Tag: 303SS

What’s So Great About EXAIR Air Jets?

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For over 40 years now, EXAIR has been making engineered Air Nozzles and Air Jets for a wide range of industrial and commercial applications. Basically, if you need to blow air onto, into, towards, or through something, we’ve got something for that.

Our Super Air Nozzles seem to “get all the press” (based on an unscientific survey of the EXAIR Blog), and maybe they should, with their ease of installation onto the end of a pipe or tube that someone who’s never thought about the cost of compressed air has been using as a cheap to make but expensive to operate blowoff.

Compression fittings and Model 1100 Super Air Nozzles transformed the part ejection from “loud and wasteful” to “quiet and efficient.”

Like our engineered Super Air Nozzles, our Air Jet products use the Coanda effect to entrain enormous amounts of free air from the surrounding environment. While the Super Air Nozzles do this via an array of small holes recessed between a series of fins, the Air Jet uses an internal annular ring nozzle to draw the free air through its throat. There are a number of applications where either a Super Air Nozzle or an Air Jet can be used efficiently, safely, and quietly. Some jobs, however, benefit from the specific design of one or the other. Since this is an Air Jets blog, I’m going to focus on them:

  • Powerful, directed air stream. This makes EXAIR Air Jets ideal for part ejection, chip removal, and part drying.
Model 6013 Brass High Velocity Air Jet (left) blows rinse water off beverage cans on a high speed conveyor. An array of Model 6013SS SS High Velocity Air Jets (right) dries a finned component after washing.
  • Reliable and efficient blowoff. With no moving parts, as long as you supply them with clean compressed air, they’ll operate darn near indefinitely, maintenance free. And they’ll use a LOT less of that compressed air than similarly sized open-ended blowoff devices too, thanks to engineering:
Compressed air enters through the 1/8 MNPT fitting and discharges into the throat via an annular ring gap, where the Coanda profile of the plug directs the air towards the jet outlet (1). This primary, high velocity flow pulls in air from the entrainment plenum (2), creating a total developed flow up to 25 times the compressed air flow (3).
  • Safe to use. EXAIR Air Jets, like the rest of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products, are compliant with OSHA Standard 1910.242(b) which limits the downstream pressure at the nozzle or opening of a compressed air device used for cleaning purposes to 30psi. If you cover the entire outlet opening, the air simply flows out the entrainment plenum.
  • Remote positioning. Since both the inlet and outlet can be ducted, you can fit a 1″ ID hose over the entrainment plenum and run the other end to the location where you want to draw airflow from. This is beneficial if, for example, you want to position the Air Jet in a contaminated area, but want to eliminate any of that contamination from the Air Jet’s developed airflow. You can also fit a 1/2″ ID hose over the outlet to direct the airflow elsewhere.
  • Adjustability. For the Adjustable Air Jet, it’s right there in the name: the Plug can be threaded into, or out of, the body to reduce, or increase the annular ring nozzle’s gap, and hence, the airflow and force applied. There’s a micrometer gap indicator so you can set – and reset – the performance to different levels, as required. The High Velocity Air Jet’s annular ring nozzle gap is fixed with a shim (they come with a 0.015″ thick shim installed) but Shim Sets, containing one each of a 0.006″ and 0.009″ thick shim, can be used to make gross adjustments to the airflow and force applied. You can regulate the air supply pressure to either the Adjustable or High Velocity Air Jets to very precisely “dial in” the performance.
A 0.006″ or 0.009″ thick shim from the 6313 Air Jet Shim Set (top left) can be installed in a High Velocity Air Jet (bottom left) to put the Air Jet in a whole new performance band. You can do this to an Adjustable Air Jet (right) by turning the knurled ring on the plug to set (and reset) the air gap and hence the performance.
  • Materials of construction. Both the Adjustable and High Velocity Air Jets come in brass for general purpose applications, or 303SS for use in areas with high heat or corrosive elements in the environment.
The brass Air Jets (top) are rated for installation in areas with ambient temperatures up to 275°F, while the 303SS models (bottom) are good to 400°F.

If you’d like to find out more about EXAIR Air Jets, or how any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help you get the most out of your compressed air system, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Top Ten Reasons Why EXAIR’s Super Air Knife Is So Super

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1. Efficiency – With an air entrainment ratio of 40:1 (literally means it pulls in 40 SCFM of “free” air from the surrounding environment for every 1 SCFM of consumption), compressed air consumption is dramatically lower than any other blow off device.

EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products such as (left to right) the Air Wipe, Super Air Knife, Super Air Nozzle, and Air Amplifier are engineered to entrain enormous amounts of air from the surrounding environment.

2. Laminar air flow – My colleague John Ball did a bang-up job in a video blog explaining the fluid mechanics theory behind this. Operationally, laminar flow is is beneficial because it’s particularly conducive to generating a stripping or sweeping action, as opposed to the turbulent flow from an open blow off, a blower, or a fan.

3. Quiet operation – The high entrainment ratio that makes the Super Air Knife so efficient also makes for amazingly low sound levels. The outermost entrained air creates a boundary layer that attenuates the sound level of the higher velocity, hard hitting center flow.

4. Lengths available – Super Air Knives are stocked in lengths from 3″ to 9ft. Custom lengths can be made if you’re space-limited for installation, and custom shims can be installed if you want to shorten the curtain width of a stock Super Air Knife. Super Air Knives can also be coupled together for even longer lengths.

Air Knife Coupling Bracket Kits are available from stock for Aluminum, 303SS, and 316SS Super Air Knives.

5. Material of construction – No matter how aggressive the environment is, odds are, EXAIR has a Super Air Knife that’ll hold up to it. Durable aluminum models are good to 180°F (82°C). There are also two Types of Stainless Steel to choose from: 303SS for high strength, and 316SS for protection from chloride pitting corrosion & higher strength. Both 303SS & 316SS are good to 800°F (427°C). For exceptionally harsh environments, PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) constructed Super Air Knives have Hastelloy C-276 hardware & PTFE shims, which are resistant to UV light, inorganic chemicals, solvents, ozone, weather, fungi, chlorinated hydrocarbons, highly corrosive acids, weak bases, and salts. They’re good to 275°F (135°C).

6. Easy installation – Like all of our products, the Super Air Knives – from the 3″ to the 9ft models – are “user friendly” as far as mounting & installation goes. The Model 9060 Universal Air Knife Mounting System makes for quick installation and easy positioning. 24″ to 42″ Super Air Knives need to be plumbed to both ends…if you hard pipe the air supply, the Super Air Knife itself will essentially be as well supported as the piping. The same holds true for longer Super Air Knives with Plumbing Kits installed. 3″ Super Air Knives can even be fitted with Stay Set Hoses, and Magnetic Bases. And the 1/4″-20 tapped holes on the bottom of the body allow for a wide range of mounting solutions…anything you can put a bolt through, really.

The 9060 Universal Air Knife Mounting Systems are perfect for simple, fast installation and positioning.
Yes, that’s a door hinge. No, it wasn’t my idea ( but I kind of wish it was.)

7. Low maintenance – With no moving parts, they’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free, as long as you supply them with clean, moisture free compressed air. Oh, and keep them clean, externally, if they’re in an area where environmental contaminants can build up on the precision finished surfaces that are essential to their air entrainment.

8. Reliability – Hand in hand with #7, no moving parts also means there’s not much that can stop them from working. They can operate continuously, if needed, or you can cycle them on & off as frequently as necessary to keep from using valuable compressed air, except when needed.

EXAIR’s award winning EFC Electronic Flow Control can be set to operate a Super Air Knife (or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products) in cycles as low as 0.1 seconds.

9. Static Eliminator option -The laminar, high velocity air flow is ideal for many blow off applications, but if static charge is a problem, an Ionizing Bar can be installed, turning the Super Air Knife into a Super Ion Air Knife:

10. Free stuff – OK; this last one is “super” for a limited time. Order a Super Air Knife between 11/1/22 and 12/31/2022, and get a FREE Safety Air Gun. Click here for details.

If you’d like to find out how the Super Air Knife – or any of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help you get the most out of your compressed air system, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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EXAIR's Threaded Line Vac Family

What’s So Great About Threaded Line Vac Pneumatic Conveyors?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Conveyor systems come in many shapes, sizes, and configurations. They can be run at different speeds, and are made of various materials, depending what they’re carrying, and why they’re carrying it. And sometimes, they’re hilarious:

If you’re looking to move solids, in bulk, through pipe, there’s not a simpler way to do it than with an EXAIR Threaded Line Vac.  Like our ‘standard’ Line Vacs, they use compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum flow to get air behind the pieces and carry them along:

Instant conveyor – just add compressed air.

But, while the ‘standard’ Line Vacs are made for use with Conveyance Hose, the Threaded Line Vacs have male NPT threads so you can pipe them in line.  We have a range of options, depending on the nature of your applications:

  • Sizes: 3/8 NPT to 3 NPT.
  • Materials: aluminum, 303SS, 316SS, and hardened alloy.
  • Performance: aluminum, 303SS and 316SS Threaded Line Vacs are made for standard duty; the hardened alloy Heavy Duty Threaded Line Vacs offer higher vacuum performance as well as superior abrasion resistance.
  • Environment: the materials of construction listed above may be important because of the nature of the product being conveyed, but they also have different temperature ratings.  Our Stainless Steel Line Vacs also come in a High Temperature design, in case the material – or the environment – is particularly hot:
    • Aluminum: 275°F (135°C)
    • Heavy Duty Hardened Alloy: 400°F (204°C)
    • 303 or 316SS: 400°F (204°C)
    • High Temp 303 or 316SS: 900°F (482°C)

If you’ve got a conveyor application you’d like to discuss, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Super Air Knives Are Ideal For Super Aggressive Environments

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Hydrochloric Acid. Sodium Hydroxide. Nitric Acid. Hydrogen Peroxide. Whether you know it or not, these are all commonly used around the house as tile/grout cleaners, drain openers, lawn fertilizers, and disinfectant for cut & scrapes, respectively.

They’re also used in a variety of industrial applications, such as the making of plastics, glass, pharmaceuticals, and wastewater treatment, respectively…all of which also have applications for which EXAIR Corporation’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products provide safe, efficient, and quiet solutions for.

Stainless Steel Super Air Knife Kits include the Air Knife itself, a Shim Set, an Automatic Drain Filter Separator, and a Pressure Regulator. The Air Knife & Shim Set are all Stainless Steel (grade 303 or 316, depending on which is specified) construction.

Consider the Super Air Knife: If you need one that’ll stand up to contact with hydrochloric acid, you’re looking for PVDF construction. Nitric acid is a different story – our 303SS, 316SS construction Super Air Knives are well suited for those applications.

On the other end of the (pH) spectrum, any of those materials are suitable for exposure to Sodium Hydroxide. PVDF is still the best choice, as the Stainless Steels will be subject to discoloration or slight corrosion, depending on the concentration.

PVDF Super Air Knife Kits include the Air Knife itself (PVDF body, Hastelloy C-276 hardware, and PTFE Shims,) a PTFE Shim Set, an Automatic Drain Filter Separator, and Pressure Regulator.

Acids and bases aside, oxidizers are also very corrosive, especially in higher concentrations.  Hydrogen peroxide is a commonly used oxidizer in industries as diverse as pulp & paper, soap & detergent, and water sterilization.  Like other chemicals, compatibility depends on the concentration, but like nitric acid & sodium hydroxide, our PVDF Super Air Knives are still the best, but the Stainless Steel models are still acceptable.

These are just a few, very basic, examples of chemical compatibility.  If you have an application that calls for installing one of our compressed air products in an area where you’re concerned about corrosion, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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