Tag: compressed air product applications

You Have To Start Somewhere.

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The school year is in full swing here in Cincinnati and all three of my daughters have different extracurricular activities they partake in. This fall, that equates to divide and conquer for my wife and me 4 nights of the week for practices then the weekends are also separate and conquer, but mainly on Saturday. This eats away at times we would typically use at home to get some walking in or even just generally getting stuff done. This schedule combined with working earlier has caused me to lose almost all workout desire. That is until I got to the first practice my oldest had which just happens to be held on my alma mater’s campus and is right next to Nippert Stadium.

When we arrived I noticed most parents were just hunkered down in their cars and watching movies or doom scrolling social media. I try to avoid doing that for 90 minutes straight if I can and so far I have. I started hitting the stairs at the University of Cincinnati’s Nippert Stadium with my 35-pound ruck on my back. While my goal is to be able to complete the standard they have for their 9/11 memorial event I also want to get back into the shape I was in when I did back-to-back GORUCK events and could crank out burpees without crying on the outside. After going up one column of stairs from the field to the concourse level I go across and down the next set until I have done every column of stairs that go from the concourse to the area directly. For their event, I have to complete two laps which will equate to the number of steps within one of the towers.

So to train, I started with seeing how many sets I could do without feeling like I was going to not be able to reach the top and walk to the car. Surprisingly, I was able to get about half of the stadium done. Then I still had another hour to kill, so I hydrated a bit and rucked on over to the track/soccer field where I could walk the track and watch co-ed intramural flag football games while I did laps. Finally, I threw in some ruck PT exercises as a cool down and ended back at the building her practice was in. When I got to work the next day I felt like I got beat with a sack of oranges from my waist down. Then, on Thursday the thought crossed my mind as I hadn’t slept much the night before to just relax, then I had a buddy ask if he could come do stairs with me, and so we did it again Thursday night.

So from now until the end of the school year, I will more than likely be rucking on or around UC’s campus and Nippert Stadium to ensure I get back into a reasonable condition without having to lose more time with my family. This isn’t always easy and doesn’t come without pain. That pain though comes with added energy and increases in my mental position as well, so I am open to more things.

The same thing can be said about an industrial compressed air system. If you just trudge through every day and don’t look at any part of your facility, it is going to cause some pain when you first start to look at it. The first step is to acknowledge that something needs to change, and you have to have that finished goal of more capacity and capability available. The best place to start on your compressed air system is at the start with mapping out the system and getting a base measurement of where you are at for consumption.. This is the first step in our 6 steps of compressed air optimization, and we can help with every step along the way, You just have to reach out to us, your accountability partner for efficient compressed air.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Hot Off The Press (Release): EXAIR Catalog #35

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’re a registered user on our website, you likely got word of this already through our August 15, 2023 Press Release. If not – or even if you did and want some more details – read on, and I’ll tell you all about it.

Like all of our previous catalogs, Catalog #35 provides specification, dimensional, and performance data on all of our stock products. Many of them include detailed descriptions of “textbook” applications for those products. You’ll also find:

  • Efficiency Lab (page 6): If you want a full performance report on a compressed air device you’re using right now, this is a free service we offer. Contact an Application Engineer and arrange to have it sent in. We’ll test it for compressed air consumption, force applied, and sound level, and send you a report on it. It’ll include, of course, the EXAIR engineered product(s) that we’ll recommend, along with performance data on them, as a comparison.
  • Our Six Steps (page 7): The first page of our Optimization section details the Six Steps To Optimizing Your Compressed Air System. It’s not necessary to follow them in order, and not all of them are applicable to every single compressed air system. But if you’re serious about reducing your compressed air costs, this is a comprehensive plan on how to do it for sure.
  • OSHA Maximum Allowable Noise Exposure table & typical Air Consumption values of common “homemade” blow offs (page 53): We put this here so you can turn the next few pages and see what a difference engineered products like EXAIR Super Air Nozzles can make.
  • Droplet Size data (page 98): Use this to determine the suitability of our Atomizing Spray Nozzles for liquid spraying applications.
  • Vortex Tube Specification and Performance tables (pages 201-202): If you know how much cold air flow you need, and at what temperature you need it, you can use these tables to determine which EXAIR Vortex Tube (or other Spot Cooling Product) to use.
  • Cabinet Cooler System Sizing Guide (page 220): Just fill in the blanks & send this in, and we’ll quickly & accurately calculate the heat load of your electrical/electronic enclosure, and specify the right Cabinet Cooler System for you.

Now, if you’ve ever had any of our previous catalogs, you might have noticed that those were already in there, and that’s all pretty great. What’s REALLY great about Catalog #35, though, is some of the new features:

  • Line Vac Conveyance Data (pages 176-177): While there’s WAY too many variables in bulk conveyance applications to accurately calculate conveyance rates. We’ve done some controlled, in-house testing with several different materials, several different Line Vacs, at several different lengths & heights, though, and we’re proud to publish that in the new catalog. This shouldn’t be considered a guarantee of performance, but if you’re wondering how much of a particular bulk material you can convey, this table will certainly get you in the right ballpark.
  • Best Practice for Using EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products (pages 239-240): This information has always been in the Air Data files on our website, along with an ABUNDANCE of data that’ll help you get the most out of your compressed air system. Now, it’s at your fingers.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I wrote a whole blog on the new catalog without mentioning the new products:

  • Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector (pages 18-19): This serves the same function as the now-obsolete Model 9061, but with some handy upgrades like a LED display, a sleek new body, and high quality ear buds.
Use the Model 9207 Ultrasonic Leak Detector’s parabola to find the vicinity of the leak, and the tubular extension to identify its exact location.
  • 1/2 NPT HollowStream Cone Atomizing Nozzles (page 105): With five new distinct models at the high-flow end of our already comprehensive line of Liquid Atomizing Spray Nozzles, these provide up to 53 gallons per minute of liquid flow, and are capable of passing particulate up to 0.344″ in diameter.
The Hollow Cone spray pattern is ideal for cooling, cleaning, foam breaking, rinsing, and dust suppression. It also uses considerably less liquid than the FullStream models, when higher flow rate isn’t necessary.
EXAIR’s ATEX Cabinet Cooler Systems provide heat protection for electrical enclosures in potentially explosive atmospheres, like those found on offshore drilling platforms, petrochemical plants, mines, flour mills, etc.

Like our previous catalogs, Catalog 35 is now available for download (in product line sections due to file size) from the PDF Library at EXAIR.com. You can also request a copy to be mailed to you, or you can contact an Application Engineer to have individual product line sections (again, because of file size) email to you right away.

As always, if you’d like to talk about how to get the most out of your compressed air system, our team of Application Engineers are here Monday to Friday, 7am to 4pm Eastern, to help with that. Give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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What Makes EXAIR Safety Air Guns So Safe?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

In 1970, the United States Congress passed the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This Act created both the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The goal of both organizations is to ensure that workers, in any industry or field, have adequate protection from physical injury and health risks associated with the tools & equipment they operate, and environmental hazards in the spaces in which they operate. Workplace safety was a big deal to them.

Fifty plus years on, workplace safety is still a big deal, and not just to the federal government. At EXAIR, we have a program of continuing training on any and all safety concerns relevant to what we do here. This includes everything from pedestrian safety (not getting hit by a delivery truck in the parking lot, or a fork truck in the shop) to hazard communication (understanding the labels and safety data sheets for the cleaning compounds, adhesives, etc. used in the facility) to the procedures & personal protection equipment required for the use of compressed air products. Workplace safety is, and always has been, a big deal to us.

This culture of safety carries over to the design of our products as well. It’s arguably most important when we’re talking about products that operators hold in their hands…like our Safety Air Guns. To answer the question I posed in the title above, let’s consider the features of these products:

Engineered Air Nozzles: Regardless of any other features, the energy associated with the flow & force of the compressed air exiting the device is the first concern, and rightly so. Without a method of reducing the static pressure at the point of discharge to 30psi or less, there’ll be enough energy in the air flow to potentially break the skin if the device’s tip was dead-ended, with no place for that pressure to go. You can either reduce the supply pressure to 30psig or less (which means you’re not going to get a heck of a lot done unless it’s just lightweight debris you’re blowing off, AND you can get close enough to it), or you can use products like our Super Air Nozzles, which provide a relief path for that air flow, so the static pressure at the point of discharge never reaches 30psi, no matter what the supply pressure is. The design of all of our engineered Air Nozzles provides such a relief path, which complies with OSHA Standard 1910.242(b), which regulates the use of compressed air for cleaning…which is what almost all air guns are used for.

If you did this without that Super Air Nozzle on the end, and the air supply pressure was greater than 30psig, it could break the skin and cause a potentially fatal condition called an air embolism.

Ergonomic design: Across the board, a key feature in the design of EXAIR Safety Air Guns is to be easy on the hands, with comfortable grips and easy to pull triggers. From the molded thermoplastic construction of the VariBlast Precision models, to the cast aluminum construction of the VariBlast Compact, Soft Grip, Heavy Duty, and TurboBlast models, they’re all lightweight, and quite durable as well.

From small part cleaning by hand, to wide area blowoff, and all points in between, EXAIR has a Safety Air Gun for most any application.

Engineered Air Nozzles part 2: The same design features that prevent them from being dead-ended also result in remarkable attenuation of the sound level generated by the air flow. By entraining an enormous amount of air from the surrounding environment (which results in a much lower operating cost than open-end type air guns), a lower velocity boundary layer develops around the higher velocity center air flow, resulting in much quieter operation. All but our largest Super Air Nozzles are compliant with OSHA Standard 1910.95 limits for maximum allowable noise exposure.

EXAIR Super Air Nozzle entrainment

Chip Shields: OSHA Standard 1910.242(b), in addition to limiting dead-end pressure to prevent air embolisms from breaking the skin, also calls for “effective chip guarding” to prevent airborne debris being blown off by high velocity air flow from hitting the operator. This can be accomplished by the user via glove boxes (similar to a small parts sandblasting booth), a physical barrier like a piece of shatter resistant glass, plexiglass, Lexan, etc., or personal protective equipment like aprons, long gloves, or face shields. In case any of that is impractical, EXAIR has Chip Shields that fit our VariBlast Precision, VariBlast Compact, Soft Grip, and Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns. They’re clear polycarbonate discs that can be moved back & forth on a rigid aluminum extension pipe on the Safety Air Gun, so you can position them according to the needs of the application.

If workplace safety is as big a deal to you as it is to OSHA and EXAIR, I strongly recommend looking at what you’re using for handheld blow off applications right now, and how they stack up against EXAIR’s comprehensive line of Safety Air Guns. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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Safety Air Gun Accessories!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR Has a nice selection of Safety Air Guns. The VariBlast Precision and Compact, Soft Grip, Heavy Duty and Super Blast Safety Air Guns, and the newest addition, the TurboBlast are available with a variety of air nozzles, chip shields and pipe extensions. (Click on the product link above to see a blog about any of the eight types of Safety Air Guns) They are durable and comfortable and ergonomic to use.These Safety Air Guns are designed with durability and comfort in mind while also ergonomically safe to use. Safe operation is assured along with low air consumption and noise levels.EXAIR Engineered air nozzles are available in Type 316 stainless steel for superior corrosion resistance and mechanical wear, Type 303 stainless steel for corrosion resistance, PEEK thermoplastic for non-marring and chemical resistance or zinc/aluminum alloy for general purpose applications.

Flying Debris? – Chip Shields are durable polycarbonate shields that protect the operator from risk of flying debris often seen when blowing off chips from machined parts. They are also useful to prevent coolant from splashing back, creating a mess during drying processes.

The Chip Shields are available for EXAIR’s VariBlast, Soft Grip and Heavy Duty Safety Air Guns. The Chip Shield can be used on Safety Air Guns with or without an aluminum extension. They may be purchased as part of a new air gun system, or retrofitted as a Chip Shield Kit.  Consult an Application Engineer for selection assistance.

If you have a blow-off process where the air is to be directed at a distance away from the operator, or into a hard-to-reach location, an extension is the solution. Available in lengths from 6″ (152mm) to 72″ (1829mm), with sizes as to meet most requirement can be found. To add an extension to an air gun, simply add -xx to the current part number. EXAIR’s Stay Set Hoses are available from 6”-36” in lengths with ¼ NPT male threads on each end, or a ¼ NPT male on one end and 1/8 NPT female on the other.

Model 1310-12 Heavy Duty Safety Air Gun, With 12″ Extension & 1100 Super Air Nozzle

The Stay Set Hoses are rigid and allow you to maintain precise positioning of the blow off nozzle. The hoses have “memory” and will not creep or bend.

Options from 6″ to 36″

 If you need a 12′ coiled air hose, to use with your Safety Air Gun, we have them available and in stock. Available with 1/8 NPT, 1/4 NPT or 3/8 NPT male end swivel connections. Avoid tangled and messy air lines and keep things neat!

If you have an application and need help deciding which EXAIR Safety Air Gun and/Nozzle you need. Please contact us and ask for any Application Engineer. We are always happy and eager to help.

Jordan Shouse
Application EngineerSend me an email
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