duty Mufflers. These are available in two sizes from stock and are constructed of corrosion-resistant aluminum with a stainless steel internal screen. These can be installed in any orientation and are ideal for protecting exhaust ports from contaminants that may clog or damage the device they are attached to. The typical noise reduction from installation is 14 dB with these mufflers.
These are available in two sizes from stock and are constructed of corrosion-resistant aluminum with a stainless steel internal screen. These can be installed in any orientation and are ideal for protecting exhaust ports from contaminants that may clog or damage the device they are attached to. The typical noise reduction from installation is 14 dB with these mufflers.
To summarize, EXAIR offers a multitude of options when it comes to lowering sound levels in operation areas that are caused by exhausted compressed air. Each of the mufflers discussed above are shipped same day from stock to meet your immediate need. If you are unsure of which muffler to use for your application, feel free to contact an Application Engineer.
EXAIR manufactures a variety of intelligent compressed air products that can cool, clean, coat, convey, and conserve. They’re designed specifically with enhanced efficiencies, OSHA safety, and high quality in mind. What could make them perform even better? Making them movable! EXAIR offers Magnetic Bases and Stay Set Hoses to achieve this. In this blog, I will cover the features and benefits of both products.
Stay Set Hoses:
The Stay Set Hose gives you that possibility of manually adjusting and re-adjusting smaller EXAIR products like Super Air Nozzles and Air Jets. The hose has a “memory” function, and it will not creep or droop until you physically move it. They work very well in directing the air flows at specific target areas.
The Stay Set Hoses come in lengths from 6” (15cm) to 36” (91cm), and they have threaded connections with either ¼” NPT male on both ends or with a 1/8” NPT female and a ¼” NPT male types.
The hoses are made from reinforced synthetic rubber and have a pressure rating of 250 PSIG (17 bar). They can add versatility to our Safety Air Guns and Blowoff Stations. If you need positioning for precise blowing or adjustments for different targets, the Stay Set Hoses would be a nice addition to include with your EXAIR products.
Magnetic Bases:
If you need a solid mount to steel surfaces or to move your blow-off system to different locations, the Magnetic Base will allow you to do these functions. It has a 100 lb. (45.5Kg) pulling force to keep the blowing device attached firmly until you want to move it. They can be mounted in a vertical or horizontal position.
EXAIR offers a single outlet Magnetic Base or a dual outlet Magnetic Base (for multiple blowing products). We also have a Magnetic Base with a swivel to help angle the blowing force. The bases come with a ¼ turn shut-off valve to easily turn on and off the compressed air to the EXAIR products.
If you want to combine the Stay Set Hoses and Magnetic Bases with your EXAIR Air Nozzles and Air Jets, we can create this with the EXAIR Blowoff System. We can combine multiple devices into a single model number. At EXAIR, we pride ourselves with great customer service and an “easy to do business” philosophy. You can contact a friendly Application Engineer to build an efficient, safe, and movable system just for you.
