EXAIR’s patented Intellistat Ion Air Gun has been designed to eliminate static in sensitive processes like electronics testing or assembling, clean processes and laboratories. This video illustrates the ease of replacing its emitter point, which may be necessary after long term use. The video shows you how to open up the gun and replace the emitter point inside. It is a very simple process and will take only minutes. The tools needed are a 3/16″ socket and some pliers.
If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.
Cody Biehle Application Engineer EXAIR Corporation Visit us on the Web Follow me on Twitter Like us on Facebook
I used to help my father-in-law around his farm and this city boy had his eyes opened when he realized it was more than shovels, tractors and livestock. Agriculture is vital for human existence and has become far more advanced over the centuries with a continual thirst for efficiency and technology. Agriculture is just like many other industries looking for continued ways to increase yield, improve quality, maximize labor and improve technology.
EXAIR has many products used in the agriculture and food processing industries. The following details a few example by product line how we can influence efficiencies and quality of products:
EXAIRs Super Air Knives are have ben used to help harvest apples and peaches. In this case they use our Super Air Knives to dry and blow off the fruit after the rinsing process just before the waxing process then again after waxing to blow off any remaining debris or moisture from the fruit before being packed.
A processing company using the Super Air Knife to clean a conveying belt equipped with a weighing system. Before the installation of the the Super Air Knife some of the cut vegetables being weighed would stick to the belt. Their solution was to clean the conveyor belt with EXAIR’s Super Air Knife to ensure continuous operation of the weighing and packaging systems.
An onion farmer used EXAIR’s Model 1100 Super Air Nozzle to blow loose onion skins from the onions before packaging to improve the aesthetics to the customers.
A food packaging company repackages banana peppers from 55 gallon drums to 1 and 5 gallon containers using our Model 6066 3″ Stainless Steel Line Vac.
Using EXAIRs Model 150200 2″ Heavy Duty Line Vacs a feed stock manufacturer conveys various grains and feed stock simultaneously to a mixer which blends the ingredients. This reduced their blend time by 50%.
A grain processor used Model 142200 aluminum threaded Line Vac to convey small amounts of corn meal into a hopper which feeds into their inspection process.
A company producing worm eggs encapsulated in water soluble wax sold to farmers to enhance soil conditions. They eliminated a hand operation using Model 6081 1″ Aluminum Line Vac to convey the worm eggs from one classifier to another.
EXAIR has several applications using Atomizing Spray nozzles to add moisture in growing environments . Greenhouses use our Atomizing spray nozzles to control humidity in the air and keep their soils moist to maintain optimal growing environments.
There are many other applications using compressed AIR on farms such as filling tires, cleaning equipment, blowing out water lines and more. Technology drives labor savings and improved quality prototypes are being designed and tested to use compressed air using drones to shoot pods filled with seeds, fertilizer and other nutrients into the soil. EXAIR will remain a strong influence in the growth of compressed air products helping to reduce the carbon footprint, enhance efficiencies and improve cost and quality within the agriculture and food processing industries.
If you have an application and you would like to talk please contact me or any of our qualified Application Engineers at 800.903.9247 and we will gladly help with our best recommendations.
Fluid mechanics is the field that studies the properties of fluids in various states. There are two main areas; fluid statics and fluid dynamics. Fluid dynamics studies the forces on a fluid, either as a liquid or a gas, during motion. Osborne Reynolds, an Irish innovator, popularized this dynamic with a dimensionless number, Re. This number determines the state in which the fluid is moving; either laminar flow, transitional flow, or turbulent flow. Equation 1 below shows the relationship between the inertial forces of the fluid as compared to the viscous forces.
Equation 1: Re = V * Dh/u
Re – Reynolds Number (no dimensions)
V – Velocity (feet/sec or meters/sec)
Dh – hydraulic diameter (feet or meters)
u – Kinematic Viscosity (feet^2/sec or meter^2/sec)
The value of Re will mark the region in which the fluid (liquid or gas) is moving. If the Reynolds number, Re, is below 2300, then it is considered to be laminar (streamline and predictable). If Re is greater than 4000, then it is considered to be turbulent (chaotic and violent). The area between these two numbers is the transitional area where you can have eddy currents and some non-linear velocities. To better show the differences between each state, I have a picture below that shows water flowing from a drain pipe into a channel. The water is loud and disorderly; traveling in different directions, even upstream. With the high velocity of water coming out of the drain pipe, the inertial forces are greater than the viscous forces of the water. This indicates turbulent flow with a Reynolds number larger than 4000. As the water flows into the mouth of the river, the waves transform from a disorderly mess into a more uniform stream. This is the transitional region. A bit further downstream, the stream becomes calm and quiet, flowing in the same direction. This is laminar flow. Air is also a fluid, and it will behave in a similar way depending on the Reynolds number.
Turbulent to Laminar Water
Why is this important to know? In certain applications, one state may be better suited than the other. For mixing, suspension and heat transfer; turbulent flows are better. But, when it comes to effective blowing, lower pressure drops and reduced noise levels; laminar flows are better. In many compressed air applications, the laminar region is the best method to generate a strong force efficiently and quietly. EXAIR offers a large line of products, including the Super Air Knives, Super Air Amplifiers and Super Air Nozzles that utilizes that laminar flow for compressed air applications. If you would like to discuss further how laminar flows could benefit your process, an EXAIR Application Engineer will be happy to help you.
With Valentine’s Day coming up in the U.S. many of us will be buying chocolates for our significant other. My wife (somehow) doesn’t particularly care for chocolate, so I buy some for her anyway knowing that it will sit around until I eat it. I think most of us would agree that chocolate is even more delicious when melted and drizzled all over the top of just about anything. But, melted chocolate isn’t always a good thing.
I recently worked with a company that manufactures chocolate products. They came out with a new line of small candies and were encountering an issue during packaging. In their process, the chocolates are formed, cooled, and packaged for resale. During the packaging process they were experiencing a problem that caused the chocolates to melt. The bags are heat-sealed along the sides and bottom. This heat was transferring from the bag to the chocolates and causing them to melt. Rather than having a finished package of individual candies, they were melting together to form one large lump. Not exactly what they are hoping to deliver to their consumers.
Video of the bag filling process
Fortunately, EXAIR offers a range of different products that are suitable for cooling. For this application, they utilized a Model 5330 High Power Dual Outlet Cold Gun. With the fan-type nozzle installed, they were able to cool both sides of the package immediately after sealing and just before filling the bags with chocolates.
EXAIR’s Cold Gun was a Product of the Year finalist in 2007. Using only a source of compressed air, the Cold Gun and High-Power Cold Gun produces a stream of clean, cold air 50° (28°C) below your compressed air supply temperature. The Cold Gun is very quiet at only 70dBA and has no moving parts to wear out. Just supply it with clean, dry compressed air and its maintenance free! It’s available as both a standard and High-Power option, providing 2x the cooling power. Each style is available with either a single or dual cold outlet flow.
The Cold Gun is pre-set to an 80% Cold Fraction. In other words, 80% of the compressed air supplied to it will exhaust from the cold end of the tube, 20% from the hot end. This prevents the Cold Gun from freezing up during use and optimizes the gun’s cooling capacity. The Cold Gun is an ideal alternative to messy and expensive coolant mist systems. It eliminates the cost of purchase and disposal of cutting fluids as well as worker related health problems from breathing airborne coolant or slipping on wet floors. Replacing a coolant-based system also eliminates the need for secondary cleaning operations after milling or drilling.
If you have an application that you believe would be better served by the use of an EXAIR Cold Gun, give us a call.
