Tag: bulk material handling equipment

The 30-Day Guarantee Gives You Confidence.

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

When you make a purchase, you want to have confidence that the solution that you’ve spent money on is going to work. With many of the applications that we discuss with customers, the solutions are tried and tested. If your electrical panel is getting too hot, then an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler is exactly what you need. If there’s static on your assembly line, a Gen4 Static Elimination product is the way to go. And if you need to blow off excess water from an extruded pipe, a Super Air Wipe is the perfect fix.

There are plenty of situations where the solution isn’t clear-cut. We believe our products can make a difference, but with so many variables, it’s impossible to just plug everything into a formula and predict the exact outcome. The only way to know for sure is to test. That’s where EXAIR’s 30-day unconditional guarantee comes into play. Every one of our cataloged products is covered by this guarantee. Once you buy one of these items, you have a month to really test it out; change the angle, tweak the operating pressure, or swap out shims. If you manage to find the right setup to fix your issue, awesome! If not, we’ll gladly take it back and give you a full refund! The only thing you need to cover is the shipping to return it to us.

A great example of where testing is key is our Line Vacs. There are several factors to consider: the bulk density of the material, its size, whether it’s abrasive, the desired conveyance rate, and the distance for conveyance – both vertical and horizontal. By using the data we’ve gathered from our controlled in-house tests, we’re going to be able to give you a solid recommendation on which model will suit you best. However, to truly understand how our Line Vac will perform with your specific material and operational conditions, it needs to be put through its paces at your facility. When you buy from us, you get 30 days to try it out risk-free.

At EXAIR, we want to ensure you are getting the best possible solution. Our 30-day unconditional guarantee is one way that we make that a reality. If you would like to discuss how our products can help with your application, give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Using EXAIR Products for “The Old One-Two Punch”

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

In boxing, there are five basic punches, and they’re commonly called out by numbers so that trainers can instruct boxers rapidly during the development of fundamentals. It’s also useful for them in real live bouts, where overly complicated plans can lead to defeat….former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Those five basic punches are:

  • #1: The jab. Just like it sounds, this is a punch thrown directly forward with the lead hand. In many combinations, it’s the first punch thrown (that’s why it’s #1).
  • #2: The cross. This is a more powerful punch thrown with the back, or dominant, hand, and gets its power from the torque & rotation of the boxer’s body, when thrown correctly.
  • #3: The lead hook. This is an even more powerful punch than the cross. Its power comes not only from rotating the torso (like the cross) but also by pivoting on the lead foot to get the hip & shoulder involved. Because of the unbalanced and relatively unguarded position it leaves the boxer in, it’s riskier than a jab or cross, and oftentimes reserved for situations where the boxer sees an opportunity to score a knockout blow. If that plan doesn’t work, Mike Tyson’s famous quote above may very well come to fruition.
  • #4: The right uppercut. This is another devastating punch, thrown by the boxer’s dominant hand (assuming they’re right-handed) in an upward motion to contact the opponent’s head or body. If it connects to the chin or solar plexus, there’s a good chance the opponent will end up on the mat. It has to be thrown while the boxer is in close with the opponent, which gives the opponent the option to deal a devastating blow as well.
  • #5: The left uppercut. Same as above, but thrown with the boxer’s lead, or less dominant hand (again, assuming they’re right-handed.)

Because it generally leaves the boxer in a better defense position, the “one-two” combination is by far one of the most used moves in the ring. The term has even found its way into the popular vernacular, meaning two things that happen in rapid succession that lead to the desired outcome.

For the purposes of today’s blog (as the title suggests), I’m going to use it to describe an application where a customer uses two EXAIR products: a Model 1006SS Back Blow Air Nozzle, and a Model 6082 1″ Aluminum Line Vac in conjunction with each other.

This particular customer uses the Back Blow Air Nozzle to blow out the injector bore of an engine cylinder head assembly.

EXAIR manufactures three sizes of Back Blow Nozzles: our Model 1008SS Atto Back Blow Air Nozzle (left) is 0.2″ in diameter and can be used in 1/4″ to 1″ inside diameter holes, channels, etc. Model 11006SS 1/4 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (center) is good for 7/8″ to 4″ inside diameters, and Model 1008SS 1 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (right) is used for 2″ to 16″ inside diameters.

Thing is, they don’t want the debris flying all over the place. We considered a Chip Shield on the 1/4″ pipe extension that the Back Blow Air Nozzle was threaded onto, but since they insert it vertically from above, that could allow for debris to fall back down onto the assembly, and possibly right back into the injector bore, or one of the other openings on top. Instead, they opted for a Line Vac to vacuum the debris away as the Back Blow Air Nozzle blew it out of the hole.

While Line Vacs are primarily used to convey bulk material from one place to another (left), or to remove scrap trim (center), they’re also well suited for this application. Compressed air (1) enters the annular plenum (2) and is ejected at a high velocity through a ring of jets (3). This draws a vacuum on the inlet (4), creating a conveyance flow of air to carry whatever’s entrained in that flow through the outlet (5).

Engineered compressed air products have a multitude of advantages in applications like this. They’re durable & reliable. They have no moving parts to wear, or electrical components to burn out. They can operate continuously if needed, or they can be cycled on & off rapidly with no ill effects. If you’d like to find out how EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help your operation, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Compressed Air Use in the Construction Industry

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

My drive to work involves passing through a growing neighborhood in the northeast suburbs of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a wooded lot get cleared & graded for construction of a new house. A week or so ago, heavy earth-moving equipment was digging the basement foundation…and adding to the traffic as huge dump trucks carried the dirt away. Fast-forward to this morning, when I saw that the 2×4 framing of the walls and the placement of the roof joists were almost complete. The backhoes and dump trucks on the lot have been replaced by a small fleet of carpenter’s work trucks, a ‘porta-potty’ (a real plus, considering the number of workers spending 8–10 hours a day on a site that was the utility equivalent of a primitive campsite)…and an air compressor.

Compressed air has been used in construction since ancient times, when manually operated bellows devices were used to stoke fires to increase the temperature inside furnaces that were used to make metal tools and building materials. The first large scale industrial use of compressed air on a construction project was the building of the Mt. Cenis tunnel in Switzerland. Tunnel construction began in 1857 and was expected to take at least 25 years, with some estimates projecting a timeline of over 70 years. However, technical innovations – like the development of pneumatic drills that replaced steam-operated machinery – allowed them to complete it in only 14 years.

In addition to the pneumatic nail guns and impact drivers being used at the new home site along my daily commute, compressed air has a number of other uses in the construction trades. It’s used for excavation, to power de-watering & sludge pumps, hoists, and even material conveyors. For example, a contractor that was building a large fence on sandy terrain used a Model 150200 2″ Heavy Duty Line Vac to remove sand from the hollow fence posts after using hammer drills (which are also air operated, so you know) to anchor them in place. Another user got a Model 151250 2-1/2 NPT Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vac to remove light dirt & sand from holes they dig to set posts in. Both power their Line Vacs with diesel-fueled 185 CFM tow-behind compressors.

Heavy Duty Line Vac: Hardened Alloy Construction and High Performance

EXAIR Air Knives are also used by construction companies. One of our customers bought a Model 110218 18″ Aluminum Super Air Knife Kit to blow an air curtain onto a conveyor to separate filter fabric out of recycled asphalt. Many lumber & building material manufacturers use them to blow off sawdust and loose debris from plywood, OSB board, roofing shingles, etc.

Top: 108″ Super Air Knife is supported & aimed via an array of Model 9060 Universal Air Knife Mounting Systems.
Bottom: Mounting Systems can be ‘overkill’ for some smaller applications, especially when the user is creative. Yes, that’s a door hinge. No, it wasn’t my idea, but I kind of wish it was.

Another customer uses a Model 6901 Spill Recovery Kit with their Model 6395 55 Gallon Premium High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System for cleaning up spills of hydraulic oil from their equipment at construction job sites. The ability to vacuum it up without dragging an electric cord from a shop vac through the puddles of oil is a real plus for them.

The EXAIR Reversible Drum Vac System converts a drum and dolly into a mobile pumping system.

And back to the Line Vacs, an electrical contractor uses a Model 6086 3″ Aluminum Line Vac to pull wire through stretches of underground conduit that are too long for standard fish tapes. They can pull the fish line through 120 feet of conduit in about 30 seconds. The Line Vac also removes any debris that might have accumulated inside the conduit between installation and wire pulling.

If you’re in the construction industry – or any industry, really – and would like to discuss a potential application for engineered compressed air products, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Finding the Right Intelligent Compressed Air Product

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I had the pleasure of talking with a customer who had purchased a Model 6063 1-1/2″ Stainless Steel Line Vac the other day. They were building chemical processing machinery, and needed to move vapor into a condenser for reclamation of the fluid. The Line Vac was doing exactly what they needed it to do, and with a supply pressure regulated down to 12psig, at that. Their question was, how do they quantify the flow rate?

Because the Line Vac generates a moderate level of vacuum head with a moderate vacuum flow, they’re ideal for drawing in bulk solid material and conveying it from one place to another. They’ll do the same with airborne dust, vapors, and gases, but…

Because they’re made for conveying bulk solids, our published performance data for the Line Vacs doesn’t address total developed airflow. However, because our Air Amplifiers are made for moving air (and anything that might be suspended in the air or already airborne), we DO publish airflow performance data for them. And it provides a GREAT segue for situations like this, when the only thing that can do a better job than one EXAIR product is another EXAIR product!

…Air Amplifiers, while similar in function to the Line Vacs, generate a high vacuum flow with a low vacuum head. This makes them the better choice for moving air & airborne dust, vapors, gases, etc.

In this case, the machine designer replaced the 1-1/2″ Stainless Steel Line Vac with a Model 6040 3/4″ Stainless Steel Adjustable Air Amplifier. It’s got a 1-1/2″ OD inlet plenum, so it was a ‘drop-in’ replacement for the 1-1/2″ Line Vac, which was plumbed in with a 1-1/2″ ID hose. When they regulated the supply pressure to 25psig, they were able to replicate the vapor carryover to the condenser at the specified rate, and even cut the already low compressed air consumption from 9.3 SCFM @12psig (for the Line Vac) to 3.7 SCFM @25psig (for the Air Amplifier).

As an EXAIR Application Engineer and a Certified Compressed Air Systems Specialist, I’m here to make sure you get the most out of your compressed air system. If that involves using a product other than the EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Product that you may have initially selected, I’m not going to be shy about telling you that. But, there’s a good chance that the more ideal solution is going to be another EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Product. If you want to talk about compressed air…so do I! Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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