Tag: cold

Is The Polar Vortex Responsible for Creating an EXAIR Application?

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

IAJ

It’s a new year, and with it comes new opportunities and new applications.  With the recent cold spell that’s taken hold of the U.S., and the Midwest especially, the applications susceptible to static have spiked.  Yesterday I spoke with an end-user in Texas experiencing the coldest temperatures on record, and with those low temps came low humidity and the perfect environment for static accumulation.

The process in the application was to feed a pill filling machine (machine fills gelcaps with small beads of XYZ) from a hopper a short distance away.  Typically, the feed from one to the other is accomplished with gravity.  The hopper sits about 5 feet higher than the pill filler and when more material is needed, a valve is opened and viola!

But the transfer of the material had slowed to a creep and then to a fully unacceptable rate.  The end-user decided to install an EXAIR Ion Air Jet, and to their surprise, there was no change.  So, they called in and sought guidance on how to move forward.

The first step in such a situation is to make sure the unit is properly installed.  Most often, when an EXAIR device doesn’t function as intended out of the box it is due to improper installation.  When asked what the pressure at the device was, the end-user said “Probably pretty low.  There’s about 30 feet of ¼” line and at least two quick disconnects feeding the unit.”  When asked what the airflow through the Ion Air Jet felt like, they again replied that it was low and we traced this to the poor plumbing.

But what about neutralizing the static?  Poor plumbing can account for a portion of that but we should still see some achievable results even with low airflow.  (In fact, low airflow is common in a static application because once the static is removed, any process disturbance or dust adhered to the product blows away with relative ease.)  We went through the steps to connect the Ion Air Jet to the power supply, and found that the ground was not connected to the power supply!  The end-user connected the ground, and reset the Ion Air Jet to meet the desired results.

EXAIR static eliminators are designed for ease of use and if they ever become problematic, Application Engineers are on staff to get the product, and the application back on track.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

Side note:  With the A4 running (and DESTROYING the snow) I’ve been cruising the local ads to see what’s out there.  (I blame @EXAIR_BF for asking me to help him find a car.  Ok, he didn’t ask, but he wants something German and I don’t need much of an impetus.)  I ran across an E36 3 series BMW that blew the head gasket and the owner tried to repair.  Halfway through the job they realized they were in over there head, put the top half of the engine in the trunk, and threw it up for sale cheap (just how I like ’em :) ).  Can I take boxes of engine parts tossed into a trunk and make a car run again?  Let’s find out!  I’ll update the 3 series progress and post a few pics when the weather breaks.

EXAIR Static Field Meter, Locating Your Static Problem

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment
Static Meter
Model 7905 Digital Static Meter comes with certification of the accuracy and calibration traceable to NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology). A hard-shell case and 9 volt battery are also included.

As we finish up 2013 and head into the winter season in the Northern hemisphere, static problems begin to become more prevalent again due to the general lower humidity present in most manufacturing areas.

Some of the resulting symptoms of the static condition are: discharges to personnel, jamming, tearing, discharges to machines and sensors. Finally, discharges within a charged material can also cause blemishes to materials that must have absolute clarity within them. We’ve all been the victim of a nasty static discharge at some point or another. You can have the right tool in using an active static eliminator. But how do you know if you have your static eliminator located in the right position for maximum effectiveness?

That is where the EXAIR Static Meter model 7905 comes into play. This easy to use meter will indicate where the static field(s) are located in their process, how large they are in terms of kV / 1 inch distance from the charged target, and their polarity (+ or -). The meter can make direct readings up to +/- 20 kV at 1 inch distance.

The above pieces of information are handy for knowing where to place static eliminators for any given process. Static cannot be seen directly, and so your best bet for implementing an effective strategy is to utilize the Static Meter so that you can maximize static field reduction and minimize the effects of static re-generation by locating your equipment at the best possible points in the process.

Neal Raker, Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com

Fall, My Favorite Season

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As the sun sets lower in the sky and the daylight hours get shorter, we are reminded of the impending  winter season. The good part is this is the most fun season for me. There are falls festivals and cool nights for good sleeping. You do not have to run the A/C or the furnace and we see the benefit in low utility bills.

Static Eliminator Line

Inevitably “Ole Man Winter” will come and put an end to it all and we will have to turn on the furnace. As we heat the air in our homes and places of business, problems with static electricity emerge. In the production environment static charges can wreak havoc with sensors, conveyors, personnel and other products within your process.

EXAIR has an extensive line of static eliminating products. We have Super Ion Air Knives up to 96″ long to provide a flat sheet of ionized air. For more localized treatment we have the Ion Air Cannon and Ion Air Jet.  For manual application there is the Ion Air Gun.

With all the selections available it may be a bit confusing on which product to select.. That is why we have a team of application engineers ready to assist you. Give them a call at 1-800-903-9247.

Joe Panfalone
Application Engineer
Phone (513) 671-3322
Fax (513) 671-3363
Web: http://www.exair.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/exair_jp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

 

Old Man Winter is Coming

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Whether you use the Farmer’s Almanac, the National Weather Service, or the woolly worm to predict the impending severity of winter, all say that it will begin with cold and snow.

At the Woolly Worm Festival held Oct. 20-21 in downtown Banner Elk , NC, Lickety Split won the string climb. Its bands called for snow and below average temperatures for the first five weeks of winter. The next six weeks will be average to below normal, with unusual cold in the 12th week and more snow predicted for the final week, Festival winners and their predictions have an 84.5 percent accuracy rate.

According to the National Weather Service, October will be cooler than normal, but November and December will be slightly warmer than normal.

Whichever source you subscribe to, we obviously are going to be turning on the heat. When we do that, we dry the air out. One of the symptoms of dry air is static electricity. A static charge within certain production processes can cause multiple problems. Typically EXAIR works with customers who have sensors or counters malfunctioning, printers whose print quality degrades, or managers who call due to the complaints from personnel getting shocked. We also regularly solve new applications which arise. EXAIR has complete product line of static eliminators to help you through the dry winter months.

Give one of our application engineers a call for assistance with your static electricity issues. 1-800-903-9247

Joe Panfalone

Application Engineer
Phone (513) 671-3322
Fax   (513) 671-3363
Web: www.exair.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/exair_jp
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair