Category: Sustainability

Another “Bucket And Ladder” Operation, Foiled By The Line Vac

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Let me start by saying that EXAIR Corporation has nothing against buckets. Or ladders. We use them both here for a variety of tasks, and are very satisfied with them. But when they’re used together…that’s where we’re going to take exception. And we’re not the only ones.

I had the pleasure of speaking to an expert technician with a company that provides world class water recycling equipment & services. They use our Model 140200 2″ NPT Threaded Aluminum Line Vacs to move bentonite clay (an amazingly versatile purification & absorption media) from 50 lb bags into a hopper. It is then dispersed into a holding tank of oily water, where it removes the pollutants and impurities, allowing for clean recycling.  And, since they no longer have to carry it up a ladder and pour it in, it’s also safer and more efficient.

Model 140200 2" NPT Aluminum Threaded Line Vac moves bentonite clay into water recycling tank.
Model 140200 2″ NPT Aluminum Threaded Line Vac moves bentonite clay into water recycling tank.

EXAIR Corporation is committed to being proactive about the way we impact the environment. Our Sustainability Plan details the way we do this in regards to our responsible consumption of resources, our conscientious waste recycling measures, and the comprehensive impact of our products…everything from materials & design, to their efficient usage, to packaging. So, when our products are used in  application geared toward like-minded goals, it’s a win-win-win. For EXAIR, our customers, and the environment.

This is one of many ways that EXAIR’s diverse line of compressed air products are not only making processes more efficient, but making the world a better place through dedication to being “clean and green.” If you’d like to know more, please give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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EXAIR Gives More Than Compressed Air Savings

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

EXAIR is a company that is built around saving, sustainability, and doing the right thing.  Our products focus on saving compressed air, reducing sound levels, and improving the safe operation of compressed air blow offs.   EXAIR is also focused on ways to give back to our community and better our team.  Over the past year EXAIR, through an employee sponsorship program, has given back to over 30 charities.  This program is open to all EXAIR employees and enables us to select a charity event that we wish to participate in and EXAIR will sponsor our participation. Fortunately, many events have a charitable arm associated with them and we have a great deal of events to choose. This leads to us, the employees, being able to contribute to charities we want to, but also gets us out and doing these events and staying active.

Over the past year EXAIR has sponsored employees in over 30 different charity backed events. This list continues to grow every year and this does not include the charities that we have always supported through direct donations or volunteering, for instance.

The picture below is of our 7 person team for the Tough Mudder in Kentucky for 2016, out of the 7, 6 are employees that were all sponsored and chose to support Wounded Warrior through running the Tough Mudder for the 2nd year in a row, first time in Kentucky, and third Tough Mudder for a few of us.

 

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EXAIR Crew at the 2016 Kentucky Tough Mudder

For myself, the best part of working for a company that not only gives to charities but encourages their employees to get out and participate within our communities, is knowing and experiencing these events together.   To give an idea we had five separate departments represented at just this event.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager “One Tough Mudder”
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

 

EXAIR Webinar- Intelligent Compressed Air®: Simple Steps for Big Savings

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

What makes a product “intelligent,” and how can you benefit in terms of compressed air use? We’re glad you asked…here’s our answer:

If you’d like to discuss a particular application and/or product selection, give me a call.  Thanks for watching.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Low Pressure Alarms Got You Down?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

When the operating air pressure within a manufacturing facility drops it is easily noticed.  This is because the equipment that is depending on that air pressure to stay above a set point will generally stop working and halt in an alarm state safely.  (This is not always the case and in fact I have personally seen machines crash due to low compressed air pressure.)  This creates down time, safety hazards, equipment hazards and is all around not good for production.  This is why low pressure alarms are taken very seriously in most facilities.(See the video below.)

 

Sometimes the reason behind low air pressure in areas is easy to find.  If the alarm happens every time a machine reaches a point in the production cycle where air is used to blow parts off then the point of use blow off can be looked at to see how its efficiency can be maximized.   Other times it is not so simple.  There may not be a pattern to when the low pressure alarm goes off and therefore cannot be easily traced.   This is where the 6 Steps To Compressed Air Optimization comes in to play.  The best way to narrow down what area the fault is generating in is to get some base line measurements on the total air usage for the system by using a product like the Digital Flowmeter with USB Data logger.

EXAIR's Digital Flowmeter w/ USB Data Logger
EXAIR’s Digital Flowmeter w/ USB Data Logger

Once the baseline is known for the complete system, measuring the main branch lines for the systems will then need to be performed. This could be on the main header where it branches off to individual areas of the plant, or if it is a small shop any line that is off the main header.  By recording the usage over a period of time it will highlight use trends including low use/high use times and random spikes in demand you may not be aware of. The next step would be to then look further into the high use and random spikes. If a flow meter is placed on individual legs of the air system, it will be easier to determine what area of the plant is causing high use, or knowing what processes occur during the time period shown in the data.

By having flow meters on individual branches the cause of the high demand on the compressed air system will become very clearer, whether it be an open pipe blow off, stuck valve on a drain, or just an operator not paying attention, the cause will be able to be determined and eliminated.

EXAIR offers a full range of Digital Flowmeters with USB data loggers and we offer custom calibrations as well as sizes to fit virtually any compressed air piping you may have within your facility.   Feel free to contact an Application Engineer to discuss the possibilities.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF