The following short video explains the differences between the three styles of Air Knives offered by EXAIR – The Super, Standard and Full-Flow.
Please reach out to myself or one of our application engineers if you need help figuring which Air knife suits your application best!
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
Send me an email
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Twitter: @EXAIR_JS
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When I am working on a project around my home, my wife often starts with a guess as to how many trips to the home improvement or plumbing supply store this project is going to take. (The Gif above is me trying to determine how many choice words will be used.) I try to foil her plans by either already having the first trip done before I start the project, or by buying a surplus of anything and everything I could possibly need on that first trip then returning what I don’t use.
In all actuality, the problem normally comes from working on a house that was built in 1951 and building codes were not the same back then. Whenever it is a new project, say installing a garden fence or building a trampoline platform, I can plan everything out and know all of the variables ahead of time. This results in a single trip to the store per project and more often than not a project that is on budget. That’s why we strive to help our customers here at EXAIR to be prepared for their upcoming projects.
When you are trying to implement a new Super Air Knife into your process, whether it be to cool, clean, or dry a process or product off, we don’t want you to have to go to another vendor, or even have to run back and forth to the tool crib 15 times just to get the knife hooked up to compressed air. To help simplify this, we offer Super Air Knives w/ Plumbing Kit Installed. Whenever a Super Air Knife is 24″ or longer is installed, the compressed air should be supplied to both ends of the knife. When lengths reach 48″ and higher even more ports will need to be plumbed along the length of the knife. This ensures even distribution of compressed air for the full length of the knife. While EXAIR does offer all the information on supplying air to the proper inlets for every given length of Super Air Knife, we also offer to simplify it even further by offering an installed plumbing kit to further simplify installation in the field.
This feature leaves the installation team with minimal points to plumb compressed air once the knife is in your facility. The Aluminum Super Air Knife uses general duty air hose with brass fittings and the 303 and 316 Stainless Steel Super Air Knives use 316SS tube and fittings. An additional pressure gauge is included with longer lengths to install at halfway points in the plumbing kit to verify the operating pressure of the knife.
Even when purchasing the Plumbing Kit Installed option we still offer detailed CAD models as well as PDF and 2D drawings of the knives to make it possible for an installation to be planned out and facilitate an easy, quick, and efficient installation.
If you would like to discuss what Super Air Knife w/ Plumbing Kit Installed would best suit your application, contact us.
Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF
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When you work with us here at EXAIR, we strive to have all the ancillary items that you might need to make your installation a success, without having to find components at the last minute or perhaps using the wrong sized components. Each specific product line such as Super Air Knives or Line Vac air operated conveyors have specific accessories such as mounting brackets or plumbing kits which EXAIR has made to simplify the installation of those particular products. We also carry generalized accessories which work across all of the product lines so you do not have to use multiple vendors or purchase orders.
Silencing Mufflers – Per OSHA Standard 1910.95(a), a worker must not be exposed to sounds levels above 90 dBA for any eight hour shift of a 40 hour work week. EXAIR offers several types of mufflers including – Reclassifying, Sintered Bronze, Straight-Through and Heavy Duty. For reducing the noise associated with an EXAIR E-Vac Generator, Vortex Tube, Cabinet Cooler System, or the exhaust air from cylinders, valves and other air powered equipment, we’ve got a muffler that will help to keep the noise level at an acceptable level.
Solenoid and Manual Valves – The easiest way to reduce compressed air usage and save on operating expense is to turn off the compressed air to a device when it isn’t needed. EXAIR carries a wide assortment of solenoid valves, with offerings in the NEMA 4/4X classification, and supply voltages of 24VDC, 120VAC, and 240VAC. We also have manual ball valves from 1/4 NPT to 1-1/4 NPT and a foot operated valve, with 1/4 NPT connections.
Swivel Fittings, Stay Set Hoses and Magnetic Bases – To provide a great degree of flexibility for positioning an EXAIR Super Air Nozzle, Air Jets or Air Amplifiers, EXAIR offers several items. The Swivel Fittings have 25 degree of movement from the center axis, providing a total of 50 degree of adjustability. The position is locked in place and holds until adjustment is needed. For applications where frequent re-positioning of the air device is required, the Stay Set Hoses are ideal. Simply mount the hose close to the application, bend it to the shape preferred, and because the hose has “memory”, it will not creep or bend. Lastly, the Magnetic Bases are another option for flexible, movable installations. The base has a on/off valve, and a powerful magnet to hold in any vertical or horizontal mounting arrangement.
Hoses – EXAIR can provide hoses for your application. For the Line Vac air operated conveyor applications, we offer conveyance hose – a durable, clear reinforced PVC hose, in diameters of 3/8″ to 3″ ID, and lengths up to 50′. On the compressed air side, we can provide 12′ Coiled Hoses with 1/8, 1/4, and 3/8 NPT connections, and also 3/8″ and 1/2″ ID hose in lengths to 50′.
Filter Separators, Oil Removal Filters and Pressure Regulators – Perhaps the most important accessories for use on a compressed air device are filters and regulators. Filtering the compressed air of dirt, debris, moisture and oil will help to prevent build up inside the EXAIR products, leading to longer service life, and less time spent cleaning, while providing optimum performance. Regulating the air pressure allows for tuning of the performance, using the proper amount of compressed air to obtain satisfactory results.
If you have questions regarding accessories for use with any EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product, 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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Twitter: @EXAIR_BB
An EXAIR customer recently contacted me about the application shown above, using an aluminum Super Air Knife model 110036 as a component to a blow off application in a monofilament extrusion line. The extrusions from this line are used in one of the end user’s main product lines, a personal health device used by over a billion people around the world.
The original problem of drying the extrusions can certainly be solved with the setup shown, but the output force from the knife was less than what the customer expected, and below the EXAIR published data. We take great care in the collection and verification of our performance data, so this prompted a deeper dive into the application to determine what could be the cause.
Immediately upon seeing the application photos, there were two things which stood out. The first was the angle of attack of the knife, and the second was the compressed air plumbing. The angle of attack in the original setup was ~90°, nearly perpendicular to the extrusions passing through the airstream from the knife. EXAIR always recommends an angle of attack of ~45° to increase time in contact between the airstream from the knife and the materials passing through the airstream. Although a small adjustment, this angle significantly contributes to overall blow off performance.
But, the real issue with this application was in the compressed air supply. The tubing for this knife was shown as having a 5mm ID and an 8mm OD, which will allow a compressed air flow of ~40 SCFM at 80 PSIG, maximum, without consideration to pipe length from the compressor. The 36” aluminum Super Air Knife will require 104.4 SCFM at 80 PSIG operating pressure. So, it was clear that there was a significant plumbing problem, leading to the reduced performance from the knife.
In order to prove this out, we first had to take a pressure reading directly at the knife. When this was done, the operating pressure dropped from ~85 PSIG at the main header to less than 20 PSIG at the knife. By taking this pressure reading directly at the knife we were able to gain valuable information as to the true operating pressure of the knife, which was far below what the customer expected, but which made perfect sense given the performance output.
The remedy in this case was to increase the size of the supply line to at least 15mm ID (approximately equivalent to a ½” schedule 40 line), and preferably to something in the range of 19-20mm (~a ¾” schedule 40 line). Once this was done the knife operated flawlessly, and after adjusting the angle of attack this application was optimized for the best possible results.
Being able to find the source of the problem for this application was a great service to the customer. Our engineers are well-versed in compressed air system requirements, and we’re available for help in your application if needed. If you’d like to contact an EXAIR Application Engineer we can be reached by email, phone (1-800-903-9247), or Twitter.
Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE
