Tag: blow off applications

Exploring the Versatility of EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In industrial settings, maintaining a clean, efficient, and safe workspace is a constant challenge. Whether it’s removing debris, transferring materials, or blowing off surfaces, the tools used need to be reliable, cost-effective, and adaptable. Enter EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun—a compressed air-powered, multi-functional device designed to tackle a variety of industrial housekeeping tasks. In this blog, we’ll dive into the technical details of the Vac-u-Gun, how it operates, and the applications where it shines.

Constructed from durable die-cast aluminum, the Vac-u-Gun has no moving parts, ensuring minimal maintenance and a long operational life. Switching between vacuum and blow-off modes is simple—just unscrew the threaded cap, reverse the orientation of the internal generator, and reassemble. This versatility, combined with its ergonomic trigger operation, makes it an indispensable tool for industrial environments.

How Does It Work?

The Vac-u-Gun’s functionality hinges on its reversible generator:

  • Vacuum Mode: When configured for vacuuming, compressed air (typically 80-100 PSIG) flows into an annular plenum chamber and exits through directed nozzles, creating a low-pressure zone that draws in surrounding air and debris. The material is then directed into a reusable bag or hose for collection.
  • Blow-Off Mode: In blow-off mode, the generator is flipped, and the compressed air is expelled through a large 1-1/4″ (32 mm) diameter outlet, providing a powerful stream for cleaning or drying surfaces.
  • Transfer Mode: By attaching a smooth-bore vacuum hose, the Vac-u-Gun can move lightweight materials over short distances, making it ideal for material handling tasks.

Applications Best Suited for the Vac-u-Gun

The Vac-u-Gun’s adaptability makes it a go-to solution for a wide range of industrial tasks. Here are some of its standout applications:

  1. Small-Scale Debris Cleanup – The Vac-u-Gun excels at vacuuming up sawdust, shavings, chips, or spills in workshops and manufacturing facilities. For example, a woodworking shop can use the Collection System to quickly clean up sawdust from workbenches, capturing it in the reusable bag without spreading it around the floor.
  2. Surface Cleaning and Blow-Off – In blow-off mode, the Vac-u-Gun is perfect for drying or clearing dust and dirty surfaces like electrical panels or machinery parts. Its large-diameter output ensures rapid coverage, making it a time-saver in fast-paced production lines.
  3. Material Transfer – When paired with a vacuum hose (as in the Transfer System), the Vac-u-Gun can move lightweight materials like polystyrene pellets or plastic granules over short distances. A bean bag chair manufacturer, for instance, could use it to transfer filling material from a bag to the product, eliminating the mess and tedium of manual scooping.
  4. Specialized Cleaning with the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun Variant – For applications requiring the removal of chips from drilled holes or grooves—like in automotive part machining—the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun variant offers a targeted solution. A small blow tube dislodges debris while the suction tube vacuums it away, all while containing flying particles for operator safety.

EXAIR’s Vac-u-Gun is more than just a tool—it’s a problem-solver. Whether you’re cleaning up a mess, transferring materials, or clearing surfaces, its technical design delivers efficiency and reliability in a compact package. For industries looking to boost productivity while keeping costs and maintenance low, the Vac-u-Gun is a worthy investment.

If you’re curious about how the Vac-u-Gun can fit into your operations, reach out to an EXAIR Application Engineer. With same-day shipping on stock items (orders by 2:00 PM ET), you could have it in hand by tomorrow—ready to tackle your toughest housekeeping challenges.

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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Vac-u-Gun: Overview!

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

The Vac-U-Gun is capable of both vacuuming materials, as well as operating as a blow gun.  It has a unique design that has a reversible generator to allow modes to change simply and easily.  In this blog, I will go over the Vac-u-Gun and the packages that we offer. 

EXAIR’s Vac-U-Gun is a low-cost solution to a wide variety of smaller industrial housekeeping problems. The Vac-U-Gun is made from a durable die-cast construction and has no moving parts to replace or wear out. In addition to being easy to use, the Vac-U-Gun is also more efficient than the commonly found blowguns. By injecting a small amount of compressed air, a vacuum is then produced by a Venturi on one end and a high output flow on the other.  Switching from vacuum mode to blow-off mode can be achieved in just a matter of seconds. To change the direction of flow, simply remove the threaded cap at the end and change the orientation of the generator inside.

The Vac-U-Gun is available by itself, or as a system in one of three different kits. The model 6192 Collection System has the Vac-u-Gun, a reusable bag, a crevice tool, a brush tool, a skimmer tool, and two extension wands.  The model 6292 Transfer System has the items in model 6192 plus a 10-Foot (3 meter) vacuum hose.  Model 6392 All Purpose System has all the items in both systems. 

The extension wands are 19” (48 cm) long and can be used to help to reach the floor or into tough areas.  The tools and extensions are made from plastic to help clean electrical panels safely.  The vacuum hose can reach refuse containers to collect recyclable debris.  As a blow-off tool, the Vac-u-Gun uses very little compressed air and has an amplified output of 12 times that of the compressed air usage.  So, a large volume of air can help clean quickly. 

