Tag: air operated conveyor

Compressed Air Use in the Agriculture Industry

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

The history of agriculture is really the history of civilization. Once our ancestors moved from hunting & gathering to herding & planting, the concepts of villages and trade took off, and here we are, living in the suburbs, exchanging currency for goods at the local supermarket. The methods in which these goods (the food we eat) are processed have evolved from everything being done by hand, to the use of an impressive degree of modern technology. Some of that technology involves compressed air – hence the subject of this blog. Consider:

  • Gasoline or diesel driven air compressors can power tools and pumps in areas where electricity isn’t available.
  • Fertilizers and pesticides are oftentimes sprayed onto crops using products like EXAIR Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles, which generate an even, controllable spray pattern & flow rate, while making extremely small droplet sizes for maximum coverage.
  • Air Operated Conveyors like EXAIR Line Vacs are widely used to move grain, soil, fertilizer, etc., quickly & easily from storage bins or hoppers.
As a coffee lover, there’s not much I enjoy more than specifying a Line Vac for use with coffee, like the one above being used to convey green coffee beans. They’re used for roasted and ground beans too!
  • Blowoff products like EXAIR Super Air Knives are ideal for cleaning and drying produce carried on conveyor belts.
Super Air Knife drying fruits and vegetables

I had the pleasure of assisting a caller with the selection of a wet-dry vacuum for cleanup operations on a dairy farm. Since it was going to be used in an area subject to liquid spills, they wanted a non-electric solution to eliminate shock hazards from dragging an extension cord across a wet floor. They needed a HEPA filter for silica dust, and wanted the ability to quickly change operation from vacuuming up that dust, to cleaning up liquid (like fresh milk) spills.

EXAIR Model 6303 Premium HEPA EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac System fit the bill perfectly for them. It’s compressed air operated (so no shock hazard), with more than enough vacuum power for wet or dry cleanup, and the ability to easily switch (as advertised) from wet to dry operation. Also, with no moving parts to wear out, it’ll run darn near indefinitely, maintenance free, when supplied with clean compressed air.

For critical dust containment, the HEPA EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac System is your durable, reliable, compressed air operated solution!

If you would like to read more about the kinds of applications in which our products help customers solve interesting application problems, please visit our Application Database under “Resources” on the website – (registration required, but it’s free & fast). This resource has details of the successful use of EXAIR products across dozens of industries – Agriculture included. In fact, it’s near the top of the list (to be fair, it’s alphabetical). If you’d like to find out more about how EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products can be used to your benefit, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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EXAIR's Threaded Line Vac Family

Advantages of EXAIR’s Threaded Line Vacs

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR Line Vacs use a small amount of compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum by a Venturi effect.  The unique design of the generator creates a high velocity of air to create a low pressure on one side and a powerful thrust on the other. The Line Vac can pick up and move solid material from light and fluffy batting to dense, heavy and abrasive material and parts.  They can transfer product horizontally up to 100 feet (30 meters) away and vertically up to 20 feet (6 meters) high.  You can watch a video on the operation of a Line Vac HERE.  Compared to other vacuum or conveying systems, the EXAIR Line Vacs are very quiet, rugged, and powerful. They are exceptionally simple to install and solve many “bucket and ladder”, loading and scrap removal applications. EXAIR manufactures a variety of Line Vacs in different sizes, styles, and materials to best fit your application.

The standard Line Vac is the most versatile product in this family.  EXAIR stocks a wide range of sizes, materials, and styles to target the best solution for moving material.  We have two types of connections, slip-on, hose barb type ends for hose connections and male NPT threaded ends for pipe connection.  EXAIR can swap the connections with a slip-on hose on one end with a threaded connection on the other.  They range in diameters from 3/8” (10mm) up to 5” (127mm).  We manufacture the Line Vacs in aluminum, 303SS, and 316SS; but don’t let that deter you if your need them manufactured in any other type of material.  We have high temperature models that can withstand temperatures up to 900 deg. F (482 deg. C).  These Line Vacs work great in applications for loading plastic pellets in hoppers, discarding scrap pieces, trim removal, and transferring material.  If an operator has to carry a container of dry material and climb stairs, a Line Vac could be a much better alternative.

EXAIR Corporation 3 NPT Heavy Duty Line Vac™ Conveys Plastic Cap Nails.

The Heavy Duty Line Vacs are made from a hardened alloy steel for abrasion resistance.  The generators inside these Line Vacs are more powerful than the standard models; so, that they can also convey heavier materials at higher conveyance rates.  They can reach rates as high as 40 lbs./min. (18.2Kg/min) of material.  With the hardened alloy construction, they are great for sand blasting applications, ceramic, glass and steel shot.  They are manufactured with inlet and outlet connections for ship-on hoses or threaded pipes.  EXAIR stocks the Heavy Duty Line Vacs in the range from ¾” (19mm) to 3” (76mm) for both hose and NPT connections.  These Line Vacs are our most powerful design with great wear resistance.

Both the Standard and Heavy Duty Line vacs can be offered as Threaded Line Vacs which converts the smooth OD for hose slip over to a Male NPT to connect common plumbing fittings to they are both available in a range of different materials: Aluminum, Type 303 Stainless Steel, Type 316 Stainless Steel, and as a Heavy Duty conveyor constructed of a proprietary hardened alloy steel for use in abrasive applications.

Each style of Threaded Line Vac is also available as a High Temperature option. By replacing the traditional o-rings with graphite seals, we’re able to provide a solution capable of withstanding temperatures up to 900 °F!!!

EXAIR Line Vacs are also sold in kit format.  A kit will include a filter, regulator and a bracket.  (A bracket is not sold with the Light Duty Line Vac kits.)  The filter will help keep the compressed air passages inside the Line Vac clean as well as the product that it is conveying.  The regulator is a great tool to increase and decrease pressure as needed to vary the conveyance rates for better control.  The mounting bracket allows the user to securely mount the Line Vac to a sturdy base for support. 

If you have any questions on how our Line Vacs can help save you money give us a call! One of our application engineers will be happy to assist!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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What’s So Great About The New EXAIR Catalog #35?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

This may seem biased, but my answer is, “EVERYTHING!” Now, that may SEEM biased, but consider the fact that, as an Application Engineer, I have a front row seat for the “Innovation Show” that is EXAIR. The attention to detail that gets paid to the design, testing, verification, and manufacturing of new products constantly reminds me that it’s a level of excellence that EXAIR’s founder, Roy Sweeney, instilled and promoted in our culture from when he started this business in 1983, until his passing in 2016. It’s a testament to his legacy that, not only does it continue; it shows no signs of slowing down. It’s that level of excellence that’s always made it easy for me to speak with confidence about the quality, performance, durability, and effectiveness of all of EXAIR’s engineered compressed air products.

Our Marketing folks proudly passed out copies of the new EXAIR Catalog #35 the other day, and I immediately started immersing myself in that pride as I thumbed through. I thought of 12 years (for me) worth of success stories in helping customers get the most out of their compressed air systems through the use of our products, and our expertise in not only those products’ implementation, but how they can best fit into those customers’ air systems, overall. I wasn’t too far in to my thumbing through, when the “new stuff” really started making an impression on me:

Ultrasonic Leak Detector: Model 9207 is the first new product you’ll see if you start at the beginning. It has the same functionality and tools (parabolic disc for finding out you have leaks in a particular area, and a tubular extension so you can track the leak to its exact location), and some nice upgrades: it’s powered by four AA batteries (instead of a 9V) and comes with a set of earbuds (which I personally prefer over the previous model’s earphones, which I always considered a compromise between headphone & earbuds, with the benefits of neither). It’s never been easier to find those costly leaks in your air system, and fix them.

1/2 NPT HollowStream Liquid Atomizing Spray Nozzles: We’ve had these in 1/4 and 3/8 NPT sizes for a while now, with the ability to spray up to 7.28 gallons per minute. The 1/2 NPT models almost double that capacity to a flow rate of 14 gallons per minute. These spray a ring of liquid, so their flow rates are lower than a comparably sized Full Stream Liquid Atomizing Spray Nozzle, which spray a full, filled-in circle.

Line Vac Conveyance Chart: Remember what I said above about the ability to speak confidently about our products? This new chart compiles decades of controlled in-house testing and details that some customers have shared with us on the performance of different Line Vac models with different materials they’ve been used to convey. While we can’t guarantee EXACT conveyance performance for any specific application, this is a VERY handy tool to get us “in the ballpark” and further increases our great ability to specify the right Air Operated Conveyor for your application.

ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems: It was a pretty big deal when we introduced our HazLoc Cabinet Cooler Systems that are UL Classified for Class I Div 1, Class II Div 1, and Class III environments. And it WAS a big deal, in the United States & Canada. Now, we can offer the certification of hazardous location requirements, globally, for ATEX Zones 2 & 22. That’s ANOTHER big deal.

Speaking of big deals, come October, EXAIR will have been providing quiet, safe, and efficient compressed air products to industry for 40 years. Catalog 35 has all the products that we’ve been making since then, and everything we’ve added over the years. Click here to get one mailed out to you right away. If you’ve got questions about anything in our catalog, or how EXAIR 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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Golfing with EXAIR Products

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Well it’s that time of year again, at the time of writing this blog thousands are lining up in Augusta Georgia ready to see the 87th edition of the Masters Tournament! Some go for the high level of talent and golf that is played over four days. Others go for the cheap Concessions foods! I mean come on $1.50 for an egg salad and Pimento Cheese Sandwich! Sign me up!

Photo by Best of Both on Flicker.com

But here at EXAIR we happen to have a few things that can help you with your Golf Game!

  1. Forgot your Tee? No Worries we have you covered with our E-Vac Vacuum Generators! Check out the video below! (They can also be used to suction cup the ball out of a Gators mouth, RIP Chubbs)

On a serous note, when you’re not using an E-Vac as a golf tee, they are very commonly used in applications for bag and package opening, label placement, vacuum forming, leak testing and pick and place applications.

EXAIR Also has accessories to round out vacuum cup systems including vacuum cups themselves, mufflers, check valves, vacuum tubing and fittings.

2. Stuck in a sand trap and really need to get it with in a foot to knock down that par? Again we have you covered the Line Vacs can convey your ball with in inches of the hole. So all you’ll have to do is just tap it in! (Just below the best clip of Happy Gilmore is the line vac conveying some golf balls!!)

While the line vac could help you take a few strokes off your golf game, they will also help you get rid of your buckets and ladders, for filling and moving product. These small units can move large volumes of material.

They are a perfect solution for moving things like plastic pellets, textiles, food products, pills/tablets, granules and much more. By adding a small amount of compressed air through the directed nozzles on the Line Vac, you will create a vacuum on one end and a high flow of air on the other to lift and or push your material up and over to a new location.

Even though I would love to pull a air compressor behind my cart and see what people say at my local course! Both the Line vacs and E-Vacs have great industry uses. If you have anything you need to move or convey give us a call. We have a team of application engineers here M-F 7AM-4PM!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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