Category: Safety Air Gun

Revolutionize Your Internal Pipe Cleaning with EXAIR Back Blow Nozzles

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

In industrial manufacturing, cleaning the inside of pipes, tubes, and blind holes has traditionally been a challenge. Standard forward-blowing nozzles often push debris deeper or create safety hazards by ejecting material out the far end. EXAIR solved this problem with their innovative Back Blow Air Nozzles, designed specifically to “wipe” internal surfaces clean by directing airflow backwards toward the operator.

How They Work

These nozzles utilize the Coanda effect to amplify compressed air, entraining surrounding ambient air to create a high-velocity 360-degree cone of air. Because the air is directed back toward the inlet, it pulls coolant, chips, and debris out of the opening rather than forcing them further in.

See the “Back Blow Magic” in Action

Watch this EXAIR video demonstration to see a Back Blow Nozzle clear debris from a plugged pipe in a single pass.

Common Applications

Manufacturers across various industries use these nozzles to improve efficiency and safety. Typical uses include:

  • Machined Part Cleaning: Removing coolant and metal chips from blind holes or internal threads.
  • Hydraulic Cylinder Repair: Cleaning honed bores ranging from 2″ to 16″ in diameter.
  • Tube & Pipe Manufacturing: Clearing debris from long lengths of pipe where forward blowing is impractical.
  • CNC Machining: Quickly cleaning out spindles between tool changes.
  • Electronics Recycling: Removing residual powder from spent toner cartridges.

Key Product Features

  • Material: Manufactured from durable Type 316 Stainless Steel for superior corrosion and wear resistance.
  • Size Range: Available in three sizes—M4, 1/4 NPT, and 1 NPT—covering internal diameters from 1/4″ to 16″.
  • Safety & Compliance: Meets OSHA standards for noise and dead-end pressure.
  • Configurations: Can be mounted on VariBlast, Soft Grip, or Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns with extensions up to 72″ and optional chip shields for operator protection.

Would you like to know which Safety Air Gun model or extension length is best suited for your specific pipe diameter? Give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Understanding OSHA and Compressed Air Safety: A Guide for Modern Facilities

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Maintaining a safe workplace isn’t just a legal requirement—it’s the backbone of a productive and healthy business. One of the most common yet overlooked hazards in industrial environments is the improper use of compressed air. In this blog, we’ll break down what OSHA is, the specific risks of compressed air, and how EXAIR products can help you stay compliant while improving efficiency.

What is OSHA?

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a federal agency within the U.S. Department of Labor, established by the OSH Act of 1970. Its mission is to ensure safe and healthful working conditions by setting and enforcing standards and providing training, outreach, and assistance.

Under OSHA, employers have a fundamental responsibility to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards—a requirement known as the General Duty Clause.

Compressed Air: The Hidden Hazards

Compressed air is a powerful energy source, but it carries significant risks if not managed correctly. OSHA focuses on two primary safety standards regarding its use:

  • Dead-End Pressure (29 CFR 1910.242(b)): Compressed air used for cleaning must be reduced to less than 30 psi (pounds per square inch) if the nozzle is “dead-ended” or blocked. Higher pressures can cause air to enter the bloodstream (air embolism), leading to serious injury or even death.
  • Noise Exposure (29 CFR 1910.95(a)): High-velocity air can be incredibly loud. OSHA sets strict permissible noise exposure limits for workers during an 8-hour shift to prevent permanent hearing loss.
  • Chip Guarding: OSHA also requires “effective chip guarding” and personal protective equipment (PPE) to protect workers from flying debris when using compressed air for cleaning.

How EXAIR Products Ensure Compliance

Many facilities struggle to balance the need for high-force air with these safety regulations. EXAIR specializes in “Intelligent Compressed Air” products designed to meet or exceed OSHA standards without sacrificing performance.

1. Safety Air Guns

EXAIR Safety Air Guns are engineered to be safe even when used with air supplies at 80–120 psi. They feature specialized nozzles that cannot be dead-ended, ensuring the static pressure remains below 30 psi:

Model 1210 Soft Grip Safety Air is fitted with an EXAIR Super Air Nozzle. We can also supply it with a Rigid Extension and Chip Shield (right).

Model 1210 Soft Grip Safety Air Gun with Model 1100T Air Nozzle, operating at just 74 dBA—well below OSHA’s 8-hour limit. Featuring an ergonomic design, this Air Gun can be fitted with zinc-aluminum, stainless steel, or PEEK plastic nozzles.

2. Engineered Air Nozzles

Instead of using open-ended pipes (which are loud, wasteful, and unsafe), EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles use a small amount of compressed air to entrain large volumes of surrounding air. This creates a quiet, high-velocity laminar flow.

EXAIR Super Air Nozzle entrainment
  • Safety Feature: Fins on the nozzle allow air to escape if the tip is pressed against a surface, preventing dangerous pressure buildup.

3. Chip Shields and Extensions

To meet the “chip guarding” requirement, EXAIR offers polycarbonate chip shields that can be added to any safety air gun (look for the -CS suffix on models like the 1240-CS). Extension pipes are also available to allow cleaning of hard-to-reach areas while keeping the operator at a safe distance.

Final Thoughts

OSHA inspections are often unannounced. By replacing unsafe, loud, and inefficient blow off tools with EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air products, you not only protect your workers from injury and hearing loss but also avoid costly fines and reduce your facility’s energy consumption.

To discuss which EXAIR product can make your facility safer, give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Banner Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Dude, Where’s My Safety Air Gun?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I am the poster child for misplaced items. A couple of years back, I lost the key to my truck. I looked for it for WEEKS (it’s not my daily driver) — and finally admitted defeat. A local locksmith offered mobile service, which was kind of expensive but not as bad as I thought, and made me a new key in about a half hour. He actually made two (my wife insisted) and having my truck back just in time for that spring’s mulch was well worth it. Knowing the location of the spare key is nice & comforting too.

Just last fall, I lost my glasses one fine Friday afternoon. I’m only moderately nearsighted, so it was just a mild-to-moderate inconvenience. After a quick trip to the eye doctor and a local business that makes glasses on the same day, I had two new pairs of glasses (my wife, again, insisted on the 2nd pair.) When I got home, my “lost” glasses were on the counter…she’d found them between the arm of the couch and the end table. Ironically, if I’d had a pair of glasses, I’d have found them easily since that’s one of the first places I looked, but was unable to see them with my compromised vision.

Last month, both of those incidents came to mind when the Press Release dropped for a new EXAIR product: our Model 5920 Air Cradle.

EXAIR’s new Air Cradle is a simple but innovative accessory designed to keep safety air guns and similarly sized tools within easy reach at workstations and machine centers.

It’ll hold up to 10lbs, so you can even leave the air supply hose hooked up. Using the Air Cradle means you won’t have to search for your Safety Air Gun, worry about it getting damaged or dropped, and you’ll be one step closer to having a well-organized work space.

Now, I’m not saying that if I had a “truck key cradle” or an “eyeglasses cradle” I wouldn’t have lost my keys or glasses…it’s important to note that one has to actually USE handy organizational tools to be organized…but it would’ve definitely lowered the chances of losing them.

I think it’s also important to note that the Air Cradle came about as a direct result of a customer or two asking about properly stowing their Safety Air Gun. We have regularly scheduled meetings where we discuss calls like that, and the Air Cradle was the direct result of such a conversation. If you have questions about compressed air in general, or EXAIR engineered compressed air products specifically, we’d love to hear from you…whether your call leads to a new product’s development or not!

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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EXAIR’s Family of Safety Air Guns

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

If you’re tired of noisy, inefficient air guns that guzzle compressed air and risk operator safety, it’s time to level up. In today’s fast-paced manufacturing world, blowoff tools need to be smart – not just strong. Enter EXAIR’s lineup of Safety Air Guns, designed to meet OSHA standards while slashing noise, energy use, and fatigue. And the best part? We’ve got a quick video that breaks it all down in under 3 minutes. Watch the Video Below!

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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