If you’re looking for a versatile gun that can help boost productivity in a number of applications within your facility, look no further than the Vac-U-Gun.  EXAIR offers a 30-day unconditional guarantee on our cataloged items to try.  You can see for yourself how effective the Vac-u-Gun systems are.  If you have any questions, an Application Engineer will be able to assist you. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Air Nozzles and Air Jets: An Overview

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

One of the simplest solutions to lower your air consumption and noise level when it comes to compressed air is to switch your open tubes or pipes and liquid nozzles which are being used for air applications to an engineered compressed air nozzle. EXAIR’s Engineered Air Nozzles and Jets provide a simple solution for a wide variety blow off and compressed air applications and can solve a multitude of process problems efficiently. These applications can include simple blow offs, cooling, part ejection, and much more.

Super Air Nozzles:
Super Air Nozzles are one of the more versatile of all of EXAIR’s Engineered Air Nozzles. They come in many different sizes from a tiny size of M4 threads and 13 millimeters long to the largest with  1-1/4 NPT threads which has a 2″ hex and is almost 5″ long. These are usually used for standard blow off applications that replace open pipes to reduce your air consumption and noise. The force values vary from 2 ounces to 23 pounds of force. 

Another variation of the Super Air Nozzles is the Flat Super Air Nozzles; these nozzles create a small flat curtain of air at a high force to provide a wider blow off area for smaller NPT sized nozzles. The 1” and 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle also have replaceable shims that allow you to adjust the force coming out of the nozzle by increasing the amount of air that is used.   

EXAIR Air Nozzles

Back Blow Air Nozzles:
Back Blow Air Nozzles are designed in a way that blows that makes it easy to blow out the inside of pipes. The Back Blow Air Nozzles have holes around the outside diameter pointed back that creates a cone of air around the air inlet port. This makes it easy to dislodge clogs in pipes that you don’t want going back into the machine and for blowing out liquid and debris from the inside. They are also commonly used with EXAIR’s Chip Shield as to prevent any particles from flying back and hitting the user. Back Blow Air Nozzles come in three sizes: M4, ¼”, and 1” and can be used on inside diameters ranging from ¼” to 16”. 

EXAIR Back Blow Air Nozzles

Super Air Nozzle Clusters:
Super Air Nozzle Clusters use a number of the ¼” Super Air Nozzles to create one nozzle that has a wider cone and larger force. Clusters are usually used in wide area blow off but can also be used for part cooling and part reject as they do supply a wider area of force. Super Air Nozzle Clusters are sized by the number of nozzles in the cluster; the three sizes that we offer are 4-nozzle cluster (3/8” NPT inlet), 7-nozzle cluster (1/2” NPT inlet), and the 12-nozzle cluster (1” NPT inlet). 

EXAIR Super Air Nozzle Cluster

Air Jets:
Air Jets amplify the total volume of air into a high velocity stream of air. This makes it very useful for blowing off/drying applications and cooling applications due to the higher volume of air flowing through the unit. Air Jets come in two variations which are the High Velocity Air Jet and the Adjustable Air Jets. The High Velocity Air Jet uses a 0.015” shim that allows the air to escape the unit at a high velocity laminar flow to entrain the surrounding ambient air; this can be adjusted down using the shim kit which includes a 0.006” and 0.009” shims. The Adjustable Air Jet allows the user to easily adjust the air gap using the micrometer gap indicator. 

EXAIR Air Jets

If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Tried and True Products with Modern Performance and Safety Features

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

Over Labor Day I got the chance to take my dad and his friend climbing in Seneca Rocks West Virginia for the first time in a very long time. Seneca Rocks is a large Quartzite knife edge located in the Monongahela National forest on route 33. The majority of climbing there is what is known as Trad Climbing, which is just short for traditional climbing and is where one must place their own protection to clip the rope into (also pray it holds when you fall). Trad climbing requires a strong mental fortitude and precise physical movements as you jam different parts of your body into various sized cracks.

Me on the left and my Dad’s friend at the trail head for the hike to “the walls”.

In the ever-expanding world of new technology and advancements of outdoor adventure gear, all trad climbers stick with the same gear that was used some 30+ years ago. Although the materials and performance have improved the very principle and mechanics behind them has not. In this case the old saying “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it!” rings true. Sometimes when it comes to a solution, whether its hanging 200’ in the air or updating a process line, traditional is a great choice due to its simplicity and effectiveness.

Compressed air has been around since 1799 but the idea has been around since 3rd Century B.C. making it one of the oldest utilities next to running water. When it comes to manufacturing applications it’s about as tried and true as you can get, so why not look into our engineered products to help you solve your issues. Their simplicity and effectiveness remain, while their efficiency, safety and performance have been engineered to modern day needs.  These modern needs have insisted that products be safer and more efficient then they were 30+ years ago.  

One example of this is EXAIR’s Vortex Tube. Vortex tubes where discovered in 1931 and were exposed to industrial manufacturing in 1945. EXAIR improved upon them when the company began in 1983. Today they are still used for various cooling applications such as replacing mist coolant on CNC machines, cooling down plastic parts during ultrasonic welding, and keeping electrical cabinets cool so they don’t overheat.

Another example is air nozzles, nozzles are used for many different purposes like cleaning or cooling parts. If you are using nozzles from 30 years ago because they are effective, there is a good chance you can improve you r efficiency and increase safety for your personnel with EXAIR’s engineered Super Air Nozzles. They are designed in a variety of styles to fit your needs from tiny micro nozzles to massive cluster nozzles to blow off or cool  a multitude of parts and processes. 

Sub-zero air flow with no moving parts. 3400 Series Vortex Tubes from EXAIR.

If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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