Tag: bdfarno

Where Does It Go?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
The Line Vac conveys scrap trim quickly and easily, and can be sized for most any product.

The EXAIR Line Vacs can be used for anything from launching bean bags to more popular uses like removing scrap, trim or conveying dry goods. An example of this is shown below where chips from drive train differentials are removed using this setup with a 2” Line Vac. The Line Vac is positioned at the top of this purpose built assembly and the bottom shroud fits over the differential housing of what will become a drive axle. It has internal nozzles to generate positive air flow within the housing in order to direct the chips into the suction side of the Line Vac.

For some applications like this, the discharge side of the Line Vac is connected to a hose and aimed into a bin or some form of a container without a lid, or filter, anything to simply catch the larger pieces of swarf. In other operations, the output flow may go straight into something as small as a 5 gallon bucket.   Rather than blowing all of this debris, sand, or dirt into an open-top container and risk it being released back into the local area, or missing the container and falling onto the floor, it can be channeled into a container with one of our Drum Covers.

The Drum Cover is a general purpose filter material that will trap debris inside either a 30 or 55 gallon open-top container that has a rolled lip on it. The spout of the Drum Cover can accept up to a 3″ flexible conveyance hose and includes several hose clamps to be able to secure the discharge hose down into the container. This means you could also put two or three smaller hoses if it is a small trim or debris removal, and combine all into a single container to simplify the cleanup. These have also been used to help convey adhesive backing paper out of an automation zone and into an area where operators can easily stay out of the way of production equipment and remotely empty waste bins.

                        We have seen this work in multiple applications from collecting sand from a drilling operation that was being performed on a sand casting, to material trim removal and metal chip removal from machining operations.   If you want more information on these or have a similar application, feel free to contact me.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

“Other” Uses For Vacuum Generators

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Okay. Throughout our catalog and most of my training, many moons ago, we always stuck to using the E Vac Vacuum Generators as pick and place type units. Hook them up with some suction cups and you can have some fun. However, this isn’t all they can be used for. In fact, I blogged about it over a decade ago not being used for a pick and place operation. Rather, I used it to pull a steady vacuum on a hydraulic brake system in order to pull the fluid through the lines.

My E-Vac Brake Bleeder Setup

Today, I want to show you another trick that I am almost certain I saw when I was a kid on Mr. Wizard. I saw this in High School, learning from one of my amazing educators in the Science department, and then again in college taking basic Chemistry courses. The trick is maybe not something that you would use regularly, but it is a great visualization for something that may help some DIY’ers and even some industrial engineers. So what is the process exactly? Well, it is using a vacuum to “boil” water, except we aren’t really boiling the water, it just appears that way.

That’s right, in this video you can see I have a very small E-Vac Vacuum Generator connected to a glass jar with some water in it. Now there is some condensation in the jar from the water being warmer than the environment we were in. As I energize the E-Vac, you will see the operating pressure go up on the gauge to the right, and you will see the pressure in the jar go down on the vacuum gauge to the left. You can also see just how quickly the small E-Vac removes all the air from the chamber and then begins to build the vacuum, effectively pulling the gas from water, making it appear as though it is boiling due to a temperature increase. Instead, it is actually “de-gassing” the water and removing the oxygen.

This same process can be used in molding operations, epoxy resin processes, and even off-gassing operations. If you can get the surface or container into a vacuum condition, then an Inline E Vac or Adjustable E Vac can be used to evacuate the gases from the fluid within the chamber or area. This makes them more conducive for use without bubbles forming during the curing phase. The size of the E Vac needed for this will be determined by the size of the area and that is exactly what our Application Engineers are here to help with.

If you would like to discuss an off-the-wall idea or de-gassing, feel free to contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

5S + Constant Evolution = 6S

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A sticker on my dad’s old lunch box. I still use the lunchbox today. He worked for a steel mill in maintenance for more than 35 years. This was from one of their many safety program pushes.

6S is a standard in many facilities. This standard spawns from the Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma standards of 5S. Of course, it adds one more characteristic to it: the sixth S, Safety. Back in 2006, I achieved a Green Belt in Six Sigma and Safety was mentioned a good amount as a driver for several of the processes. The fact Safety was not one of the fives shows two things, I’m getting older and getting closer to that age where I have been out of school longer than I was in; and Safety is and should be a top priority, maybe it always should have been.

In case you have never been introduced to Lean Manufacturing or Six Sigma, this principle focuses on a single piece flow and optimizing a work process to minimize the amount of time it takes. This increases efficiency in the manufacturing process and ultimately puts money back into the bottom line of the business.

The first S is Sort, you should remove anything that is not needed for the production process, this could be additional tooling or resources that are not needed for the specific work station or task. This prevents any kind of clutter or confusion on what is needed.

The second S is Set In Order, just like the photo above, every tool and bin should have it’s place at the work station. This helps operators find what they need when they need it. The outlines also give a visual indicator to any tool or device that may be missing and or in use. Again, it helps with the operators time efficiency and reduces risk of leaving a tool in a process.

Third is SHINE, every aspect of a work area should be cleaned up, sometimes this needs to be done throughout the shift and other times just at the end of the shift to put everything back in place and prepare for the next operator or day. When I worked in retail I would hear managers tell people, “You have time to lean, you have time to clean.” and while it isn’t the best approach, it is a true statement. This does contribute to keeping production running at high efficiency, being able to spot leaks or wear issues on equipment that aren’t caked in chips, grease, and used fluids. It can also aid with safety by preventing slips or falls from a leak or debris building up from a process.

Fourth, Standardize, this means all work areas should look the same, maybe not the exact same tools, or process, but any operator should be able to walk into a work station, read the documentation, and be able to function sufficiently. This also helps to keep the old ways of tribal knowledge from happening which will prevent changes and adjustments from not being documented and will help to reduce learning curves when changes happen.

Fifth, Sustain, this is one of the hardest. This means the standards that have been set in place are kept. Repetition is key in a scenario where 5S or 6S are being implemented and even where they have been set in place for a while. Revisiting the standards and ensuring they are aligned to production and operator needs is always good.

A Safety Sticker from my dad’s 1988 lunchbox that I still use to this day. They were running safety programs before it was cool.

Sixth, Safety, this should always be at the forefront of any process. Being able to keep operators safe during a work day is always a high priority and one of the many ways to do that is to use the other five Ss to make sure that they can efficiently and safely work throughout their day.

Whether it is replacing open pipe blowoffs with engineered nozzles, cross drilled blowguns with Safety Air Guns, installing Line Vacs to help evacuate trim or debris, Super Air Amplifiers to cool down a part before it is being handled. I’ve even helped customers with custom length air hoses to ensure their operators can’t reach the air hose into a process too far in order to ensure operator safety. EXAIR is always focused on safety and ensuring our products help increase process efficiency. If you want to see how we can help you and your team, contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Five Stages Of A Team

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When a team is formed there have been many studies conducted on the science behind what happens. One of my favorite takes on this are the five stages of a team. These stages are cyclical and will repeat themselves over time with the length of projects and shifting of team positions. The stages are, forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. So what does this have to do with compressed air and industrial processes?

Well, when EXAIR and BETE joined forces, the cycles immediately began, and I believe we have moved through some of these stages fairly quickly. You see, Tyler Daniel, Neal Raker, and myself all recently had the privilege of going up to the BETE facility and spending the better part of a week getting to know some basics of their vast product offering, how they have been doing business for nearly 75 years and, most importantly, we got to meet a portion of the team there. As we toured the facility and met a good portion of the team there, it felt as though I was walking through EXAIR’s facility as well. We got to see what has made BETE a leader in spray nozzles for nearly 75 years and I would definitely say a good portion of it is the TEAM. The welcome we received and the short time we got to spend with these people, made clear that their intent was to make sure the customers were always taken care of and there was a lot of pride in the products they were producing. It legitimately felt like I was walking through EXAIR as a new team member.

Throughout the training and time we spent there, we got to know each other even better. It was almost as if we didn’t need the forming and storming phase. We pretty well jumped straight into the morning phase because our cultures and focus were all very similar. So, what does this mean for all of our customers?

It means that now when you are reaching out to either company, we can help from start to finish with any type of liquid nozzle or point of use compressed air application, and it should come to you as a seamless team effort from both sides of BETE and EXAIR. We’re hitting as many points as we can with both teams so that we can reach the performing stage and really start seeing the end users, our customers benefiting from these collaborations.

I know this may sound cliché. I’m absolutely excited to see what these next few years bring because I can guarantee that these two teams are combining forces, and we are going to have some great output that can really improve the performance, production, and efficiency of current liquid and compressed air applications through the roof.

If you want to discuss any spray application or point of use compressed air application, please make sure to reach out to us directly. We will get the best team on the application and make sure you get the solution you need when you need it.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF