Tag: compressed air efficiency

What’s So Great About Thermostat Control for EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

EXAIR Cabinet Cooler Systems are a durable & reliable way to protect electrical enclosures (and the components they contain) from heat damage. All you need is compressed air…

Compressed air goes in; cold air comes out of the Vortex Tube and is circulated through the enclosure. The Vortex Tube’s hot flow and the warm exhaust from the enclosure are vented through the Cabinet Cooler’s body.

…and as long as the cooling capacity of the Cabinet Cooler System is equal to or greater than the heat load of the enclosure, everyone’s happy, right?

Well, almost. I mean, it’s great that the vital components inside the enclosure aren’t getting too hot, but if it’s getting colder than it needs to be inside, then you’re using compressed air when you don’t have to. And compressed air is EXPENSIVE.

If you’re talking to an EXAIR Application Engineer about panel cooling, we’re going to talk about Thermostat Control too. We have two options for that:

Thermostat, optional Mounting Bracket & Locknut, and Solenoid Valve (120VAC, 240VAC, or 24VDC)

Thermostat Control consists of a bimetallic probe-type Thermostat, spliced in to the ‘hot’ lead of a Solenoid Valve that’s plumbing into the compressed air supply of the Cabinet Cooler. These come preset at 95°F (35°C), which is based on the 104°F (40°C) temperature limit published by many manufacturers of electrical & electronic components. The setpoint temperature CAN be lowered (at the factory or in the field) if any particular component(s) need a cooler environment to operate in. It can also be raised, if everything in the enclosure can handle a higher temperature. THAT can save a good amount of compressed air (which, again, is EXPENSIVE.)

Operation is pretty simple: when the temperature starts to rise inside the enclosure, two dissimilar metal strips that are bonded together inside the thermostat start to thermally expand. Because they’re made of different metals, they expand at different rates, which makes the strips bend until they contact. This completes the electrical circuit to the Solenoid Valve’s coil, opening the valve to start operation of the Cabinet Cooler. As the temperature subsides and cold air flows into the enclosure, the two metal strips contract & straighten out, detaching the strip and the contact, which causes the Solenoid Valve to close, until temperature rises to the setpoint again.

EXAIR’s ETC Electronic Temperature Control provides the same function, but with some notable advantages:

EXAIR NEMA 4X 316SS Cabinet Cooler System with Electronic Temperature Control is installed on a control panel in a pharmaceutical plant.
  • A Type J Thermo couple is wired to a solid state temperature controller to sense & control the temperature. It’ll hold +/- 1°F of the setpoint temperature, as opposed to the +/-2°F accuracy range for the bimetallic Thermostat.
  • The LED readout provides constant indication of the temperature inside the enclosure. Personnel can verify, at a glance, that proper cooling is being applied. This is of great benefit to users who regularly monitor & log readings like this on enclosures with critical equipment inside, like nuclear power plants.
  • Push button control allows for on-the-fly adjustment of the setpoint temperature. This, along with the +/-1°F accuracy range, allows users to precisely set the desired temperature to a point just slightly under the maximum rating for the electronics, which, as mentioned above, can result in a reduction in compressed air consumption and hence, operating cost.
  • There’s also a calibration offset feature, which is handy if the Cabinet Cooler System is being installed on an enclosure with other temperature sensing equipment. This uses the push button controls to match the displayed temperature on the ETC to that of the existing equipment. It can also be used to verify the calibration of the ETC, which is another great benefit to users responsible for maintaining critical equipment.

As an EXAIR Application Engineer, it’s my goal to help you get the most out of our products, and your compressed air system. A big part of that is making sure you don’t use any more compressed air than you have to. If you’re ready to start saving, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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What’s So Awful About A Drilled Pipe For A Conveyor Blowoff?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

A technician from a company that performs comprehensive audits of compressed air systems called me with a sad, sad story. A client had just installed a brand-new state-of-the-art rotary scroll compressor with a variable speed drive…they were going all-out on efficiency, which is great. During the technician’s walk-through, however, he noticed a blowoff on a conveyor belt — they actually heard it before they could see it — a black iron pipe with a series of holes drilled along the length, plumbed with compressed air being supplied, unregulated, from a 100psig header.

The pipe was 18″ long and had 30 holes, 1/8″ diameter each, drilled along the length. From the table below, we can presume that this drilled pipe was consuming as much as 475.8 SCFM:

I say “as much as 475.8 SCFM” because the technician noted the holes were simply drilled through, they weren’t rounded, so I calculated the flow from a 1/8″ orifice at 100psig (26.0 CFM) with a 0.61 multiplier for sharp edges orifices. Also, the inlet pressure of the drilled pipe is not known. With a 1″ pipe supplying it, the flow could be limited to around 350 SCFM, due to line loss in the pipe.

The technician first asked about installing Air Nozzles in the drilled pipe. That’d mean drilling those holes out and tapping them individually. This COULD be done, and the drilled pipe could be fitted with 30 Model 1110-PEEK Nano Super Air Nozzles, with an air consumption of 8.3 SCFM @80psig each, for a total of 249 SCFM. That’s a significant reduction, but also a lot of work on the drilled pipe. I recommended replacing it entirely with a Super Air Knife.

A Model 110018 18″ Aluminum Super Air Knife consumes only 52.2 SCFM @80psig — almost an order of magnitude reduction! Let’s do the math on the costs:

First, the drilled pipe: Let’s give all the benefit of the doubt here and assume that the line loss had indeed limited the air consumption to 350 SCFM. Operating 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, and using the US Department of Energy’s estimate that compressed air costs $0.25 per 1,000 Standard Cubic Feet used, the annual operating cost of the drilled pipe was $10,920.00:

350 SCFM X 60 min/hr X 8 hrs/day X 5 days/week X 52 weeks/year X $0.25/1,000 SCF = $10,920.00

Drilling & tapping those holes for EXAIR Nano Super Air Nozzles (8.3 SCFM ea X 30 = 249 SCFM total) would result in an annual operating cost of $7,768.80:

249 SCFM X 60 min/hr X 8 hrs/day X 5 days/week X 52 weeks/year X $0.25/1,000 SCF = $7,768.80

Replacing the drilled pipe with an EXAIR 18″ Super Air Knife (52.2 SCFM) drops the annual operating cost even further, to $1,628.64:

52.2 SCFM X 60 min/hr X 8 hrs/day X 5 days/week X 52 weeks/year X $0.25/1,000 SCF = $1,628.64

To put that further into perspective, the 2025 List Price for an 18″ Aluminum Super Air Knife is $533.00. It costs almost $9,300.00 per year LESS to operate than the drilled pipe. That means the Air Knife will have paid for itself in operating costs in just under 21 days.

To put that even FURTHER into perspective, the ~300 SCFM reduction in compressed air consumption is approximately 75HP worth of a typical industrial air compressor load. It’s not uncommon for a mid-to-large sized company to have more than one air compressor, and 50HP is a common size for a backup compressor. If that was the case in the facility that my technician caller was auditing, he’d be letting them know that this $533.00 investment that’s going to save them over $9,000.00 a year is ALSO going to allow them to shut down one of their air compressors. Completely.

So, THAT’S what’s so awful about a drilled pipe. If you have any in your facility, we should talk.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Compressed Air Pipe

How to Handle High-Demand Events with Compressed Air Systems

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

When production ramps up, deadlines tighten, or seasonal demand spikes, your compressed air system becomes one of the most heavily relied-on utilities in your facility. High-demand events, whether planned or unexpected, can create inefficiencies, consume excessive energy, and create bottlenecks across your entire operation.

The good news? With the right forethought and the right equipment, you can maintain performance, protect uptime, and even reduce operating costs during these peak loads. EXAIR’s engineered compressed air products are specifically designed to help manufacturers meet high-demand challenges without compromising efficiency or output.

Start with System Efficiency: Reduce Air Consumption at the Point of Use

During a high-demand event, every SCFM counts. One of the fastest, most cost-effective ways to free up capacity is to replace outdated, inefficient blowoff methods. Open pipes, drilled holes, and homemade nozzles waste tremendous amounts of compressed air and can violate OSHA safety standards. EXAIR’s Super Air Nozzles, Safety Air Guns, and Super Air Knives are engineered to:

  • Reduce air consumption
  • Maintain or increase blowoff force
  • Operate safely under OSHA dead-end pressure limits
  • Lower overall system load, freeing capacity for critical processes

By upgrading just a few high-usage blowoff points, facilities often recover enough compressed air to handle peak demand without purchasing additional equipment.

Engineered solutions (like EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products) are the efficient, quiet, and safe choice.

Stabilize System Pressure During Peak Use

Pressure drops become more common when demand spikes. That decline leads to reduced quality, slower cycle times, and even unplanned downtime. EXAIR products are engineered to deliver more output force with less compressed air. For example:

  • Super Air Amplifiers entrain up to 25 parts room air for every 1 part of compressed air, multiplying output while drastically reducing consumption.
  • Super Air Knives produce a laminar, high-velocity sheet of air—even at lower pressures—helping extend system stability during peak loads.

These technologies lighten the load on your compressor while maintaining performance at the point of use.

Add Extra Compressed Air Storage to Handle Peak Demand

One of the most overlooked strategies in high-demand planning is preloading your system with stored compressed air. Storage acts as a buffer, preventing pressure drops and reducing the load on your compressor during short, intense spikes.

  • Provides supplemental airflow during short bursts of high demand
  • Reduces compressor cycling, improving efficiency and equipment life
  • Helps maintain system pressure and air quality
  • Offers a cost-effective alternative to purchasing an additional compressor

How to Integrate Storage Into Your Strategy

  • Add receiver tanks downstream near high-consumption equipment
  • Use strategic storage at point-of-use
  • Pair storage with efficient EXAIR blowoff, cooling, or conveying products to reduce total system demand.

Pro tip: If your system is already stretched thin, combining extra storage with EXAIR air-saving solutions often eliminates the need for new compressors entirely.

High Demand Doesn’t Have to Mean High Stress

High-demand events are inevitable in manufacturing—but system strain, energy waste, and reduced performance don’t have to be. By optimizing efficiency, stabilizing pressure, preparing with modular tools, and using engineered products, your facility can handle peak demand confidently and cost-effectively.

EXAIR products are purpose-built for these challenges, offering efficient, OSHA-compliant, high-performance solutions that help your compressed air system keep up with whatever you throw at it.

If you’d like to help identify opportunities in your facility, explore EXAIR’s full line of compressed air-saving products. Or reach out to a Application engineer at techelp@exair.com.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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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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