Tag: cold air gun

Need to Cool Tooling but Limited On Compressed Air? Consider the Mini Cooler

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

I recently had a chat conversation with a customer who was looking to cool the tooling on his CNC router, mill and lathe in his small machine shop. During the machining process, as the tooling would begin to heat up, it would warp the bit, causing irregularities in the finished product. In some cases the tooling was getting so hot, it would actually break, creating a safety concern.

He had reviewed some of our cooling products and was thinking of using our Cold Gun in the application but was concerned with the air demand. The Cold Gun consumes 15 SCFM @ 100 PSIG and provides a 50°F temperature drop (from supply temperature) with 1,000 Btu/hr. of cooling capacity. The problem was that his compressor only produces a little over 9 SCFM. I explained that the existing compressor would in fact be undersized as it doesn’t produce enough volume to keep up with the demand of the Cold Gun.

Model 3808 Mini Cooler System with Single Point Hose Kit, includes swivel magnetic base and filter separator to remove moisture and particulate from the air supply.

Due to the limited amount of compressed air available, our Mini Cooler System, Model # 3808, would be the better solution. The Mini Cooler also provides a 50°F temperature drop with a little less cooling power, 550 Btu/hr., but this system only requires 8 SCFM @ 100 PSIG, falling within the existing compressor’s output capacity. The Mini Cooler also includes a magnetic base as well as flexible tubing to direct the cold air to the desired location, making it easy to move from machine to machine.

The Mini Cooler is the ideal solution for small tool or part cooling, with minimal air consumption.

If you are considering an EXAIR product for an application or have additional questions about performance, contact an application engineer for assistance in making the best selection.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

 

 

Simplifying Plastics Machining Using The Cold Gun And Chip Vac

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

I was recently contacted by a plastics manufacturer who was needing some solutions for problem areas in their production processes. The company imports their machines from overseas and they are outfitted with a coolant based, quench system for the tooling. They were wanting to get away from using coolant as the parts were absorbing liquid, causing them to swell, not to mention the mess they were creating, requiring more time and labor to dry and clean the parts manually.

For the first application, replacing the messy misting system, I recommended the customer use our Cold Gun System, Model # 5215. The Cold Gun uses Vortex Tube technology to produce a cold air stream 50°F lower than the incoming compressed air supply temperature. For example, if your supply air was ambient 70°F, you would effectively see 20°F air at the exhaust. This clean, cold air stream can be easily directed to the needed area to prevent any warping or other damage related to heat, while also blowing away the machined fines.

Model # 5215 – includes the Cold Gun, Single Point Hose Kit, 3/8″ Cone Nozzle, 1-1/4″ Fan Nozzle and Filter Separator

The second part of the process involved the recovery of the plastic scrap and chips created during the machining process. Once again, EXAIR has the ideal solution with our Chip Vac, Industrial Vacuum. The Chip Vac creates a powerful vacuum, with no moving parts or motors to wear out, making them virtually maintenance free. The Chip Vac is designed to vacuum dry or wet chips and collect them in a standard, open-top steel drum. Systems are available in 5, 30, 55 or 110 gallon capacities.

From small area clean up to larger scale processes, the Chip Vac has you covered

To discuss how EXAIR products might help improve your machining process, give us a call at 800-903-9247.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

NEW Cold Gun Promotion – Order Today and Receive a FREE Dual Point Hose Kit!

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Now through the end of 2017 if you purchase a Single-Point Cold Gun Kit with Model W5215 for the standard Cold Gun or W5230 for the High Power Cold Gun, we’ll include a free Model 5902 Dual Point Hose Kit, a $35.00 value!!

coldgunpr_559wide
Model 5230 Cold Gun keeping a laser cut part cool

EXAIR’s Cold Gun was a Product of the Year finalist in 2007. By using only a source of compressed air, the Cold Gun and High Power Cold Gun produces a stream of clean, cold air 50° (28°C) below your compressed air supply temperature. The Cold Gun is very quiet at only 70dBA and has no moving parts to wear out. Just supply it with clean, dry compressed air and its maintenance free!

CGPromoad_186x133

The Cold Gun is pre-set to an 80% Cold Fraction. In other words, 80% of the compressed air supplied to it will exhaust from the cold end of the tube, 20% from the hot end. This prevents the Cold Gun from freezing up during use and optimizes the gun’s cooling capacity. The Cold Gun is an ideal alternative to messy and expensive coolant mist systems. It eliminates the cost of purchase and disposal of cutting fluids as well as worker related health problems from breathing airborne coolant or slipping on wet floors. Replacing a coolant based system also eliminates the need for secondary cleaning operations after milling or drilling.

The Cold Gun is an invaluable tool for machining a wide range of plastics and other materials that may become contaminated when using traditional coolants or oils. The clean, cold air from the outlet of the Cold Gun keeps the part cool, clean, and dry. Take for example this application where an OEM for the plastics industry uses EXAIR Cold Guns in place of a coolant system.

5315J
EXAIR 5015 Cold Gun w/ Dual Point Hose Kit Installed

If you have an application that you believe would be better served by the use of an EXAIR Cold Gun, give us a call. Get one on order today and take advantage of receiving a FREE Dual Point Hose Kit!

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

 

Adjustable Spot Cooler Keeps Cataract Lenses Cool and Dry During Machining

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment
IMG_1954
Neal Raker, International Sales Manager, and myself along with our Hungarian Distributor

During a recent visit with our Hungarian Distributor, I had the opportunity to take a look at an application using some EXAIR Adjustable Spot Coolers and Mini Coolers. The company manufactures cataract lenses and is using the coolers in a dry machining application. The previous process involved using a liquid coolant which caused a washing operation to remove the contaminants before the lenses could move on to the next step of the process. This was not only time consuming, but the solution they needed to use as a coolant was very expensive due to strict regulations that they had to adhere to.

IMG_1948
EXAIR’s Adjustable Spot Cooler installed on the lathe

The lenses are set up on a lathe which are precisely cut. The Adjustable Spot Coolers were positioned with the cold airflow just at the point of cutting to keep the temperature at a specific point. If the lenses get too hot, the material becomes less rigid and begins to warp. When this happens, the lens cannot be reworked and must be scrapped. Immediately after coming off of the lathe, an inspector places the lens under a microscope for inspection. At this point, a Mini Cooler is installed to ensure that the temperature of the lens stays cold. If the lens passes inspection, it is immediately placed in a small freezer next to the operator. Temperature probes are in place at several points during the process to ensure that they do not go above the specified temperature.

IMG_1951
Mini Cooler installed on the inspection station

By implementing a solution with the Adjustable Spot Cooler, this customer was able to boost productivity by removing a cleaning step from the process and also reduce costs by eliminating the need for the costly coolant solution that was required. If you’d like to replace messy coolant systems in your machining operation with a clean compressed air solution, give us a call. An Application Engineer will be happy to look at your process and recommend the most suitable solution.

Tyler Daniel
Application Engineer
E-mail: TylerDaniel@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_TD