Tag: air jet cooling

Combining Products For Total Blow Off Of Objects With Complex Geometry

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Super Air Knives are extremely efficient at blowing off flat surfaces. The laminar air flow they generate makes a stripping/sweeping action, as opposed to the turbulent flow from a non-engineered blow off, which really just beats on the surface. If the object being blown off, though, has features such as holes, recesses, grooves, bosses, “nooks & crannies”, etc., it may be challenging to get those features 100% blown off, 100% of the time.

If the object you’re blowing off is flat, the laminar air flow from a Super Air Knife is ideal. They come in lengths from 3 inches to 9 feet long.

Depending on the size & shape of the feature presenting the challenge, the first thing we might recommend is to adjust the angle at which the Air Knife’s flow contacts the surface. For most applications, you can optimize performance by blowing at as low of an angle as practical. You may need to aim the Air Knife at a steeper angle, for example, if you’re blowing off something that’s dense (like shot blast or garnet, as opposed to dust or chips), or if it’s somewhat adherent to surface (like grease or mud, as opposed to water or light oil). This can also work if you’re trying to blow out a hole, recess, or groove in an object.

EXAIR manufactures a wide variety of engineered Air Nozzles, designed for safety, efficiency, and quiet operation.

Other times, a dedicated blow off may be necessary to pick up where the Air Knife leaves off. In situations like that, we can specify an appropriately sized Air Nozzle, Air Jet, Air Amplifier, or maybe even a smaller Air Knife, to provide more complete removal of whatever you need to get off of the object. It’s fairly common to use Air Nozzles for these applications, and our Air Nozzles & Jets catalog section is a great tool that can be used for selection. It lists them all, from smallest to largest, with airflow patterns, performance data, and dimensions.

EXAIR offers solutions for plumbing, installation, and aiming the Air Nozzle too:

  • Swivel Fittings are installed on threaded pipe, and provide 50° of angular movement. Just loosen the lock nut, aim the Nozzle, and re-tighten for rigid & secure placement.
  • Stay Set Hoses are likewise be threaded into 1/4 FNPT connections, with the Air Nozzle secured onto the other end. These come in lengths from 6″ to 36″, with 1/8 FNPT or 1/4 MNPT threads for the Air Nozzle.
EXAIR Stay Set Hoses and Swivel Fittings are ideal for installation and positioning of your Super Air Nozzle.

Metal tubing with compression fittings is another option, that can be used to install & aim an Air Nozzle. Copper tubing is relatively easy to bend by hand. Stainless steel tubing usually requires a tube bender tool, with the advantage that it can’t easily be bent by hand…on purpose or by accident. While metal tubing is certainly an option, it is generally reserved for applications where the ability to readjust is not necessary. The Stay Set hoses and Swivel Fittings tend to work better when flexibility is required.

The copper tube used to have a crimped end that was aimed at the part in the chuck. They simply cut it off and used a compression fitting to install the Super Air Nozzle.

If you’ve got a blow off application that’s not working the way you want it to, it’s highly likely that EXAIR has a solution. We would love to share our ideas with you. Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Safety Air Gun Accessories!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR Has a nice selection of Safety Air Guns. The VariBlast Precision and Compact, Soft Grip, Heavy Duty and Super Blast Safety Air Guns, and the newest addition, the TurboBlast are available with a variety of air nozzles, chip shields and pipe extensions. (Click on the product link above to see a blog about any of the eight types of Safety Air Guns) They are durable and comfortable and ergonomic to use.These Safety Air Guns are designed with durability and comfort in mind while also ergonomically safe to use. Safe operation is assured along with low air consumption and noise levels.EXAIR Engineered air nozzles are available in Type 316 stainless steel for superior corrosion resistance and mechanical wear, Type 303 stainless steel for corrosion resistance, PEEK thermoplastic for non-marring and chemical resistance or zinc/aluminum alloy for general purpose applications.

Flying Debris? – Chip Shields are durable polycarbonate shields that protect the operator from risk of flying debris often seen when blowing off chips from machined parts. They are also useful to prevent coolant from splashing back, creating a mess during drying processes.

The Chip Shields are available for EXAIR’s VariBlast, Soft Grip and Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns. The Chip Shield can be used on Safety Air Guns with or without an aluminum extension. They may be purchased as part of a new air gun system, or retrofitted as a Chip Shield Kit.  Consult an Application Engineer for selection assistance.

If you have a blow-off process where the air is to be directed at a distance away from the operator, or into a hard-to-reach location, an extension is the solution. Available in lengths from 6″ (152mm) to 72″ (1829mm), with sizes as to meet most requirement can be found. To add an extension to an air gun, simply add -xx to the current part number. EXAIR’s Stay Set Hoses are available from 6”-36” in lengths with ¼ NPT male threads on each end, or a ¼ NPT male on one end and 1/8 NPT female on the other.

Model 1310-12 Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun, With 12″ Extension & 1100 Super Air Nozzle

The Stay Set Hoses are rigid and allow you to maintain precise positioning of the blow off nozzle. The hoses have “memory” and will not creep or bend.

Options from 6″ to 36″

 If you need a 12′ coiled air hose, to use with your Safety Air Gun, we have them available and in stock. Available with 1/8 NPT, 1/4 NPT or 3/8 NPT male end swivel connections. Avoid tangled and messy air lines and keep things neat!

If you have an application and need help deciding which EXAIR Safety Air Gun and/Nozzle you need. Please contact us and ask for any Application Engineer. We are always happy and eager to help.

Jordan Shouse
Application EngineerSend me an email
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Scraper Blade & Super Air Nozzle Helps Clean Stuck-On Debris

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

EXAIR’s newest addition to our Safety Air Gun and Air Nozzle family is the Soft Grip Super Air Scraper. Utilizing a patent pending nozzle, the Soft Grip Super Air Scraper combines the high velocity airflow from the 2” Flat Nozzle with a strong, corrosion resistant stainless steel scraper blade.

Stuck-on debris and stubborn grime is no match for the Soft Grip Super Air Scraper. The scraper blade used in addition with the Soft Grip Safety Air Gun provides necessary leverage to allow you to get underneath and scrape away debris. The strong airflow from the 2” Flat Nozzle also gets underneath the material, allowing it to be easily blown away. Don’t just take my word for it, see for yourself just how well it cleans off floor tape, stuck-on grime, and other difficult cleaning tasks in this video:

It makes quick work of applications such as removal of tape from floors, gaskets, adhesive, labels and stickers, grease, paint and sealant. The Soft Grip Super Air Scraper comes standard with a durable ¾” air extension in lengths ranging from 6”-72” as well as with optional Chip Shields to protect your operators from blow back of material. A replacement scraper blade is something you can keep on hand in the tool crib for quick and easy replacement (video showing you how to perform that swap can be found here).

One of the most common applications we’ve found for our Super Air Scraper is for the removal of stuck-on floor tape. This is usually used in an industrial plant to mark safe passageways and areas where forklifts and other industrial trucks operate. While necessary, these labels are a real pain to remove when they need to be replaced. Constant foot traffic, wear and tear, etc. quickly makes these labels illegible. Eventually, they need to be replaced. The strong adhesive used to ensure they remain in place on the ground is great, for keeping them in place that is. However, when it’s time to remove them, good luck! Rather than just scraping away for an hour as you try to remove each and every last piece of label, get yourself one of EXAIR’s Soft Grip Super Air Scrapers. You’ll find yourself trying to find a mess to clean up in the shop as it makes quick work of otherwise stubborn materials.

Ready to ship from stock and backed up by EXAIR’s unmatched 30-day unconditional guarantee, there’s no excuse not to give the Soft Grip Super Air Scraper a try. Reach out to an Application Engineer today, and we’ll help you determine the best fit based on your needs!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

How Does EXAIR Fit Into the NIOSH Hierarchy of Controls?

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

The Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1970 established the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, also known as NIOSH. This organization was founded with the goal of researching worker safety and health, and providing guidelines for employers to create safe and healthy workplace environments. A division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NIOSH has been diligently working to ensure that information is accessible to those who want to improve the safety of their operations.

On the NIOSH section of the CDC website, they’ve published a helpful guide for helping you to control and minimize the risk of exposure to hazards in the workplace. This hierarchy of controls provides a framework from most to least effective in terms of the way you manage these hazards and the exposure to your operators. This hierarchy of controls contains (5) levels of actions that can be taken to reduce or remove hazards from the workplace. In order of most to least effective, these controls are:

  1. Elimination
  2. Substitution
  3. Engineering Controls
  4. Administrative Controls
  5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

 The least effective option for mitigating risks may not have been what you originally thought. PPE, or personal protective equipment, is something I’m sure you talk about often with your operators. Would you believe that this is ranked as the least effective method of preventing risks? This is because equipment can become easily damaged, may be uncomfortable and not always used when necessary, or simply used in an improper manner. We’ve all been guilty of doing something that we know we should’ve likely worn some PPE for, just out of convenience. Since it’s so easy to forget or simply not use, it makes PPE the least effective method when it comes to enhancing safety.

Moving up one notch on the scale we have administrative controls. These are also at the lower end of the effectiveness spectrum. These types of controls are centered around making changes to the way personnel works around the equipment. This can be achieved through implementation of training to correct operating procedures, cleanliness of the workplace, personal hygiene practices (proper hand-washing after handling hazardous materials for example). These, again, rely on the operator to listen and act in the way they’re trained.

Engineering controls reside in the middle of the effectiveness range. These are implemented by design changes to the equipment or process that reduces the risk of hazard. These controls can be very effective in protecting people regardless of the actions or behaviors of the operators. They are higher in cost generally than an administrative or PPE control, but can make operating costs lower and allow for a cost savings over the long-term.

Substitution is where EXAIR’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products come into play. By offering engineered solutions that meet or exceed OSHA Standards 29 CFR 1910.242(b) and 29 CFR 1910.95(a), EXAIR’s line of Safety Air Guns, Air Nozzles, and other engineered blowoffs will ensure your operators are not at risk when using our equipment. Anywhere you’re performing some sort of compressed air blowoff process, it’s important to be using equipment designed with safety in mind.

The most effective, but usually the hardest to implement, is elimination. This involves physically removing the hazard from the process. In many cases, a complete elimination is not going to be possible. That’s when you turn to the substitution method and look to EXAIR for a solution.

With years of industry experience under our belt, we’re well-equipped to help you improve safety in your workplace through a variety of off-the-shelf products. Give us a call today and we’ll be happy to discuss how we fit into your facility’s processes!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Hierarchy of Controls Image:  used from  Public Domain