Tag: compressed air efficiency

EXAIR Products in the Semiconductor Industry

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Manufacturers in semiconductor assembly and PCB production face strict cleanliness, throughput, and thermal-control requirements. EXAIRs compressed-air products, specifically our Air Knives and Vortex Tubes, and air amplifiers are proven, compact, and energy-efficient tools for precise blow-off, controlled cooling and heating for spot thermal conditioning and fume extraction. This Blog explains how EXAIR Super Air Knives and Vortex Tubes and Air Amplifiers address three common production needs: 

  1. Drying and particulate removal during lead frame processing with air knives. 
  1. Localized cooling/heating for functional PCB testing using Vortex Tubes. 
  1. Fume extraction during etching, cleaning and plating processes

I’ll cover technical fit, typical performance characteristics, and measurement/ROI considerations so engineers and plant managers can evaluate and implement these solutions. 

Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle in clean room, cleaning microchip parts before installation.

Super Air Knife and Success in the semiconductor lead frame manufacturing process.  

Typical use cases 

  • Removing rinse water or flux residues after cleaning 
  • Blowing off foreign matter, over spray, or machining debris prior to plating or die bonding. 
  • Drying prior to molding or coating operations. 
  • Static-assisted blow-off when combined with static eliminating product for electrostatically attracted particles. 

Why Super Air Knives? 

  • Uniform Laminar Sheet of air: delivers consistent, even blow-off across the width of a lead frame, reducing localized hot spots or mechanical damage. 
  • Adjustable force and flow: adjusting air pressure and shim size allow you to control force and volume so fragile wires or plated surfaces aren’t damaged. 
  • Entrainment & Efficiency: The knives are engineered so they entrain ambient air, increasing total developed flow and reducing compressed-air consumption compared to open pipes. 

Vortex Tubes for functional PCB testing / burn-in and thermal cycling

During in-line or bench functional testing, specific components or integrated circuits may overheat or require temperature conditioning to verify performance at the full range of the rated temperature specifications. Vortex Tubes give fast, localized cooling (or heating) without coolant loops, chillers, or plumbing intricacy. Subjecting devices to burn-in and thermal cycling stress helps products enter the field with confidence there will not be any preventable failures. Normally, environmental chambers are used for burn-in processes, but vortex tubes can help facilitate localized thermal ramps, corner stressing, or temporary additional cooling/heating when size, cost or availability of a full environmental chamber isn’t feasible.  

Why Vortex Tubes fit testing 

  • Instant cold/hot air from regular compressed air: no refrigeration system or refrigeration cycle; instantaneous on/off.  
  • No moving parts: high reliability and low maintenance for test fixtures. 
  • Local spot conditioning: focus cooling on integrated circuits or other small areas without cooling the entire board or fixture. 
  • Adjustable cold fraction: Vortex tubes can be tuned via the control valve to trade flow vs. temperature drop to meet testing conditions. 
Cooling or Heating with the Vortex Tube

Air Amplifiers for fume extraction and partial heat control during etching, cleaning and plating processes.

In semiconductor lead frame manufacturing, maintaining clean, particle-free environments is essential to ensure consistent product quality and process reliability. Processes such as flux cleaning, plating, molding, and soldering generate vapors, fumes, and fine particulates that can contaminate delicate components or compromise yields. EXAIR’s Super Air Amplifier provides an efficient, quiet, and maintenance-free solution for capturing and removing fumes, vapors, and airborne contaminants from sensitive production areas.

Why the Super Air Amplifier?
High-Volume Airflow Through Amplification

  • It uses a small amount of compressed air to entrain large volumes of ambient air multiplying total flow by up to 25 times.
  • Creates a strong, consistent vacuum draw ideal for capturing fumes and fine particulates at their source.

Energy Efficiency

  • Dramatically reduces compressed-air consumption compared to traditional vacuum or exhaust systems.
  • No electricity, motors, or moving parts, maintenance-free operation and long service life.

Compact and Versatile

  • Easy to integrate above process lines, in tool enclosures, or at conveyor transfer points.
  • Available in aluminum, stainless steel, and high-temperature materials for compatibility with cleanroom or chemical environments.
Model 120024 4″ Super Air Amplifiers are commonly used to exhaust smoke and fumes.

ROI and how to show value quantitatively  

  • Baseline metrics: scrap/rework rate, cycle time, compressed-air consumption, downtime for cleaning, and throughput. 
  • Pilot run: instrument a section of line with flow/force and temperature sensors for a 30 day trial. 
  • Key calculations: 
  • Reduced rework % × cost per part = direct savings. 
  • Throughput increase (parts/hr) × margin = additional revenue. 
  • Compressed-air energy reduction (compared to previous blow-offs) = kW savings (U.S. Department of Energy offers a benchmark of $0.25 per 1,000 SCF). 
  • Tangible benefits: throughput improvement, energy savings, reduced capital cost (vs. chillers/chambers), lower maintenance and smaller footprint. 

Conclusion  

EXAIR Super Air Knives, Vortex Tubes and air amplifiers are compact, reliable, and flexible products that can improve cleanliness, thermal testing, and throughput in semiconductor processes.  

  1. Select a process you think could be helped with an air knife, Vortex Tube or an air amplifier and take advantage of our 30-day money-back guarantee.  
  1. Validate throughput and quality improvements and calculate ROI. 
  1. Rollout with appropriate controls, filtration, and operator training.  

If you think any of our products can help you in your process, please reach out. We have a team of application engineers here M-F to answer your questions!

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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Compressed Air Pipe

The Power of Deliquescent Driers in Compressed Air Systems

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

In industrial manufacturing, compressed air is the unsung hero powering tools, machinery, and processes across manufacturing, painting, blasting, and beyond. But here’s the catch: moisture. That sneaky water vapor lurking in your compressed air lines can wreak havoc, causing corrosion, freezing, and contaminating sensitive equipment. Deliquescent driers are low-maintenance systems designed to tackle humidity head-on. In this blog, we’ll dive into what makes these driers tick, their pros and cons.

What Are Deliquescent Driers, Anyway?

Picture this: a simple tank packed with hygroscopic (water-loving) salt tablets that dissolve into a brine as they absorb moisture from compressed air. That’s the 1000-foot view of a deliquescent drier. Unlike refrigerated or desiccant dryers that rely on complex refrigeration cycles or regeneration, deliquescent driers use chemistry to do the heavy lifting. The process is elegantly straightforward:

  • Incoming air enters the bottom of the vessel, preheated from compression and loaded with water vapor.
  • It flows upward through a bed of deliquescent desiccant—typically formulated from salts like calcium chloride, lithium chloride, or potassium chloride.
  • The salts “deliquesce” (hence the name), attracting and dissolving water vapor into a liquid brine that collects at the base.
  • Dry air exits the top, with a pressure dew point suppressed by about 15-20°F below the inlet temperature, depending on conditions.

No electricity, no moving parts—just pure, passive drying. These driers have been a staple since the 1940s, especially in rugged settings like petrochemical plants, outdoor blasting ops, or mobile equipment where reliability is the largest concern.

Why Choose Deliquescent Driers? The Pros (and a Few Cons)

Deliquescent driers aren’t for every scenario, but when they fit, they’re a game-changer. Let’s break it down:

The Advantages:

  • Zero Energy Consumption: No power required means lower operating costs and no electrical hazards in wet or explosive environments. Ideal for remote sites or intermittent use.
  • Rugged and Portable: Mount them indoors or outdoors—they thrive in extreme temps, even subzero conditions, with the right setup. Perfect for mobile contractors in painting or abrasive blasting.
  • Low Maintenance: Just drain the brine every 8-hour shift and top up the desiccant a few times a year. A sight glass lets you monitor levels at a glance.
  • Cost-Effective Upfront: Cheaper to buy and install than high-tech alternatives, with no filters or separators to fuss over.

The Drawbacks:

  • Limited Dew Point Control: They suppress dew point by a fixed amount (e.g., 20°F), so hot inlet air means warmer outlet air—fine for many apps but not ultra-dry needs.
  • Corrosion Potential: The brine is salty and corrosive, so vessels need robust coatings, and downstream lines require after filters to catch salt carryover.
  • Pre-filtration Required: Oil from compressors can foul the desiccant, so a coalescing pre-filter is a must.

In short, if you’re blasting in humid conditions, painting in the field, or running air tools in cold weather, deliquescent driers deliver freeze-proof, reliable performance without the fuss.

At EXAIR Corporation, we’re keen on compressed air efficiency. The attention to detail we pay to our products – from design, to manufacturing & assembly, to availability, and right on through to technical support – bears out our commitment to helping you get the most out of your compressed air system. If you’ve got questions, Give me a call.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

Send me an email
Find us on the Web 

Image courtesy of Brian S. Elliott, Wikimedia Commons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License

Ask Your Application Engineer If An EXAIR Air Knife Is Right For You

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Right on schedule with the change in temperature as summer turns to fall, I woke up with a scratchy throat, runny nose, and a bit of fatigue this morning. I weighed my options for relief in the medicine cabinet: pain reliever/fever reducers, over-the-counter cold & flu medication that add cough suppressants, expectorants, and decongestants to the mix, homeopathic remedies with zinc, echinacea, all natural immune boosters, and a jar of honey for my tea or bourbon, depending on the time of day…and my mood. If my symptoms worsen, I can get tested for the flu or COVID, and may be prescribed antiviral medication. In any case, rest and hydration will likely be important factors in my recovery.

Much like my medicine cabinet, the Air Knives section of the EXAIR catalog has a selection of remedies for problems that can be addressed by a curtain of air. If the curtain of air needed is 36″ or less, we can consider any of the three styles of Air Knife we make: Super, Standard, or Full Flow. If it has to be more than that, the Full Flow Air Knives are out (36″ is their max length) but Standard Air Knives come in lengths up to 48″. Super Air Knives give us the most range here; they come in lengths up to 108″, and can actually be coupled together to provide uninterrupted curtains of flow in whatever length is needed.

Super Air Knives (left) come in lengths up to 108″, Standard Air Knives (middle) up to 48″, and Full Flow Air Knives (right) up to 36″.

Standard and Full Flow Air Knives come in aluminum or 303SS. Aluminum is lightweight and suitable for general purpose applications where high heat and corrosive elements are not a factor. Aluminum Air Knives are rated to 180°F. Type 303 Stainless Steel is suitable for mildly corrosive environments, and is rated to 800°F ambient temperatures.

Super Air Knives are available in aluminum and 303SS, as well as 316SS and PVDF. Type 316 Stainless Steel is stronger and more corrosion resistant than Type 303, and offers superior resistance to certain pitting, which makes it the best choice for food, pharmaceutical, and surgical product manufacturers. PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) Super Air Knives have Hastelloy C276 hardware and PTFE Shims. They provide superior corrosion resistance in more aggressive situations than Stainless Steel can like, like in electroplating, solar cell and lithium ion battery manufacturing, strong acid & caustic chemical handling, etc.

The first Air Knife developed by EXAIR was the Standard Air Knife (formerly known as the EXAIR Knife) and are still quiet and efficient alternatives to drilled pipes, manifolds with open-ended blowing nozzles, and blower-powered air knives. They use a Coanda profile (more on that in a minute) which causes the airflow to turn 90° from where it exits the linear nozzle formed by the shim between the cap & body. This primary air stream entrains surrounding air from the environment, resulting in a total developed airflow that’s 30 time greater than the compressed air consumption of the Air Knife. This entrainment creates a low velocity boundary layer, which reduces the sound level, but there still is some wind shear produced along the Coanda profile.

Because of the end ports in the relatively small profile of the body, there’s 1/2″ on each end where there’s no flow. Since we identify them by the length of the air curtain they generate, Standard Air Knives are physically 1″ longer than their published length (a Model 2012 12″ Aluminum Standard Air Knife has an overall length of 13″, a Model 2018SS 18″ 303SS Standard Air Knife is actually 19″ long, etc.) Full Flow Air Knives use a Coanda profile as well, but they have rear ports, so there’s full flow (as advertised) from end to end. Here’s more on how the Standard and Full Flow Air Knives work:

Compressed air flows through the inlet (1) to the Full Flow (left) or Standard (right) Air Knife, into the internal plenum. It then discharges through a thin gap (2), adhering to the Coanda profile (3) which directs it down the face of the Air Knife. The precision engineered & finished surfaces optimize entrainment of air (4) from the surrounding environment.

The latest, and greatest generation of engineered Air Knife in EXAIR’s arsenal is the Super Air Knife. As detailed above, they offer the most choices in length & materials. They’re also the most efficient, and quietest. Because the airflow exits straight from the linear nozzle formed by the shim gap between the body & cap, with no wind shear, the low velocity boundary layer produced by the entrainment of surrounding air means the sound level (with an 80psig inlet pressure) is a remarkably low 69dBA at a distance of three feet. Any style (Standard, Full Flow, or Super) Air Knife will perform just fine in just about any application that requires a curtain of airflow. If noise level, and/or operating cost, are on your mind, though, the Super Air Knife is certainly worth considering. With just a few details about the application, we can calculate the difference in operating cost for all three models of a given length, and provide you with the ROI (return on investment) for the Super Air Knife. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Feeling Exhausted?

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment
Our current calendar.

The school year has started here in Cincinnati. For some families, it’s the very first year in the school system; for others, it’s the last. Every year in between brings its own mix of emotions. Personally, I look forward to the sports and events, watching the camaraderie grow between my daughters, their friends, and their teams.

This year, we have a 10th, 7th, and 5th grader. One is about to get her learner’s permit, one is trying out for school volleyball, and one is in her final year of elementary. It feels like a big year all around. The pace of activities has been so fast that it’s hard to fully process what’s happening—and that same thing can easily happen in our work lives.

At home, my wife and I often feel like we’re treading water, bouncing from one thing to the next. We use downtime not just to catch our breath, but also to talk through what’s working, what’s not, and how to prepare better for the weeks ahead. When we skip those conversations, tension builds, and we end up storming as a team. The same holds true in a production environment: without regular evaluation and planning, the whole system suffers.

In manufacturing, output rarely stops. Even when a sector halts for a planned shutdown, the project list is carefully managed to minimize disruption. The focus is always on keeping production moving—whether that means picking up speed, adding shifts, or running longer hours. But smooth production depends on proactive planning.

Take compressed air systems as an example. A simple habit like measuring pressure drop across filters can prevent costly downtime. By installing pipe tees and pressure gauges upstream and downstream of filters, you can monitor performance. Once the differential hits 5 psig, it’s time to plan for an element replacement. Adding this to a maintenance schedule and aligning it with your purchasing cycle turns an unexpected expense into a controlled, predictable one.

Pressure gauges and filters with indicators are both great options for monitoring filter performance.

Just like meal prep and calendar reviews keep our family life running more smoothly, preventive maintenance and equipment monitoring keep production lines efficient. For parents entering the whirlwind of school activities—hang in there. Build a community with the other parents around you. It truly takes a village, just like it takes every department working together to deliver a finished product.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF