Category: Industrial Housekeeping

Spring Cleaning & Free STUFF

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

That’s right in case you didn’t notice, Spring is upon us and that generally means a good amount of cleaning is coming into your lives. I have been cleaning up the yard, garage, patio, shed, and even basement just trying to get everything for being outside more and making sure all of my equipment is ready to go for the warmer weather. The good news for you is that EXAIR is making Spring cleaning even better in your industrial setting with our new promo.

Right now, purchase any EXAIR Industrial Housekeeping System and receive a FREE Vac-U-Gun! The best part about these pneumatically driving vacuums is that there are no carburetors to clean them, and no batteries to charge, just plug them into your shop air and go. Whether you need a liquid vacuum, dry vacuum, or wet/dry vacuum, we have a product that will fit your need and if you aren’t sure, we have a dedicated team of Application Engineers here to help.

EXAIR's new Chip Trapper
EXAIR’s new Chip Trapper

For liquid vacuums, we offer the Chip Trapper which permits you to filter solids from the liquid being sucked up, then pump the filtered liquid right back out of the 30, 55, or 110-gallon drum. Filter bags are available in 1, 5, 25, 50, 100, and 200-micron ratings. The High Lift Chip Trapper is the same principle just near double the vacuum level so you can suck more viscous liquid or sub-grade sumps clean.

The Reversible Drum Vac and High Lift Reversible Drum Vac use the same vacuum generators as their Chip Trapper counterparts and give you the ability to use a 5, 30, 55, or 110-gallon drum to empty a sump and pump all the contents into another container. (5 gallon is only available in the standard Reversible Drum Vac, no High Lift version.) I know I’ve told the story before, I used to utilize a Reversible Drum Vac when I was in the metal cutting industry. As I was setting up trade show booths full of metal cutting machines, I would hook my RDV up to the drums and pump machines full of premixed coolant, then at the end of the show, I would suck all the sumps dry and be waiting for load out while other booths would still be fooling around with an electric vacuum or waiting on another service that had a large tow-behind system.

(Left to right) Chip Vac, Heavy Duty Dry Vac, Heavy Duty HEPA Vac

When it comes to dry vacuums, the Chip Vac, Heavy Duty Dry Vac, and Heavy Duty HEPA Vac are all ideal due to their no moving parts and simplistic design to get the job done. Whether it is a machine shop cleaning up chads and chips, a grinding shop cleaning up fines, or even a general facility cleaning dirt, debris, and scraps from the floor, these vacuums hook straight to shop air and are ready to work. The filters can all be cleaned and reused or replaced if you chose. They again, fit standard drum sizes and can even include the drum with the purchase.

For critical dust containment, the HEPA EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac System is your durable, reliable, compressed air operated solution!

Lastly, our EasySwitch Wet/Dry Vac is the only vacuum I know of on the market that can be converted from wet to dry in less than 10 seconds and still have no internal moving parts. The unit is honestly a game changer compared to the electric equivalent and doesn’t have a motor or impeller to wear out.

Then, to top any purchase of those units off, the current promotion enables end users in the US or Canada to receive a Vac-U-Gun for free. This is a tool that many utilize to blow down a workstation, then turn around and vacuum everything up off the floor.

If you would like to discuss any of these systems more in-depth, since I stayed at a high-level explanation, please feel free to contact an Application Engineer.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Porous and Non-Porous E-vac Generators

Published on by EricKuhnash@EXAIR.comLeave a comment

Having an injection molding background I saw many uses for parts pickers using many different sizes from 90 – to 3000 ton injection molding machines and a vast amount of part sizes and shapes that varied from items as small as dinner plates to as big as municipal refuse containers. I dealt mainly with non-porous applications but EXAIR offers both porous and non-porous E-vacs to accommodate wide range of part sizes and weights.

EXAIR has High Vacuum Generators for Non-Porous Applications with high vacuum units up to 27″ Hg (91 kPa) with vacuum flows up to 15.8 SCFM (447 SLPM). The plastic products I was moving were all non-porous, meaning air or liquids would not permeate into the surface of my product. Other examples of non-porous material including plastic sub-straights include glass, steel sheet, ceramics, vinyl, sealed tiles and varnished wood.

Porous applications use a low vacuum generator. Low vacuum units up to 21″Hg (71kPa) with flows up to 18.5 SCFM (524 SLPM) are typically used for porous materials such as corrugate, wood, fabrics, cinder block, etc… The relatively lower level vacuum for porous materials prevents warping, marring, dimpling or disfiguring of the surface due to excessive vacuum. This style generates more vacuum flow to overcome porosity and leakage while maintaining control over the object being handled.

Referencing the previously mentioned refuse container application, I performed the weight and movement analysis and determined that four of our model 900754 vacuum cups and two of our model 810006M Non-porous E-vacs would have been more than adequate to unload and lift my 95 gallon refuse container lids from the injection molding machine and move them to the hot stamp center. I recall the vacuum cup system we had in place back then, would frequently drop out and lose control over the product. This was not only a real process headache, but also made for a legitimate safety issue as well.

EXAIR E-vacs actually have other interesting uses. They have been used in applications for bag and package opening, label placement, vacuum forming, leak testing and many other applications.

EXAIR also has accessories to round out vacuum cup systems including vacuum cups themselves, mufflers, check valves, vacuum tubing and fittings. We would have interest to discuss your application. If you have questions regarding which E-vac style and size is proper for your project please contact any of our Application Engineers to help you with selection and design of your system.

Eric Kuhnash
Application Engineer
E-mail: EricKuhnash@exair.com
Twitter: Twitter: @EXAIR_EK

Industrial Housekeeping: Vacuum Flow vs. Vacuum Pressure!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR has vacuums for wet, dry and wet/dry combinations. Shop floors and manufacturing areas can be filthy places with build up from machining, trash, those random spare bolts that are lying around that nobody knows where they belong or came from. An electric vac is a common choice for these kinds of issues, but they tend to burn out their motors as all electric motors will eventually do. Well, there is a solution to this issue and that is a compressed air powered vacuums system. Compressed air powered dry vacs bring the same power as your standard electric vac with one added bonus, they don’t wear out! As long as you supply clean dry air to the vacuum generator that powers the system the unit will run indefinitely. The main question is which system do I get? 

EXAIR has Three categories of industrial vacuums;

We have Dry Vacs,

(Left to right) Chip Vac, Heavy Duty Dry Vac, Heavy Duty HEPA Vac

These systems are best suited handling dry materials due to the high vacuum flow!

Wet Vacs,

EXAIR's new Chip Trapper

These systems are best suited handling fluids due to their high vacuum level!

Last but not least we have our Wet and Dry Vacuums;

Great for use with dry, wet and duty product due to the changeable filter!

Here are a few important features that each product has in common:

  1. 80-100 PSIG is needed for optimal performance with each system
  2. No Electricity needed
  3. No moving parts to break
  4. No motor to repair
  5. 1.5″ vacuum hose (standard is 10 ft long)
    • Inter changeable tools form one system to another
    • Static resistant hose available
  6. Designed to fit on standard 55 gallon drums (5, 30, and 110 gallon drum options are available on certain models).
  7. All have filters for dust / debris – most have options for the level of filtration required.
  8. Quieter than comparable electric vacuums.

So why are dry Vacuums better with higher vacuum flow and liquid vacuums better with lower flow but higher vacuum pressures? Well, that is pretty easy if you think about it! When you are moving a dry product what is moving with the product? Air! So, we need the higher vacuum flow in order to get enough air behind the product to convey it from your floor to the 55 Gallon barrel! And vice versa with a liquid vacuum, when the hose in submerged in a fluid it requires a higher vacuum pressure in order to get the fluid to lift into the barrel!

Then you have the unicorn. The Easy Switch Wet Dry Vacuum is powerful enough to pull high vacuum flows and vacuum levels to be a true dual-purpose vacuum! (It can also be operated with a HEPA filter!)

If you need help selecting the right vacuum for your facility, give us a call. We have a team of Application Engineers on the ready to take you calls and help pick a solution>

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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EXAIR’s Safety Air Guns are the Ergonomic Answer

Published on by EricKuhnash@EXAIR.comLeave a comment
In addition to a variety of engineered Air Nozzles, you can customize your EXAIR Safety Air Gun with Chip Shields, Extensions, Stay Set Hoses, etc., to meet the particular needs of a specific application.

EXAIR has a nice selection of Safety Air Guns. The VariBlast Precision and Compact, Soft Grip, Heavy Duty and Super Blast Safety Air Guns are available with a variety of air nozzles, chip shields and pipe extensions. They are durable and comfortable and ergonomic to use.

These Safety Air Guns are designed with durability and comfort in mind while also ergonomically safe to use. Safe operation is assured along with low air consumption and noise levels.

EXAIR Engineered air nozzles are available in Type 316 stainless steel for superior corrosion resistance and mechanical wear, Type 303 stainless steel for corrosion resistance, PEEK thermoplastic for non-marring and chemical resistance or zinc/aluminum alloy for general purpose applications.

Flying Debris? – Chip Shields are durable polycarbonate shields that protect the operator from risk of flying debris often seen when blowing off chips from machined parts. They are also useful to prevent coolant from splashing back, creating a mess during drying processes.

The Chip Shields are available for EXAIR’s VariBlast, Soft Grip and Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns. The Chip Shield can be used on Safety Air Guns with or without an aluminum extension. They may be purchased as part of a new air gun system, or retrofitted as a Chip Shield Kit.  Consult an Application Engineer for selection assistance.

If you have a blow-off process where the air is to be directed at a distance away from the operator, or into a hard to reach location an extension is the solution. Available in lengths from 6″ (152mm) to 72″ (1829mm), with sizes as to meet most requirement can be found. To add an extension to an air gun, simply add -xx to the current part number..

EXAIR’s Stay Set Hoses are available from 6”-36” in lengths with ¼ NPT male threads on each end, or a ¼ NPT male on one end and 1/8 NPT female on the other. The Stay Set Hoses are rigid and allow you to maintain precise positioning of the blow off nozzle. The hoses have “memory” and will not creep or bend.

 If you need a 12′ coiled air hose, to use with your Safety Air Gun, we have them available and in stock. Available with 1/8 NPT, 1/4 NPT or 3/8 NPT male end swivel connections. Avoid tangled and messy air lines and keep things neat!

If you have ab application and need help deciding which EXAIR Safety Air Gun and/Nozzle you need. Please contact us and ask for any Application Engineer. We are always happy and eager to help.

Eric Kuhnash
Application Engineer
E-mail: EricKuhnash@exair.com
Twitter: Twitter: @EXAIR_EK