Tag: air scraper

Compressed Air Problems? Ask An Application Engineer If An EXAIR Super Air Nozzle Is Right For You.

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

A few years back, I had the pleasure of working with a machine shop manager who wanted to reduce the compressed air consumption in their facility. They had ten lathes, machining high-tech plastic products, and used crimped copper tubing to blow off chips and shavings as the parts were turned. They ran continuously — as did the air compressor — which occasionally caused header pressure to drop below the level required for operation of the pneumatic chucks & tool changers.

These cheap and easy blow offs were making things expensive and difficult for the company.

After some discussion and an Efficiency Lab test of one of their crimped tubes, I recommended our Model 1100 1/4 NPT Zinc Aluminum Super Air Nozzles. They’re our most popular engineered Air Nozzle for typical industrial blow-off applications. They generate a forceful, focused blast of air that’s ideal for chip removal on machine tools, and they’re ideally suited for a number of other uses as well. They bought ten (one for each machine) and installed them one afternoon, right before close of business, by cutting the crimps off the copper tubes and fitting them with simple compression fittings. The whole operation took about five minutes. When the machine shop manager arrived the next morning, he was at first alarmed because there was so little noise coming from the shop (he thought something was wrong with the machines) and then impressed when he found all the lathes were running, and the Super Air Nozzles were so much quieter than the crimped tubes.

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.

While our Model 1100 Super Air Nozzle is our most popular one, EXAIR makes a wide range of engineered Air Nozzles to meet the needs of almost any blow-off application. If you’re replacing something else, we can test your current device(s) in our Efficiency Lab (like we did the crimped copper tubing here) and determine the Air Nozzle that most closely matches the performance required for your application.

If it’s a new application, we have tools at our disposal for proper product selection too:

  • The Catalog: Our Air Nozzles & Jets catalog section lists them all, from smallest to largest, with performance data, dimensions, and airflow patterns. I actually like to start with the airflow pattern: once we know the size & shape of the needed/desired flow, we can narrow down our selection.
  • Application Database: At last count, we had over 200 blow-off applications written up. Now, that includes Air Nozzles as well as Air Knives, Air Amplifiers, and Safety Air Guns (which have Air Nozzles on them), but keep in mind what I said about picking the size & shape of the airflow.
  • Engineering Assistance: If you’re short on time, find yourself completely stumped, or just want a 2nd opinion on the best product for your application, we’re here from 7am to 4pm Eastern Time to help you over the phone, in a Live Chat, or at an Engineering Consultation web meeting. You can also email techelp@exair.com, 24/7, with details about what you’re after.

At EXAIR, we want to help you get the most out of your compressed air use. If you want to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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The Human Side of Safety: Why EXAIR’s Certifications Are Your True Safety Net

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

On a busy production floor, it’s easy to look at an agency certification—like OSHA, UL, or
CE—as just another piece of administrative paperwork. But at EXAIR, we see them differently. We see them as a promise made to the people who power your business every day.

For your operators, these certifications aren’t just labels; they represent certainty. Here is how our commitment to these standards changes the daily lives of your team.

Preserving the Sound of Life

Constant, high-pitched air noise isn’t just an annoyance; it’s a health hazard. Excessive noise leads to permanent hearing loss, chronic stress, and fatigue that can cause workplace accidents. By engineering our products to meet OSHA 1910.95(a) standards, we ensure your team can communicate clearly and go home without ringing in their ears. It’s about protecting their long-term health, not just hitting a decibel target.

Removing the Risk of “Dead-Ending”

The risk of an air embolism—where high-pressure air enters the bloodstream—is a terrifying reality in industrial environments. Our compliance with OSHA 29 CFR 1910.242(b) means we’ve engineered that danger out of the equation. Our nozzles feature safety relief paths that can never be blocked by a person’s skin while still operating the nozzles at a pressure level that can still deliver forceful blowing results. We believe that a simple cleaning task should never lead to a medical emergency.

Peace of Mind Through Global Compliance

Whether it’s ensuring our electrical products are UL Listed to protect your equipment or maintaining CE and RoHS compliance for our global partners, we handle the technical heavy lifting. This allows you to focus on your production goals, knowing your tools are ethically sourced, environmentally safe, and meet the highest global quality benchmarks.

Success Story Spotlight: Silencing the Shop Floor

One of our favorite examples of these standards in action involves a customer who was struggling with deafening noise levels.

The Human Challenge:
The facility was using open-ended blow-off guns that produced a staggering 104 dBA. For the operators, this meant constant discomfort, heavy ear protection, and high stress. Though the guns were “functional,” the environment they created was unsustainable.

The EXAIR Solution:
The facility replaced their old equipment with 355 EXAIR Soft Grip Safety Air Guns

The Transformation:

  • The Sound of Silence: Noise levels dropped to 82 dB – a perceived reduction of over 150% for the human ear.
  • Full Compliance: The shop floor immediately met OSHA allowable noise exposure standards, creating a vastly more comfortable environment.
  • A Financial Win: Along with the safety boost, the facility saved over $28,500 annually in compressed air costs.

The Outcome:
The operators finally had a workspace where they could focus and stay safe. It’s a perfect example of how choosing the right certified tool doesn’t just improve the bottom line – it improves the work lives of the people who matter most. And that’s what we are all about, solving technical problems with a set of solutions that keep operator safety, health and operational efficiency at the forefront of the process.

Neal Raker, Application Engineering Manager

Revolutionize Your Internal Pipe Cleaning with EXAIR Back Blow Nozzles

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

In industrial manufacturing, cleaning the inside of pipes, tubes, and blind holes has traditionally been a challenge. Standard forward-blowing nozzles often push debris deeper or create safety hazards by ejecting material out the far end. EXAIR solved this problem with their innovative Back Blow Air Nozzles, designed specifically to “wipe” internal surfaces clean by directing airflow backwards toward the operator.

How They Work

These nozzles utilize the Coanda effect to amplify compressed air, entraining surrounding ambient air to create a high-velocity 360-degree cone of air. Because the air is directed back toward the inlet, it pulls coolant, chips, and debris out of the opening rather than forcing them further in.

See the “Back Blow Magic” in Action

Watch this EXAIR video demonstration to see a Back Blow Nozzle clear debris from a plugged pipe in a single pass.

Common Applications

Manufacturers across various industries use these nozzles to improve efficiency and safety. Typical uses include:

  • Machined Part Cleaning: Removing coolant and metal chips from blind holes or internal threads.
  • Hydraulic Cylinder Repair: Cleaning honed bores ranging from 2″ to 16″ in diameter.
  • Tube & Pipe Manufacturing: Clearing debris from long lengths of pipe where forward blowing is impractical.
  • CNC Machining: Quickly cleaning out spindles between tool changes.
  • Electronics Recycling: Removing residual powder from spent toner cartridges.

Key Product Features

  • Material: Manufactured from durable Type 316 Stainless Steel for superior corrosion and wear resistance.
  • Size Range: Available in three sizes—M4, 1/4 NPT, and 1 NPT—covering internal diameters from 1/4″ to 16″.
  • Safety & Compliance: Meets OSHA standards for noise and dead-end pressure.
  • Configurations: Can be mounted on VariBlast, Soft Grip, or Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns with extensions up to 72″ and optional chip shields for operator protection.

Would you like to know which Safety Air Gun model or extension length is best suited for your specific pipe diameter? Give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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The ROI of Engineered Air: Why Your Compressed Air Setup Is Costing You More Than It Should

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

The electrical costs associated with generating compressed air make it the most expensive utility in any industrial facility. In order to help offset these costs, it’s imperative that the system is operating as efficiently as possible. Taking a holistic look at your system, from the distribution piping down to the individual nozzle, reveals several opportunities to reduce your energy footprint without sacrificing performance.

The first and most impactful step is to identify and fix leaks within the distribution piping. According to the Compressed Air Challenge, up to 30% of all compressed air generated is lost through leaks, which can account for nearly 10% of your overall energy costs. These leaks do more than just waste money; they cause a drop in system pressure that forces equipment to cycle on and off more frequently. This leads to rejected products, increased maintenance, and unscheduled downtime. You can perform a professional audit using an EXAIR Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector to pinpoint these losses or hire an energy audit service to lead the process.

Pressure Regulators “dial in” performance to get the job done without using more air than necessary.

While fixing leaks addresses the distribution side, you must also look at how that air is managed at the point of use. Regulating the supply pressure for individual devices is a massive opportunity for savings. Most shop air runs at a default 80-90 PSIG or higher, but many general blowoff applications can be accomplished with the same level of efficiency at 50 or 60 PSIG. By installing pressure regulators at each device, you reduce consumption immediately. For every 2 PSIG you reduce at the compressor, you save approximately 1% in energy costs.

Drilled and soldered copper pipe.

The hardware you choose for these applications is equally critical. Inefficient, homemade solutions like crimped copper tubes are often thought to be cheap, but the cost to supply them with air far outweighs the price of an engineered solution. An engineered nozzle, such as EXAIR’s line of Super Air Nozzles, utilizes the Coanda effect to entrain free ambient air into the stream. This maximizes force while keeping compressed air usage to an absolute minimum.

Finally, the overall health and operation of the system rely on consistent maintenance and simple human intervention. Inadequate compressor maintenance leads to lower efficiency and higher heat, so a regular preventative schedule for heat exchangers, lubricants, and filters is non-negotiable. Beyond mechanical upkeep, the simplest method to save is to shut off the air when it isn’t in use. Whether operators are on lunch or a shift has ended, simply turning a valve to stop the supply of air is a no-brainer that prevents leaks from wasting power during downtime. Each of these steps, while minute on their own, works together to significantly reduce your overall air consumption and energy costs.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Assistant Application Engineering Manager

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com