Category: Line Vac

Sanitary Flange Line Vac Improves Rice Recovery Process for Food Manufacturer

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

In food manufacturing, process efficiency and cleanliness are absolutely critical. I recently worked with a customer in the food industry who processes and packages rice for large-scale distribution. Like many processors, they had an area of the facility dedicated to reclaiming excess or spilled product during transfer, but the method they were using was far from ideal.

For years, their team had been manually collecting the spilled rice from a transfer chute and returning it to a hopper using scoops and buckets. Not only was this time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it also posed potential contamination risks. Any time you’re dealing with open product and manual handling in a food facility, the door is open for quality issues.

The customer came to us looking for a more streamlined solution that could eliminate manual handling and improve process control. After evaluating the layout and requirements, we recommended our 2” Sanitary Flange Line Vac (Model 161200-316). Designed with Type 316 stainless steel sanitary flange connections, it was a perfect fit for their wash-down environment and met the necessary hygienic standards.

Once installed, the Line Vac was mounted to a short section of flexible tubing that connected directly to their recovery bin. It now continuously pulls excess rice from the catch tray beneath the transfer line and sends it directly back to the hopper.

The result? A safer, cleaner, and far more efficient process. What used to take one or two operators several hours throughout the shift is now handled automatically. It reduced labor costs, improved their ability to maintain a clean facility, and made the entire operation more consistent.

Whether you’re moving powders, granules, or in this case, rice, EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vac provides a reliable, easy-to-integrate conveying solution for food-grade applications. If you’re still using buckets and scoops to move product from Point A to Point B, it might be time to see what a little compressed air can do for your process.

EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange (and all other styles of Line Vac) are available to ship same-day from stock with an order received by 2:00 ET. They are backed by our unconditional 30-day guarantee. If your processes involve manual transfer of bulk materials, I would wholeheartedly encourage you to give one a try.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

The 30-Day Guarantee Gives You Confidence.

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

When you make a purchase, you want to have confidence that the solution that you’ve spent money on is going to work. With many of the applications that we discuss with customers, the solutions are tried and tested. If your electrical panel is getting too hot, then an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler is exactly what you need. If there’s static on your assembly line, a Gen4 Static Elimination product is the way to go. And if you need to blow off excess water from an extruded pipe, a Super Air Wipe is the perfect fix.

There are plenty of situations where the solution isn’t clear-cut. We believe our products can make a difference, but with so many variables, it’s impossible to just plug everything into a formula and predict the exact outcome. The only way to know for sure is to test. That’s where EXAIR’s 30-day unconditional guarantee comes into play. Every one of our cataloged products is covered by this guarantee. Once you buy one of these items, you have a month to really test it out; change the angle, tweak the operating pressure, or swap out shims. If you manage to find the right setup to fix your issue, awesome! If not, we’ll gladly take it back and give you a full refund! The only thing you need to cover is the shipping to return it to us.

A great example of where testing is key is our Line Vacs. There are several factors to consider: the bulk density of the material, its size, whether it’s abrasive, the desired conveyance rate, and the distance for conveyance – both vertical and horizontal. By using the data we’ve gathered from our controlled in-house tests, we’re going to be able to give you a solid recommendation on which model will suit you best. However, to truly understand how our Line Vac will perform with your specific material and operational conditions, it needs to be put through its paces at your facility. When you buy from us, you get 30 days to try it out risk-free.

At EXAIR, we want to ensure you are getting the best possible solution. Our 30-day unconditional guarantee is one way that we make that a reality. If you would like to discuss how our products can help with your application, give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Banner Image by Bruno from Pixabay

Special Line Vacs for Special Applications

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Line Vacs are a great option for replacing your ‘bucket and ladder‘ operation. There are many factors that need to be considered when selecting the best option – how far are you looking to convey? What conveyance rate are you looking to achieve? Is your material abrasive? – to name a few.
Using data we have gathered from our controlled in-house testing, we can almost always recommend a stock-option Line Vac that will meet your application’s needs.

There are some instances however, when your needs will be better met with a custom solution. In this blog I wanted to highlight a few custom Line Vacs that we have produced for customers in the past:

This Special Mini Line Vac was designed with barbed fittings (unlike the hose or threaded fittings) for easier installation for a manufacturer of integrated circuit chips. It was used to remove microscopic debris. The small body and high vacuum flow made it a perfect fit for the confined working space.


This 1 ½” Flanged Line Vac was designed using PVDF to provide a superior chemical resistance. In this case, the unit was going to be exposed to a chloride wash which would corrode all versions of steel, including stainless steel. The QF Flanges were also added to provide easy disassembly when the Line Vac was scheduled for cleaning.

This Special Flanged Line Vac was used to convey a measured granulated material into a pouch. The funnel side was loaded with the pre-measured material and pushed into a mesh pouch when the air was activated.


This Special Flanged Refumigation Line Vac was used to retrofit existing machinery to remove acidic vapors resulting from surface etching of a silicon wafer. Where this would typically be a nice fit for a Stainless Steel Air Amplifier, the existing exhaust piping was lengthy with many bends that would have caused back pressure on any Air Amplifiers. In this case, they needed additional force from the Line Vac to overcome this downstream resistance.

This Special Threaded 1″ Aluminum Line Vac was used to remove fumes from a welding application, and needed to be threaded into a flame retardant filter bag. The custom threads allowed them to screw the filter bag directly onto the line vac with the added insurance of a threaded connection to prevent sparks from escaping the bag.

As you can see, we have many examples of non-stock Line Vacs (as well as special items from other product lines). If you have an application you would like to discuss, feel free to give me a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Sanitary Flange Line Vac for Food and Pharmaceutical Conveying Applications

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

I recently wrote a blog about a great Sanitary Flange Line Vac application, Application Spotlight! – Conveying Products Through a Metal Detector. This was a great way to show the flexibility of the sanitary line vac operation in a very important metal detection operation for a pharmaceutical operation.

EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vac is the ideal solution for customers looking to convey bulk materials in food & pharmaceutical applications (among others). Operating in the same manner as EXAIR’s smooth and NPT threaded Line Vacs, the Sanitary Flange Line Vac is available in (4) common flange sizes: 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”, and 3”.  All of EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vacs are constructed of Type 316 Stainless Steel for superior corrosion resistance.

There are different styles of flanges in industry. The Sanitary Flange Line Vac has been designed according to the flange standard outlined in ISO 2852. This standard was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 5, Ferrous metal pipes and metallic fittings, Sub-Committee SC 1, Steel tubes. This is the second edition that replaces the first edition (ISO 2852:1974). The standard specifies the dimensions, tolerances, surface roughness, materials, assembling, and the hygienic requirements for the flange. These styles of flange are intended to be used with stainless steel tubes, specified in ISO 2037. ISO 2852 is considered an international standard, defining the connections used for non-permanent food-grade piping systems used within the pharmaceutical, food processing, dairy and agricultural industries.

In these industries, it’s required for the components to be cleaned thoroughly and sanitized. Using this type of connector, components within the piping system can be easily removed, sanitized, and then reassembled. A lipped flange with a grooved indentation is on each end of the pipe and Line Vac. A sealing gasket is then placed in between each section of pipe. A raised groove on either end allows it to seat into the mating end of each flange. A clamp is then placed on the outside, forcing the sections together and compressing the gasket, creating an airtight seal.

If your processes currently utilize sanitary flange piping, EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vac is the ideal solution to help you convey bulk materials from one point to another quickly, safely, and efficiently. If you have interest to test one out in your process, EXAIR offers an Unconditional 30-Day Guarantee on all stock items. They’re on the shelf now, available to ship on the same day, with an order by 2:00 Eastern Time!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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