Category: Super Air Nozzle

Measure and Reduce Your Sound Level!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

When you walk around a manufacturing facility, one of the things you will notice is they are typically pretty loud. All the processes going on start to add up to an excessive level not safe for personnel.

OSHA Standard 29 CFR – 1910.95(a) identifies the maximum allowable Noise Exposure by hours and sound level. If exposed to excessive levels of sound over a period of time, hearing impairment or even a total loss of hearing are quite possible when not wearing proper hearing protection.

How can you determine if the sound levels in your facility are exceedingly high? EXAIR has a Digital Sound Level Meter Model 9104 system that allows a user to measure sound pressure levels within the environment. This meter is calibrated from EXAIR and is able to measure the sound pressure level in decibels (dB) on either the A scale or the C scale with fast or slow response. This allows the user to identify those areas which are loud enough to require PPE to guard against hearing loss. Or, maybe a true problem that needs repair is identified and the sound is reduced in that way too.

Once you are able to make measurements, you can identify the applications that need to be addressed through repairs, attenuation efforts or through PPE requirements. Following are some of the most common sources of excessive compressed air noise levels:

  • Open pipe blow offs
  • Cross-drilled holes in Safety Air Gun Nozzles
  • Liquid nozzles that are used for air blow offs
  • Poorly designed air nozzles

By simply replacing the open tubes and cross drilled nozzles with an Engineered EXAIR Super Air Nozzle, you can quickly reduce air consumption AND reduce the sound level just like the application below!

 One Case Study I can Share, where a machine shop was blowing off parts they make for the military that are classified in nature. They had crimped copper tubing pointed at the cutting tool, and it worked…it was just loud and wasteful. Our customer zipped the crimped ends off and installed Model 1100 Super Air Nozzles using a simple compression fitting. Sorry, we couldn’t show the machined part in the lathe chuck. It was a proprietary part for the customer:

Replaced open copper tube with a 1100 Super Air Nozzle

This quick and easy change to an EXAIR solution saved 2.7 SCFM per nozzle (over $840.00 a year in compressed air savings), and reduced the sound level from 96dBA to only 76dBA. A 20 dBA reduction!

EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products have been making things better for compressed air users for almost forty years. If you’d like to find out how MUCH better we can make things for you, give me a call.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Air Nozzles and Jets Stay Set Hoses

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Very few applications are exactly alike. In fact, many applications have very specific needs; only a certain material will work, or a specific amount of force is needed, or the air flow needs to be directed at just the right location. You will have a hard time finding more flexibility and customization than with our Air Nozzles and Jets when combined with our Stay Set Hoses.

 EXAIR’s Air Nozzles come in a variety of materials, including Zinc-Aluminum, Stainless Steel Type 303 and 316, Brass, and PEEK (plastic). Each of the materials will cater to different situations – PEEK is non-marring for working with sensitive products. Stainless steel can withstand high temperatures when that is a concern.
In addition to multiple materials, EXAIR’s Air Nozzles can also produce a wide range of forces from 2oz all the way up to 23lbs. Whether you need a precise blowoff, or a forceful blast, we have you covered. With all of these variations, we have over 70 different nozzles to choose from!


Even with all of these options, there is one thing all of EXAIR’s Air Nozzles and Jets have in common. They are all designed to be compliant with OSHA 1910.242(b), which states “the use of compressed air for cleaning purposes at pressures at or greater than 30 psi is permissible if the outlet or source is fitted with a relief device that drops the pressure to less than 30 psi if the flow is dead-ended”. Our design achieves this by preventing the openings from being blocked off. This also has the added benefit of helping entrain the ambient air, making them very efficient in their compressed air usage.

Once you add in our Stay Set Hoses, the customization increases exponentially. Our Stay Set Hoses have a memory function, so they won’t creep or droop until you physically move them. They are perfect for directing the air flow in a particular direction, or at a specific target. The Stay Set Hoses come in lengths from 6” (15cm) to 36” (91cm), and they have threaded connections with either 1/4” NPT male on both ends or with a 1/8” NPT female X 1/4” NPT male thread.  The hoses are made from reinforced synthetic rubber and have a maximum pressure rating of 250 PSIG.

Flexible and durable, EXAIR Stay Set Hoses come in lengths from 6″ to 36″.

Whatever the specifics of your application are, we are sure to have a great solution. If you would like to discuss options for your application, feel free to contact me.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Utilizing EXAIR Accessories

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Here at EXAIR we are very proud of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products. We can spend a lot of time talking about our favorites (mine is the Vortex Tube). We have written many blogs about the advantages – no moving parts, little to no maintenance, meeting or exceeding OSHA safety standards for noise or dead end pressure. One thing we don’t talk as much about are the accessories that go along with and complement our products.

From left to right; a few value added accessories for your Vortex Tube: Hot Muffler, Cold Muffler, Automatic Drain Filter Separator, Oil Removal Filter, and Solenoid Valve/Thermostat Kit.

Some of the most commonly used accessories are our compressed air Filters and Regulators. We would recommend the use of these with all of our products (or even with products that aren’t even ours).
The Filter Separator will remove water, dirt and rust from your compressed air system. The 5-micron filter element will keep contaminants from plugging or damaging your compressed air product.
An Oil Removal Filter (always placed downstream of our Filter Separator) will provide even finer filtration by removing oil and solid particulate using a 0.03-micron element.
Our Pressure Regulators will enable you to select the operating pressure. At EXAIR we always recommend operating at the minimum pressure required to get the job done. Pressure Regulators allow you to do that, saving on unnecessary air consumption and allowing for dialing in the performance of EXAIR products within an application.

For some of our products, we have accessories made specifically for them. For use with our Line Vacs we have Line Vac Hose. We have Thermostats and Solenoid Valves to pair with our Cabinet Coolers, and for our Vortex Tubes we would recommend our Mufflers.
For our Air Knives we have several great offerings:
If you need an easy and reliable way to mount your Air Knife, then our Universal Air Knife Mounting System is what you are looking for.
If your application requires something longer than our stock Knives, or perhaps you need to control certain sections of the air flow independently, then our Coupling Bracket Kits are the perfect fit.
If you want to make plumbing your Air Knife easy, take a look at our Air Knife Plumbing Kits. They can be used for all Air Knives longer than 24″.

If you need to plumb many of our other Intelligent Compressed Air Products, then we have a selection of compressed air hoses and fittings that will make life easier.
Our Coiled Hoses pair well with our Safety Air Guns, allowing you to move more freely while operating.
Our Compressed Air Hoses are commonly used with our Industrial Housekeeping products to give the drum and dolly the reach needed.

If you need a way to mount or position your Air Nozzles, then we have our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings that can be added to make a complete set-up.

Whatever your application’s need is, or the product you’re looking for, we certainly have a range of complimentary accessory products that will make installation and adjustment easier. If you have any questions about these, or any other EXAIR product, feel free to contact us.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun’s: Powerful and Safe

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun is designed to provide powerful blasts of compressed air for use in rugged, industrial environments. With a larger 3/8 NPT air inlet compared to our other Safety Air Guns, it allows for higher force and flow values. It comes with a durable cast aluminum body and ergonomic composite rubber grip. The wide curved trigger allows for continuous use for hours without operators experiencing fatigue.

1350-6-CS – Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun with Model 1104 Air Nozzle, 6″ Alum. Ext Pipe & Chip Shield

All of EXAIR’s Safety Air Guns come with an engineered compressed air nozzle at the tip. This allows you to remain OSHA compliant while still getting the force you need to get the job done. EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles utilize the coanda effect to entrain large amounts of ambient air from the environment. This ambient air mixes with the primary airstream and is projected towards the target with more force and flow than the supplied compressed air could deliver alone.

Compressed air goes in the back, as it exits the front ambient air is entrained in the total flow of air you are getting.

Each of the Safety Air Guns is available with extensions fully assembled ranging from 6”-72”. You can simply add a “-“ and the required length, in inches, to the end of any Safety Air Gun Model number.

Safety Air Gun Extensions

In addition, they’re also available with a Chip Shield to prevent any chips or debris from coming back toward your operators. Effective chip guarding is another component of OSHA 1910.242(b) in addition to the concerns of dead-end pressure. To add a Chip Shield onto the gun as well, a “-CS” to the standard Model number. For example, a Model 1310-12-CS would be a 1310 gun with 12” extension and a Chip Shield installed. If the application involves blowing off metal chips or shavings, your operators will certainly appreciate this Chip Shield preventing the debris from blowing back over them.

With EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun, you can still achieve the high forces required for tough applications without the risk of injuries to personnel. Do yourselves and your operators a favor and get one on order today!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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