Tag: CAD Library

Another Trip Around The Sun

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Well folks, today marks my 30th trip around the sun in this adventure we call life.   If there is anything I have learned so far it is, you can’t teach experience, and making your 2-year-old laugh so hard they double over are some of the best things you can know.

Here at EXAIR we are in our 29th trip around the sun and still constantly learning and changing.   This is because we have a lot of experience under our belt when it comes to compressed air and customer service.  One of the best pieces of free information we have to offer is our experience.  One thing I have learned through experience is it’s better to be prepared when you’re trying to do something in the field.

This is why here at EXAIR we offer a large amount of information about our products and it’s all available through our website.  If you are trying to get a machine designed or trying to figure out how to fit a new Super Air Knife into  a customer’s machine we offer 2 and 3D dimensional drawings of virtually every product, along with installation and maintenance sheets.

This means you can have a detailed drawing to figure out every last bolt or fitting you will need to install the new product and know exactly what it’s going to take to install and get the product up and running.

If you have any questions on how to install an item, need the dimensions of one of our products, or help figuring out which one will work for you, give us a call.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF 

Conveying Small Parts or Bulk Material

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Just yesterday I had a customer visit our facility for a product demo.   The product they were interested in was our Stainless Steel Line Vac.  When they arrived I showed them the full Line Vac product line and explained how simple the unit was to operate.   Then came time to put up or shut up, could the Line Vac actually convey what they were needing?  The video below is not of their product but portrays the Line Vac in action.

The customer was looking to move 5/8″ x 1/2″ x 1/8″ sized pieces of a hot glue pellets from a bulk storage bag out to their machine hoppers.  They had brought a bag with them which we used as a test.   Since this was merely a test we conveyed the product through about 6-8 ft. of hose using a 2″ Line Vac.   Within approximately 20 seconds we were able to convey what they stated was a fourth of their overall need. This rate of volume through the Line Vac truly caught them off guard.

The engineer that came from the customer started explaining that they had been looking at all methods to convey this product and everything they had looked at needed either large duct work, or a large foot print unit that included midway hoppers.  They then asked if we had any drawings or CAD files available to see how the unit would fit into their system.   I explained to them we offer 2D and 3D drawings of all our products, and they are all available straight from our website.

The engineer was thrilled that he could actually go to one place and find not only the product he needed along with the accessories to go with it that make it work, but also the drawings and technical data on all of the products.  So if you have an application where you are trying to move some bulk material don’t hesitate to give us a call.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Compressed Air Is Cool

Published on by Russ Bowman

Recently, I had the pleasure of assisting an engineer whose company makes honing tools.  One particular item is a large, heat treated, alloy steel part.  When it comes out of the furnace, it’s over 1,700°F.  Needless to say, it has to cool off quite a bit before they can do anything with it.  He was doing the best he could with some large shop fans when he called me to pursue the possibility of doing it quicker with engineered compressed air products.  His goal was to cool the part to 600°F in fifteen minutes.

For those of you without an engineering background (or for you engineers who “phoned it in” during Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow), there are 2 components to convective heat transfer: temperature differential, and flow of the cooling medium.  Increase either or both of these, and you get better results.

In this particular case, the temperature differential between the part (1,700°F) and ambient (80°F) is already huge.  Now, a Vortex Tube device could cool the air an additional 50° or so, but that wouldn’t really have much overall effect.  That left us looking at increasing the air flow.

We considered several options, but the Super Air Knife’s 40:1 amplification ratio made it the obvious choice for maximizing flow, while minimizing consumption.   I didn’t do the CAD drawings (although CAD is my favorite video game), but I supplied my customer with the 3D models he needed to design his system.  He incorporated three 12” Super Air Knives, supplied with plumbing kits.  He mounted them with our Universal Air Knife Mounting Systems.  It made for a very nice looking little rig.

Based on the initial data, my heat transfer calculations were in the “close but no cigar” range – making some conservative assumptions, I figured it could take as long as half an hour to reach 600°F.  When all was said & done, though, the cooling performance was a great improvement over the fans, and even better than my calculations indicated it would be – the system actually cooled the part to 200°F in twenty minutes.  Which was curious, because I actually paid attention in, did well in, and, dare I add, even enjoyed HT/FF.

As I come to grips with my failure to know everything, I’m encouraged that the as-yet unknown variables were skewed in our favor.  Yeah; compressed air is cool.  Even cooler than I thought.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
(513)671-3322 local
(800)923-9247 toll free
(513)671-3363 fax
Web: www.exair.com
Blog: http://blog.exair.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/exair_rb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

Knowledge [Base] is Power

Published on by Kirk EdwardsLeave a comment

I have recently placed a post on our Facebook page about our Knowledge Base and I am asking for comments about it. Please take some time to look into the Knowledge Base and its valuable information. After looking at it leave us a comment on Facebook (you will need to LIKE our page) or this blog. Let us know if you would like to see something which is not there, or if you have a question about the information, what would you add?

Right now You will see Air Data; a collection of pressure, force, flow and heat conversions. It also explains how to calculate air consumption at different inlet pressures which is helpful when you only have air data at 80 PSIG but your line pressure is 60 PSIG. Air Data also explains the best practices for air system piping and charts pressure loss through lengths of pipe.

You will see our calculators to determine potential air savings of switching to EXAIR products. You can link to this blog or read our FAQ’s. You can learn about our Efficiency Lab Service, view our product videos, and browse our wiki. There is also a link to our Twitter feeds.

If you choose to register you can gain these valuable resources: An Application Database with over 800 examples of how our products have solved a problem. Our CAD library offers 3D models and 2D drawings for download , all of our products are represented in multiple formats. You can also download the entire catalog or individual sections in .pdf form, we even have a section optimized for use with the iPad. And you can also view or present our slide shows to learn or teach about the products.

So help us gain knowledge, what did you see that we are missing? What do you think we should add or do differently? Leave a comment at our Facebook page (don’t forget to LIKE it) or on this blog.

Thank you,
Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@EXAIR.com