EXAIR manufactures the line of air knives known as the Super Air Knife. We pride ourselves on the wide array of material types and lengths that we offer, all from stock.
The Super Air Knife is the latest generation of engineered air knife that dramatically reduces compressed air usage and noise when compared to other blowoffs. It is a very efficient way to clean, dry, or cool parts, webs, or conveyors. It delivers a sheet of laminar air flow across the entire length, with a smooth and consistent delivery of air.
In order meet process environments that may be hot or corrosive in nature, EXAIR offers the Super Air Knife in four standard materials. The materials for stock air knives are aluminum, Type 303 stainless steel, Type 316 stainless steel, and PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride.) Aluminum is well suited for a wide variety of environments where corrosion or contamination is not a factor. Type 303 stainless steel is a very common grade of stainless steel, and is good for mildly corrosive environments up to 400 °F. Type 316 stainless steel offers excellent corrosion resistance, better strength properties, and resists pitting. It can handle temperatures up to 800°F. Lastly, the PVDF air knives offer many benefits including resistance to UV light, inorganic chemicals, solvents, ozone, acids, weak bases and salts and can withstand temperatures up to 275°F. If there is a certain material required, EXAIR can also do custom Super Air Knives and have done them in PVC and other plastics. Check out this write up about a very unique custom material Super Air Knife that we made.
Not only is there a wide offering of materials of construction to meet the process needs, the Super Air Knives are available in many lengths to fit into the space available. From stock, we offer Super Air Knives in these lengths-
3″, 6″, 9″, 12″, 18″, 24″, 30″, 36″, 42″, 48″, 54″, 60″, 72″, 84″, 96″, and 108″
If a special length knife is needed, or one longer than the 108″, the Super Air Knives can be coupled utilizing the stocked Air Knife Coupling Kit to join multiple air knives as needed. If space is an issue, and certain length that is not stocked is needed, just give us a call – we can manufacture them to your specifications, to the exact length that you need. It takes just a few days and then the Super Air Knife of exactly the proper length will be on its way.
If you have questions about the Super Air Knives, or would like to talk about any of the EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Products, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.
Brian Bergmann
Application Engineer
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Drilled pipe is a common blowoff because it is very inexpensive and easy to make. But drilled pipe performs poorly. The low cost to make the drilled pipe is quickly outpaced by the inefficiency and high compressed air costs. The holes are easily blocked and the noise level is excessive, both of which violate OSHA requirements. Also, the air pattern across the length can be very inconsistent, with areas of low flow and areas of turbulent flow.
Flat air nozzles installed along a length of pipe is another inexpensive option, but it can be a poor performer. The flat nozzles are available in many materials, from many manufacturers. The flat nozzles do offer some efficiencies, but similar to drilled pipe, the operating costs and noise levels are high. Air pattern across the length can be inconsistent with areas of high and low flows, leading to incomplete drying or cooling. Also, many of these nozzles are made from plastic material which breaks or cracks when it it hit which causes additional expense and maintenance to replace broken nozzles.
A blower air knife can prove to be an expensive and noisy option. Typically, the initial purchase price is high. Operating costs are lower than the drilled pipe and flat nozzles and in line with the Super Air Knives. The blowers can be very large and space for two 3″ diameter hoses requires extra mounting space compared to low profile other options. Noise levels are high, at 90 dBA. Annual costs for bearing and filter maintenance can be significant.
EXAIR Super Air Knives performed exceptionally well in removing the water in one pass due to the strong, laminar flow of air. Sound level was low at just 69 dBA, well within OSHA requirements for an hour 8 hour exposure time. Safe operation is assured, as the Super Air Knife design cannot be dead-ended. Maintenance costs are low, as the Super Air Knife has no moving parts to breakdown or wear out.