Author: Kirk Edwards

Director of Sales & Marketing at EXAIR Corporation.

Line Vac Removes Punched Metal Slugs

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EXAIR’s Line Vac is capable of moving many different materials. We have moved plastic pellets, crumb rubber, activated carbon, sand, ground glass, grains and worms, just to name a few. Each different material and necessary volume dictates the type and size of Line Vac.

One of our customers is a custom machine builder with a focus on automated assembly machines. They designed an assembly system which included an assembly cell to punch holes in a 23 gage steel strip. The 15mm wide strip had a hole every one inch.

The punch process clearly created many slugs. They included a 1″ Stainless Steel Line Vac Kit into the design. The stainless steel Line Vac will resist abrasion from the metal slugs. It also presents a small footprint and minimal air consumption for a product capable of moving the slugs 10′ into a bulk hopper for later disposal.

And we know it is always important for an OEM to keep costs down. The Line Vac kit option was less expensive than other mechanical options. This OEM customer has utilized many of the sizes of Line Vac with other custom systems they have built. This has allowed them to move many different types of material.

EXAIR Line Vacs are manufactured up to 5″ in diameter. They are available in 4 materials (Aluminum, 303 SS, 316 SS, Hard Coated) and can also be made special order from PVDF or similar plastics.

If you need a simple, low cost solution for a material transfer application, consider an EXAIR Line Vac.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com

‘Tis the Season

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The season for Cabinet Cooler applications. The hot summer months produce increased electrical cabinet failures, temperature alarms in cabinets, and components tripping out due to heat.

We have many customers call up and ask “how much for your largest Cabinet Cooler”, thinking they can cover all their bases with a quick fix. It is important, however, to properly size the Cabinet Cooler to closely match your BTU/hr requirements. A properly sized Cabinet Cooler along with a thermostat control is the most efficient choice.

EXAIR understands you are calling due to a problem which needs to be fixed quickly, and we can still get you a fast solution. To size a Cabinet Cooler properly we need an internal temperature of your cabinet compared to the external temperature, both under current conditions. This can be done simply by placing an HVAC thermometer into the cabinet and letting it regulate for 20 minutes or so.

We are looking for internal ambient temperature, so we warn against using an infrared thermometer which will provide surface temperature of the components. These temperatures are generally higher than ambient and could also produce an oversized Cabinet Cooler recommendation, reducing efficiency.

I mention the temperature because it is a critical part of sizing a cooler.  We also need dimensions and NEMA ratings. All of the information we will need is outlined in our Cabinet Cooler Sizing Guide. Simply fill this out, submit it and you will get the fast answer you need. You gather the information; we will do the calculations and respond with a recommendation.

All Cabinet Coolers are in stock and can ship same day on purchase orders received before 3:00 PM eastern daylight savings time.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com

Chip Vac Replaces Electric Vacuum

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You may have seen the ad we have placed in trade magazines over the past few years. It shows a guy carrying his electric vacuum to the dumpster, again, and again. The dumpster is filled with the ghosts of variously shaped and sized electric vacuums from jobs past. Illustrating, of course, the despair of a production man losing yet another electric vacuum.

Here is what we know; most electric vacuums are not made for continuous duty and will burn up prematurely when exposed to continuous duty. Our Chip Vac is a great replacement for vacuum jobs which are leaving a trail of broken electric vacuums.

I spoke with a customer who was in a dirty, dusty, continuous duty environment. They are a thermo-spray company applying powdered metal to the surface of printed circuit boards. They had just burnt up their second electric vacuum in two weeks. And though this result was not typical he was not happy about the two or three electric vacuums he was using per year.

With no moving parts to wear out or break, the Chip Vac can run continuously without requiring maintenance, cleaning or lubrication. There is no requirement for our Chip Vac to rest and cool down. Nor any required hearing protection from the noise produced by our Chip Vac.

This product mounts on to a customer-supplied 55 gallon drum and EXAIR provides the vacuum head, drum lid and necessary accessories for a successful application (MORE INFORMATION). It has the power necessary for heavy metal chips and unmatched durability.

Make you next burnt up electric vacuum your last burnt up electric vacuum by replacing it with EXAIR’s Chip Vac.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com

You say your first EXAIR product application was successful?

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You should take a look at the rest of the product line. Chances are that your search for a solution remained focused upon a specific product or two. Our website explained the benefits and applications for these products and you chose it as a solution. Or you contacted us and received a recommendation from an Application Engineer via the phone, e-mail or live chat.

Now that you know we can provide good solutions, quality product, fast service and delivery – you should continue to take advantage.

We know you have that nagging application you are having trouble solving. We know you have those open air lines just begging for OSHA to visit you. We know you bought an extra compressor to keep up with your air demands.

Our broad product line and unique products can solve one-of-a-kind and difficult applications. Our experience with crazy and successful applications is unmatched. Don’t let the application nag you any longer, let us take a crack at it.

That homemade blow off and open air lines should be outfitted with engineered air nozzles to save you as much air as possible. The pipe with drilled holes should be replaced with an Air Knife to increase efficiency and lower noise levels. You can do without the fine from OSHA, and recoup compressed air costs at the same time.

We have assisted many companies; some of them have shut down a compressor or eliminated the need for another compressor. We have lowered environmental noise levels. We have helped them benchmark their compressed air consumption and provided the products to lower the demand.

So take a look at the rest of the products. If you have any questions on how they may help you, please let us know.

Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com