Tag: air system

A Journey of Learning: Passing the CCASS Certification Test

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Hey everyone! I’m beyond excited to share some big news with you—I recently passed the Certified Compressed Air System Specialist (CCASS) certification test! It’s been a wild ride getting here, and I want to take you through my journey, to show what this certificate means to me.

Why CCASS? Six and a half years ago, I started my fascination with compressed air products and systems—how they power so much of modern industry, from manufacturing to automation. But I’ll be honest: there’s a lot to learn, and I wanted a way to prove I really get it. That’s where the CCASS certification came in. Offered by CAGI, it’s a credential that shows you’ve mastered the ins and outs of compressed air systems—think system design, energy efficiency, and all the components that make it tick. For me, it was about more than just a title; it was a chance to level up my skills and help customers optimize their systems.

The CCASS exam isn’t a walk in the park—it’s 80 multiple-choice questions in just 1.5 hours, testing your applied knowledge, skills, and abilities. CAGI doesn’t hand you a study guide, but they do point you to some resources. Their “Body of Knowledge” list was my starting point, packed with references like the Compressed Air & Gas Handbook and standards like ASME EA-4 for energy assessments. I dove into those, soaking up everything from compressor basics to sustainability tips.

What does this mean? Well, I’m the 6th person on the application engineering team to become certified. Our team of Application Engineers are dedicated to continuous self-improvement and actively seek ways to assure our readers, clients, and prospective customers that we are the foremost authorities in engineered solutions for point-of-use compressed air. We prioritize ongoing education and share our expertise through various platforms. This includes informative blogs like this one, casual videos available on our YouTube Channel and website, articles in different publications, and our webinars.

The subjects we cover range from strategies to reduce waste associated with one of the most costly utilities to system designs that mitigate pressure drops and ensure adequate supply for point-of-use applications. We can provide both in-depth analysis and high-level overviews to cater to different levels of understanding.

If you wish to evaluate our expertise or learn more about how we can assist with your facility’s compressed air needs, please reach out to an Application Engineer today.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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CAGI CCASS Certificate Awarded To Our Own John Ball!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

I blogged in October 2023 about our 4th team member who had passed the Compressed Air And Gas Institute’s Certified Compressed Air System Specialist test. Once Neal Raker received his CCASS certification, it was only a matter of time before the next one of our International Application Engineers, John Ball, was going to take the plunge, so to say.

John has studied, written content revolving around, and demonstrated his knowledge in the compressed air field for many years before he came to EXAIR and has continued his education ever since, doing the necessary due diligence of studying for and obtaining his CCASS certification. As with Neal, Russ, and Tyler all obtaining this, what kind of value does that add for you our customers, and content consumers?

Certainly, it means you can rely on us to actually know what we are talking about when we make a recommendation to you on a phone call, chat or e-mail. It also means that the content of our informal videos, presentations, and blogs is well researched. We hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we must ensure we continue to improve our knowledge through continuing education or else we will not be able to maintain these types of certifications. Our goal is to help in such a way that you will want to come back for more! When we say our people are our most valuable resource, investing in continuing education is one way we walk the walk.

If you want to experience our help first hand, please contact one of our Application Engineers and give us a try. We would be happy to listen and verify your thought process for an application or perhaps walk you through a few scenarios based on multiple, possible solutions. Many times, there’s more than one right answer. We encourage you to bounce your ideas off of us. Contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Pneumatics What are they Good For?

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Absolutely Nothing….. err ALOT!

I truly love the “What are they good for, Absolutely Nothing….. err ALOT!” Blog, It makes me laugh every time, like Compressed Air Dryers : What are they Good For? . And because of this I plan to make it a reoccurring title combo! Whether you like it or not!!!

But bringing it back to why are Pneumatics used? If there were no benefits costly compressed air systems would become obsolete, however the opposite is common in industry. Compressed air systems and pneumatics are a critical cost-effective tool when they are used efficiently.

Pneumatics is a branch of engineering that makes use of gas or compressed air. With most if not all industries utilizing compressed air products and processes, it’s a pretty important part of any facility’s infrastructure.

  1. There is an infinite supply of air on this planet to be compressed and used. I know this seems obvious but what other energy source has an infinite supply?

2. There are very low maintenance costs with pneumatic tools. Our products have minimal to no moving parts. There is no motor to repair, no oil to change, no bearings or fans.

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

3. Our products are engineered to be easily installed and can be adjusted for performance. Most of the time you simply mount the product and add air. A simple pressure regulator provides a huge bandwidth of adjustment to dial in the force and performance.

4. Air is very easy to transport. With your current compressor system, you can easily run pipe to the point of use and supply the products with their power source.

5. Compressed air is compact, and usually takes up less space to install a compressed air product.

6. Our products and tools are extremely reliable. Due to the precision engineering and production, our products produce a repeatable result every time they are turned on.

7. EXAIR products all comply with OSHA standards for sound 29 CFR-1910.95(a) as well as dead end pressure (29 CFR 1910-242 (b)).

8. Initial purchase as well as installation costs are typically considerably lower than non-pneumatic options. When you add in the upkeep and maintenance, EXAIR products are almost always less expensive than alternative products.

9. Using compressed air as your power supply typically facilitates a cleaner, dryer, safer work environment.

At EXAIR, you have a team of application engineers at your fingertips that will help you choose the best product for your specific application. Feel free to call or email at anytime.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Your Compressed Air Plumbing Could be Causing your Pressure Drop

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Pressure drop is an unavoidable occurrence in compressed air systems. It’s caused by restrictions or obstructions to flow in your system, and that includes…well, everything:

  • No matter how big your header, drops, supply lines, etc. are, pressurized fluid encounters friction with the inside diameter of the conduit through which it flows.
  • Odds are, your header has at least a few elbows, wyes, tees, reducers, etc. Individually, the restrictions from these are usually quite small, but when you look at a system full of them, they can add up.
  • The type of piping your header is made of matters as well. Iron pipe WILL rust, which roughs up the inside wall of the pipe, and increases friction. Copper and aluminum aren’t near as bad, but there’s no such thing as a zero coefficient of friction.
  • Filters force the air flow through very small passages, torturous paths, or directional changes to remove particulate, moisture, and oil/oil vapor.
  • While not a restriction or obstruction, leaks in your system DO let out perfectly good compressed air before it can be used, so they can be included in our discussion.

Before you go off and redesign your air distribution header or remove your filters (DON’T do that!), it’s important to point that, historically, the highest pressure drops occur at or near the points of use:

  • Undersized hoses. The friction mentioned in the first ‘bullet’ above is compounded by increasing length, and decreasing diameter, of your air operated products’ supply lines. If your product’s performance is suffering, look up its rated air consumption and compare that to the flow rating of the length & diameter of the supply line.
  • Quick connect fittings. The push-to-connect types are particularly notorious for this…the air has to flow around the plug that stops flow when it’s disconnected. You can either replace them with threaded fittings, or if you still want the convenience of the quick connect, consider bushing up a size or two. A 3/8 NPT push to connect fitting will flow twice as much as a 1/4 NPT, and a 1/2 NPT will flow over three times as much as a 1/4 NPT fitting. In the EXAIR R&D room, Efficiency Lab, and shop, we actually use 3/4 NPT quick connects for a wide range of testing, demonstration, performance, etc.
  • Leaks. Even if they’re not big enough to cause a pressure drop, they’re still wasting compressed air. And if they ARE causing pressure drops, please stop reading this and go fix them, right now. Yeah; it’s that important.
Back to back Elbows, Tapered fittings, clean outs and ball vales all cause friction in the line resulting in Pressure loss.

Now, there are culprits on the supply side too: after coolers, dryers, and system filters can all contribute to pressure drops if they’re improperly sized, or, more often, improperly maintained. For troubleshooting, your first and best shot is to have pressure gauges at strategic locations…you can’t manage what you don’t measure. And not managing it can get costly:

  • Let’s say your compressor discharge header pressure is set to 100psig, but an undersized hose is only letting you get 65psig to an air operated product that really needs 80psig. You can increase your header pressure to 115-120psig to “push” more air through that hose, but keep in mind that all your other unregulated loads will get that pressure increase as well: pneumatic cylinders would operate faster, impact drivers will generate more torque, blow off devices will use more air (and get louder), etc.
  • Even if those things weren’t a problem, it’s going to cost you more. For every 2psi increase in your compressor’s discharge pressure, its power consumption increases by 1 percent. So, for the 20psi increase, it’s going to cost you about 10% more to operate that compressor. A larger diameter air hose, on the other hand, is a one time investment that doesn’t affect the rest of your compressed air system.
  • If you haven’t fixed the leaks I mentioned above yet, increasing your supply pressure will increase the leakage flow rate and, especially if the leak’s in a hose or hose fitting, it can tear that opening wider, compounding the leakage flow rate further.

EXAIR Corporation is keen on making sure you get the most out of our products, and your compressed air system. If you’ve got questions, we’ve got knowledge, and a wealth of resources to help…give us a call.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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