Tag: air jet drying

Using EXAIR Products for “The Old One-Two Punch”

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

In boxing, there are five basic punches, and they’re commonly called out by numbers so that trainers can instruct boxers rapidly during the development of fundamentals. It’s also useful for them in real live bouts, where overly complicated plans can lead to defeat….former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Those five basic punches are:

  • #1: The jab. Just like it sounds, this is a punch thrown directly forward with the lead hand. In many combinations, it’s the first punch thrown (that’s why it’s #1).
  • #2: The cross. This is a more powerful punch thrown with the back, or dominant, hand, and gets its power from the torque & rotation of the boxer’s body, when thrown correctly.
  • #3: The lead hook. This is an even more powerful punch than the cross. Its power comes not only from rotating the torso (like the cross) but also by pivoting on the lead foot to get the hip & shoulder involved. Because of the unbalanced and relatively unguarded position it leaves the boxer in, it’s riskier than a jab or cross, and oftentimes reserved for situations where the boxer sees an opportunity to score a knockout blow. If that plan doesn’t work, Mike Tyson’s famous quote above may very well come to fruition.
  • #4: The right uppercut. This is another devastating punch, thrown by the boxer’s dominant hand (assuming they’re right-handed) in an upward motion to contact the opponent’s head or body. If it connects to the chin or solar plexus, there’s a good chance the opponent will end up on the mat. It has to be thrown while the boxer is in close with the opponent, which gives the opponent the option to deal a devastating blow as well.
  • #5: The left uppercut. Same as above, but thrown with the boxer’s lead, or less dominant hand (again, assuming they’re right-handed.)

Because it generally leaves the boxer in a better defense position, the “one-two” combination is by far one of the most used moves in the ring. The term has even found its way into the popular vernacular, meaning two things that happen in rapid succession that lead to the desired outcome.

For the purposes of today’s blog (as the title suggests), I’m going to use it to describe an application where a customer uses two EXAIR products: a Model 1006SS Back Blow Air Nozzle, and a Model 6082 1″ Aluminum Line Vac in conjunction with each other.

This particular customer uses the Back Blow Air Nozzle to blow out the injector bore of an engine cylinder head assembly.

EXAIR manufactures three sizes of Back Blow Nozzles: our Model 1008SS Atto Back Blow Air Nozzle (left) is 0.2″ in diameter and can be used in 1/4″ to 1″ inside diameter holes, channels, etc. Model 11006SS 1/4 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (center) is good for 7/8″ to 4″ inside diameters, and Model 1008SS 1 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (right) is used for 2″ to 16″ inside diameters.

Thing is, they don’t want the debris flying all over the place. We considered a Chip Shield on the 1/4″ pipe extension that the Back Blow Air Nozzle was threaded onto, but since they insert it vertically from above, that could allow for debris to fall back down onto the assembly, and possibly right back into the injector bore, or one of the other openings on top. Instead, they opted for a Line Vac to vacuum the debris away as the Back Blow Air Nozzle blew it out of the hole.

While Line Vacs are primarily used to convey bulk material from one place to another (left), or to remove scrap trim (center), they’re also well suited for this application. Compressed air (1) enters the annular plenum (2) and is ejected at a high velocity through a ring of jets (3). This draws a vacuum on the inlet (4), creating a conveyance flow of air to carry whatever’s entrained in that flow through the outlet (5).

Engineered compressed air products have a multitude of advantages in applications like this. They’re durable & reliable. They have no moving parts to wear, or electrical components to burn out. They can operate continuously if needed, or they can be cycled on & off rapidly with no ill effects. If you’d like to find out how EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help your operation, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Identify Real Compressed Air Savings Through EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Many customers may not have the means to test the air consumption of their blowoff solutions. With compressed air being the most expensive utility in a manufacturing facility, it’s important to identify places where you can save money on your overall operating costs. EXAIR manufactures a wide variety of products intended to help you reduce your compressed air usage. If you’re not able to accurately measure the consumption in your own shop, we invite you to send the products to EXAIR for testing. With EXAIR’s Award-Winning Efficiency Lab, just simply box them up and send them to our warehouse in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Once we receive it, our engineers will complete some in-depth testing to determine the compressed air consumption, sound level, and force that your current solution provides. With this information, we’ll be able to compare it to an EXAIR Engineered Solution. This way, we ensure that you receive the best, safest solution possible also capable of saving money through reduced air consumption and improved efficiency.  We’ll send you back a comprehensive report that’ll help you to make the best decision for your company.

I’ve recently been working with a customer that sent in one of the nozzles they’re using across all their CNC machines. They wanted us to test it out and see if we’d be able to offer them something that could reduce their overall compressed air usage. The nozzle was one of the cheap plastic varieties and was attached to a commonly used modular hose. This type of modular hose is not designed for operating under high pressures. These hoses are more suitable for liquid coolant or air that is at or below atmospheric pressure.

After testing, we found that at 80 psig the nozzle consumed 3.85 SCFM and produced a force of 1.92 oz. We also noticed that after 60 psig, the nozzle began to leak due to a poor seal where the nozzle met the brass hex. The EXAIR nozzle most suitable to replace this was the 1108SS. At just 2.5 SCFM at 80 psig, replacing the plastic nozzle with an engineered solution saves them 35% of their overall consumption for this blowoff. With close to 1000 of these nozzles in operation, the air savings can add up quickly!!

In addition to increasing efficiency, replacing these nozzles also greatly increases overall worker safety. The sound level is reduced from 73 dBA to just 58 dBA and EXAIR’s nozzles also adhere to OSHA 1910.242(b). The plastic nozzles could be dead-ended, posing a hazard that can result in costly fines. These fines are assessed per infraction, so having multiple non-compliant nozzles can easily get very expensive if you’re subject to an unannounced visit by an OSHA inspector.

If you think you may have an opportunity to improve upon your existing blowoff methods, give us a call. We’ll be happy to take a closer look and have you send the product back to EXAIR for a quick trial in our Efficiency Lab. You’ll be glad you did!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mal: TylerDaniel@exair.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Adjustability and Precision w/ EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles & Stay Set Hoses

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

If you’ve been tasked with reducing operating costs in your plant, upgrading your blowoffs to EXAIR’s Engineered Air Nozzles & Jets might be just the ticket. When replacing a homemade or inefficient solution, EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles can save you as much as 80% of your compressed air usage.

An open copper pipe or tube, even if “flattened” as we’ll commonly see, wastes an excessive amount of compressed air. This wasted compressed air can create problems in the facility due to unnecessarily high energy costs and the pressure drop that can be experienced affecting other processes. In addition to simply using too much compressed air, an open pipe or tube will often produce sound levels in excess of 100 dBA. At these sound levels, according to OSHA, permanent hearing damage will occur in just 2 hours of exposure.

By simply replacing the open tubes and pipe with an EXAIR Super Air Nozzle, you can quickly reduce air consumption AND reduce the sound level. Sound level isn’t the only thing an OSHA inspector is going to be concerned about regarding an open pipe blowoff, in addition OSHA 1910.242(b) states that a compressed air nozzle used for blowoff or cleaning purposes cannot be dead-ended when using with pressures in excess of 30 psig. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to use an air gun with 30 psig fed to it, but the effectiveness of it is dramatically reduced. This is why there needs to be a device installed that’ll prevent it from being dead-ended so that you can operate at a higher pressure.

EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles are designed with fins that serve two purposes. They help to entrain ambient air from the environment, allowing us to maximize the force and flow from the nozzle but keeping the compressed air consumption minimal. In addition, these fins are what prevent the nozzle openings from being completely blocked off. Using an OSHA-compliant compressed air nozzle for all points where a blowoff operation is being performed should be a priority. Each individual infraction will result in a fine if you’re unfortunate enough to be the victim of an unannounced OSHA inspection.

If your process involves numerous different products with varying dimensions, you might need a way to adjust each blowoff based on the material being run. With our Stay Set Hoses, this can be achieved quickly and easily without the need for any tools or a long shutdown.

EXAIR’s Stay Set Hoses are available from 6”-36” in length with ¼ NPT male threads on each end, or a ¼ NPT male on one end and 1/8 NPT female on the other. 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. They’re easily repositioned as well, making them an ideal solution for applications that may require frequent repositioning due to varying parts.

All of these products are available to ship same-day with an order received by 2:00 ET from stock. Give one a try today!

Tyler Daniel

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

Preventing Pressure Drop in a Compressed Air Distribution System

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

A critical component to optimal performance of any compressed air-operated product is ensuring sufficient compressed air flow volume is available. Simply put, inadequate air flow won’t allow you to get the job done. When troubleshooting an application for EXAIR Products, the vast majority of problems occur due to pressure drops in the system not allowing the product to work optimally. Oftentimes, this can be something as simple as using an undersized air hose or supply line. Imagine trying to suck a thick milkshake through a coffee stirrer, compared to a wide-mouth straw. You’re not going to have much success with a coffee stirrer, but the increased cross-sectional area of the wide-mouth straw allows you to suck it up and enjoy it comfortably. The same concept is true for supplying air to your products. If there’s a restriction, it won’t work properly! Let’s talk about what you can do to ensure you’re operating effectively.

As compressed air moves through the distribution system, it encounters friction inside the walls of the pipe, tube, hose, etc. The diameter of the pipe, length, number of direction changes, and surface finish of the inner wall all play a part in the total amount of friction applied. A drop in air pressure will occur as a result of this friction. In addition to pressure drops experienced due to the distribution system, they can also occur at the point of use. If the compressed air supply line is undersized, the pressure drop will manifest and be great enough to impact the performance of the product. 

When designing and maintaining your compressed air system, pressure measurements should be taken across varying points to identify (and fix) any issues before they create a greater pressure drop problem down the road. According to the Compressed Air Challenge, these are the places you should take regular pressure measurements to determine your system’s net operating pressure:

  • Inlet to compressor (to monitor inlet air filter) vs. atmospheric pressure
  • Differential across air/lubricant separator
  • Inter stage on multistage compressors
  • After cooler
  • On treatment equipment (dryers, filters, etc.)
  • Various points across the distribution system
  • Check pressure differentials against a manufacturer’s specifications. If high pressure drops are noticed, this indicates a need for service on the affected equipment.

Newer compressors will measure pressure at the package discharge, which would include the separator and after cooler.

Once you’ve taken these measurements, simply add the pressure drops measured and subtract that value from the operating range of your compressor. That figure is your true operating pressure at the point of use.

If your distribution system is properly sized and the pressure drops measured across your various equipment are within specifications, any pressure drop noticed at the point of use is indicative of an inadequate volume of air being transmitted across the distribution system. This could be due to restrictive fittings or undersized air lines, hose, or tubing. Check that the point of use product is properly plumbed into the compressed air supply per the manufacturer’s specifications.

EXAIR Products are designed to minimize this pressure drop by restricting the flow of compressed air at the point of use. The more energy (higher pressure) that we’re able to bring to the point of use, the more efficient and effective that energy will be at operating point of use equipment. The photo below shows two common examples of inefficient compressed air usage. With an open-ended blow off, a pressure drop occurs upstream inside the supply line. If you were to measure the pressure directly at the point of use, while in operation, you’d find that the pressure is significantly lower than it is at the compressor or further upstream in the compressed air distribution system. In the other photo, with a modular-style hose, some pressure is able to build up. But if it gets too high the hose connection can blow apart. These types of modular style hose are not designed to be used with compressed gases.

EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles, on the other hand, restrict compressed air volume flow to a lower level to keep the compressed air pressure high, right up to the point of discharge, and minimize the pressure drop. This, in addition to the air entrainment, allows for a high force while maximizing efficiency by reducing the amount of air consumed. If you’d like to talk about how an EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Product could help to minimize pressure drop in your processes, give us a call.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD