Exploring the Versatility of EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In industrial settings, maintaining a clean, efficient, and safe workspace is a constant challenge. Whether it’s removing debris, transferring materials, or blowing off surfaces, the tools used need to be reliable, cost-effective, and adaptable. Enter EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun—a compressed air-powered, multi-functional device designed to tackle a variety of industrial housekeeping tasks. In this blog, we’ll dive into the technical details of the Vac-u-Gun, how it operates, and the applications where it shines.

Constructed from durable die-cast aluminum, the Vac-u-Gun has no moving parts, ensuring minimal maintenance and a long operational life. Switching between vacuum and blow-off modes is simple—just unscrew the threaded cap, reverse the orientation of the internal generator, and reassemble. This versatility, combined with its ergonomic trigger operation, makes it an indispensable tool for industrial environments.

How Does It Work?

The Vac-u-Gun’s functionality hinges on its reversible generator:

  • Vacuum Mode: When configured for vacuuming, compressed air (typically 80-100 PSIG) flows into an annular plenum chamber and exits through directed nozzles, creating a low-pressure zone that draws in surrounding air and debris. The material is then directed into a reusable bag or hose for collection.
  • Blow-Off Mode: In blow-off mode, the generator is flipped, and the compressed air is expelled through a large 1-1/4″ (32 mm) diameter outlet, providing a powerful stream for cleaning or drying surfaces.
  • Transfer Mode: By attaching a smooth-bore vacuum hose, the Vac-u-Gun can move lightweight materials over short distances, making it ideal for material handling tasks.

Applications Best Suited for the Vac-u-Gun

The Vac-u-Gun’s adaptability makes it a go-to solution for a wide range of industrial tasks. Here are some of its standout applications:

  1. Small-Scale Debris Cleanup – The Vac-u-Gun excels at vacuuming up sawdust, shavings, chips, or spills in workshops and manufacturing facilities. For example, a woodworking shop can use the Collection System to quickly clean up sawdust from workbenches, capturing it in the reusable bag without spreading it around the floor.
  2. Surface Cleaning and Blow-Off – In blow-off mode, the Vac-u-Gun is perfect for drying or clearing dust and dirty surfaces like electrical panels or machinery parts. Its large-diameter output ensures rapid coverage, making it a time-saver in fast-paced production lines.
  3. Material Transfer – When paired with a vacuum hose (as in the Transfer System), the Vac-u-Gun can move lightweight materials like polystyrene pellets or plastic granules over short distances. A bean bag chair manufacturer, for instance, could use it to transfer filling material from a bag to the product, eliminating the mess and tedium of manual scooping.
  4. Specialized Cleaning with the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun Variant – For applications requiring the removal of chips from drilled holes or grooves—like in automotive part machining—the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun variant offers a targeted solution. A small blow tube dislodges debris while the suction tube vacuums it away, all while containing flying particles for operator safety.

EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun is more than just a tool—it’s a problem-solver. Whether you’re cleaning up a mess, transferring materials, or clearing surfaces, its technical design delivers efficiency and reliability in a compact package. For industries looking to boost productivity while keeping costs and maintenance low, the Vac-u-Gun is a worthy investment.

If you’re curious about how the Vac-u-Gun can fit into your operations, reach out to an EXAIR Application Engineer. With same-day shipping on stock items (orders by 2:00 PM ET), you could have it in hand by tomorrow—ready to tackle your toughest housekeeping challenges.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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EXAIR’s Knowledge Base

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

At EXAIR, we are dedicated to equipping our customers with the essential tools to address challenges and train their personnel through a diverse range of offerings, collectively referred to as the Knowledge Base. This resource is organized by various criteria to provide practical, experience-based solutions.

In our Knowledge Base, you will discover case studies that showcase how we have assisted customers in enhancing their processes, reducing compressed air consumption to save costs, and improving worker safety. Additionally, we provide a categorized list of frequently asked questions by product line, a collection of calculators designed to estimate potential savings, and various application examples to illustrate our impact.

We offer a collection of previously recorded webinars that you can access for free at your convenience. These sessions cover a range of topics, including the differences between inefficient and engineered nozzles, static generation, and methods for identifying and repairing leaks. Additionally, our video library features product demonstrations, informal content, and practical tips for maximizing the use of our products. We also provide Application Assistance and an Efficiency Lab, which facilitates tailored recommendations and performance comparisons.

Alongside the extensive resources found in the Knowledge Base, EXAIR boasts a team of skilled Application Engineers who possess expertise across a diverse range of industries and processes. It is likely that one of our engineers has encountered a similar application, and we are eager to assist you in finding the most effective solution.

If you have questions about our Knowledge Base, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Secondary Receiver Tanks: Preparing for High-Demand Events.

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
Use intermediate storage near the point of use.

Secondary receiver tanks can be strategically placed throughout the plant to improve the “ebbs and flows” of pneumatic demands.  The primary receiver tanks help to protect the supply side when demands are high, and the secondary receiver tanks help pneumatic systems on the demand side.  The purpose of secondary air storage is for dedicated end-use systems or for additional capacity at the end of distribution lines.  Essentially, it is easier and more efficient for compressed air to travel from a nearby source rather than traveling through long lengths of pipe.  With any high-demand use equipment, it is beneficial to have additional storage installed nearby within the compressed air system.

For comparison, I would like to relate a pneumatic system to an electrical system.  The receiver tanks would be like capacitors.  They store pressurized air like a capacitor stores energy from an electrical source.  If you have ever seen an electrical circuit board, you will notice many capacitors of different sizes throughout the circuit board.  The reason for this is to have a ready source of energy to increase efficiency and speeds with the ebbs and flows of electrical signals.  The same can be said for a pneumatic system with secondary receiver tanks.

To cover a current application, I had a customer that was looking at a model 1122108; 108” (2,743mm) Gen4 Super Ion Air Knife Kit.  The application was to remove static and debris from insulated panels for large refrigerated trailers.  They were worried about how much compressed air it would use, and they were considering a blower-type system.  I went through the negative aspects of blower-type systems, like loud noise levels, capital expense, high maintenance cost, large footprint, and ineffectiveness with turbulent air flows.  But, when you are limited to the amount of compressed air, it may seem difficult to get the best product for your application.  Looking at it another way, I asked him if the process was intermittent; and it was.  The cycle rate was 2 minutes on and 10 minutes off.  I was able to recommend a secondary tank to help ease the high demand for their compressed air system.

To calculate the volume size of your secondary receiver tank, we can use Equation 1 below.  It is the same for sizing a primary receiver tank, but the scalars are slightly different.  The supply line to this tank will typically come from a header pipe that supplies the entire facility.  Generally, it is smaller in diameter, so we have to look at the air supply that it can feed into the tank.  For example, a 1” NPT Schedule 40 pipe at 100 PSIG (7 bar) can supply a maximum of 150 SCFM (255 M3/hr) of air flow.  This value is used for Cap below.  The C value is the largest air demand for the machine or equipment that will be using the tank.  If the C value is less than the Cap value, then a secondary tank is not needed.  If the Cap is below the C value, then we can calculate the smallest tank volume that would be needed.  The other value in the equation is the minimum tank pressure.  In most cases, a regulator is used to set the air pressure for the machine or area.  If the specification is 80 PSIG (5.5 bar), then you would use this value as P2.  P1 is the header pressure that will be coming into the secondary tank.  With this collection of information, you can use Equation 1 to calculate the minimum tank volume. 

Equation 1:

V = T * (C – Cap) * (Pa) / (P1-P2)

Where:

V – Volume of receiver tank – Imperial (ft3) or SI (M3)

T – Time interval (minutes)

C – Air demand for system – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M3/min)

Cap – Supply value of inlet pipe – Imperial (SCFM) or SI (M3/min)

Pa – Absolute atmospheric pressure – Imperial (PSIA) or SI (Bar)

P1 – Header Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

P2 – Regulated Pressure – Imperial (PSIG) or SI (Bar)

In many cases, you can also lengthen the time to refill the secondary receiver by restricting the refill rate with a valve, so that it is more of a constant, but much lower draw on the compressor system. This technique also helps to diminish the impact of the large-use items attached to a customer’s system.

For the customer above, I am still getting more details about their system before we finalize on a solution.  But the important point in utilizing this concept is that we went from a “we don’t have enough compressed air” to a “we can use a better solution with the Super Ion Air Knife” and here’s how.

If you find that your compressed air system needs a boost for your pneumatic process, we may be able to recommend a secondary receiver tank for your system.  EXAIR does offer 60-gallon tanks, model 9500-60, to add to those specific areas.  If you have any questions about using a receiver tank in your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Different Spray Patterns For Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Atomizing Spray Nozzles use compressed air to atomize liquid flow. Across the product line, we offer a wide range of liquid flow rates. Model SF8010SS Siphon Fed Flat Fan Pattern 1/8 NPT Atomizing Spray Nozzle can get as low as 0.14 gallons per hour. That’s about a quarter of an ounce – a little less than two teaspoons – per minute. On the other end of the spectrum, Model EF5010SS External Mix Narrow Angle Flat Fan Pattern 1/2 NPT Atomizing Spray Nozzle can provide up to 303 gallons per hour of liquid flow (we tested with water; if you’re spraying something else – especially if the viscosity or specific gravity is different – your mileage may vary.) That’s about 5 gallons per minute, or approximately twice the amount of flow from a typical kitchen faucet.

Both of those Atomizing Spray Nozzles create flat fan patterns:

Flat Fan pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are ideal for rinsing wine bottles, spraying rust inhibitor on parts on a conveyor, or rinsing wine bottles. I know I mentioned wine bottles twice…I like wine.

Flat Fan Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles can generate flat fans as narrow as 3″ (at a distance of 6″ from the spray tip) or as wide as 68″ (at a distance of 15″ from the spray tip.) They’re available for Internal Mix, External Mix, or Siphon Fed operation. Most of them spray straight out from the Air Cap, as shown above, but Model AD1010SS (right) has a Deflected Fan Pattern, so it sprays at a right angle to the Spray Nozzle’s orientation. They’re particularly well-suited for installation in tight spaces or anywhere that space is at a premium.

Other applications call for round patterns. These are great for dust mitigation, humidification, applying paint or lubrication, light misting, or heavy soaking, just to name a few. They can make round patterns with diameters as small as 1.5″ (at a distance of 6″ from the spray tip) to 31″ (at a distance of 15″ from the spray tip.)

Round pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are popularly used for applying lubricating fluid to machine tools, flame retardant to wood trim, and color code marking on metal bars.

EXAIR also makes 360° Hollow Circular Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles. These are Internal Mix models, and they spray the liquid out in a fine, atomized mist in all directions. They can spray as little as 1.6 gallons per hour, or as much as 150 gallons per hour, and can create spraying diameters of up to 13 feet.

360° Hollow Circular Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzles are great for applying a smooth, even coating to the ID of a pipe, cylinder, or duct. They can also be used for misting, humidification, and cooling of large areas.

If you need a consistent, reliable mist of atomized liquid, we’ve got you covered. To discuss an application or product selection, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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