Tag: camera cooling

EXAIR Vortex Tube Used In Camera Cooling

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
VT used in camera cooling
An EXAIR Vortex Tube supplies cold air to a camera housing in a steel production facility

Not long ago I found myself lost in thought, watching a power hammer being used in a sword forging process.  I was thinking to myself about how intricate machines are, and how viewing machine components as singular items can be mind boggling.  For example, considering the process of mining various metals and then combining them in just the right “recipe” to produce a specific component of a machine, which is then used to create something entirely different – it’s a rabbit hole of a thought.

But, it does lend weight to the complexities and intricacies found in manufacturing, which is something we encounter every day in Application Engineering at EXAIR.  Case in point, the photo above shows an EXAIR Vortex Tube being used in a steel production facility.  This application needed a way to cool a camera used to check the thickness and quality of steel plates produced in the plant.  Due to temperature and space constraints, a compact and industrial solution was needed.

So, we turned to a High Temperature Vortex Tube, using the cold air produced by the Vortex Tube to cool the camera housing.  Without proper cooling the camera faced an overheating condition, creating a shutdown of the visual inspection, and a subsequent shutdown of the quality control process.  By installing an EXAIR High Temperature Vortex Tube, this quality control disturbance was corrected.  And, due to the maintenance free nature of EXAIR products, consistent cooling performance is guaranteed with a supply of clean, dry compressed air.

In a given day we can encounter applications needing cooling, cleaning, conveying, static removal, or a litany of other specific solutions.  If you’d like to discuss your application with an EXAIR Application Engineer, give us a call.  We’ll be happy to help.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR
@EXAIR_LE

EXAIR Vortex Tube Cools Control Board Inside a Camera Housing

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
IMG_20160125_165014
An EXAIR Vortex Tube supplying cold air into a camera lens housing.

An application we see from time to time involves the cooling of camera lenses as they “watch” for various materials in automated processes.  The process usually involves some sort of part detection, checking object specifics for adherence to quality standards, or searching for items in need of rejection.  These process are often fully automated, requiring the camera to process a continuous stream of information and to be housed in the same environment as the materials being monitored.

At a waste sorting facility in France, an end user was experiencing an overheating of their camera.  The result of the overheating condition was unwanted downtime while the internal camera electronics cooled and could not be used.  This meant that an expensive, complex, and efficient piece of equipment was out of service, creating a bottleneck in the waste sorting process.

To solve this overheating condition, the end user worked through the EXAIR distributor in France, Kermaz Pneumatic, to find a solution with an EXAIR Vortex Tube.  The Vortex Tube was installed so that cold air was created and supplied directly into the camera lens housing.  The end result was a reduction in heat at the camera lens, allowing the machine to function at full capacity without stoppage, effectively removing the process bottleneck.

If you have a similar application and think EXAIR may be able to help, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE