Tag: conductive

Air Amplifiers Speed Up Cooling Of Cast Parts

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Do you like soup? I like soup. Especially on cold days in the winter. Living down south apparently ruined me for cold weather, because, even though I’ve been here in Ohio for 25 years, I still get a chronic chill in early November that won’t let go until about April. March, if I’m lucky. A nice, hot bowl of soup gives me a temporary respite from that dreaded chill, though, so yeah…I like soup.

Sometimes (OK; most of the time) I like it so much I don’t want to wait for it to cool (just slightly) to a temperature that won’t scald my tongue, so I resort to the age-old practice of blowing on those first few spoonfuls. Even though my breath is a fairly consistent 98.6F (give or take,) it’s still quite effective at transferring enough heat out for pain-free consumption. There are two reasons I’m thinking about this right now:

First reason: I’ve been working with an engineer at a large automotive plant…they were cooling a production run of metal cast parts with a series of fans. It ran pretty slowly, and they had a line of those pedestal mounted fans “waving at the parts as they went by.” The thought was, they could direct a stream of cooling air by using the focused flow of an Air Amplifier, and this might just allow them to speed up the line. And they were right. They tried a few Model 6041 1-1/4″ Aluminum Adjustable Air Amplifiers, with very favorable results. So favorable, in fact, that they ordered (40) more to outfit other casting lines in the plant, in arrangements similar to this:

With (16) models to choose from, EXAIR Air Amplifiers are a quick and easy way to provide a tremendous amount of cooling air flow from a compact, lightweight product.
With (16) models to choose from, EXAIR Air Amplifiers are a quick and easy way to provide a tremendous amount of cooling air flow from a compact, lightweight product.

Just like it might take more than one “blow” to cool off a spoonful of soup, they have installed multiple Air Amplifiers, in succession, on the lines, depending on the size, shape, and mass of the part. And the precise adjustability of the Adjustable Air Amplifiers allows them to dial in the optimum air flow, while minimizing their compressed air consumption. So the Production and Facilities folks are all very happy.

And (because I know you’re wondering) the second reason I’m thinking about conductive/convective heat transfer via air movement:

I trust you had already guessed what was for lunch today.
I trust you had already guessed what was for lunch today.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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EXAIR Static Eliminators Surpass Passive Static Eliminators

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The question comes up quite a bit around this time of year as to why an EXAIR Static Eliminator is better than using a passive static eliminator to eliminate the static.   To further the explanation of a passive static eliminator, it is typically called static tinsel and is found in a variety of forms. Passive eliminators are grounded wire or strap and must come in contact with the surface of a part in order to dissipate the static charge on only that surface.  This is generally found in the form of a bare wire or some type of conductive material (copper) that is strung across the path of your parts and must come into contact with the surface of your part.   A conductive material bar is shown below.

Passive Static Eliminating Bar
Passive Static Eliminating Bar

In order for this to eliminate the static on the part you must have the fabric actually contact the surface of your part.   There are several points that this can cause an issue, the first being this item drags across the surface of your product which can wear the conductive fibers down leading to the eliminators needing to be replaced.   Second, if you have a delicate, printed, or high gloss surface, you may not want anything to touch the surface and risk a blemish.   Third, these can collect dirt and debris which may become transferred to the product.   Last, complicated shapes cannot easily be met with the passive static eliminators, these are only going to work well with flat surfaces.

Active static eliminators, such as the Static Eliminators Product Line from EXAIR offers a variety of ways to actively eliminate the static on a surface without ever touching the product.   These are ideal for delicate surfaces, painted surfaces, complicated shapes, or even flat sheets.  The EXAIR line is available with or without compressed air assist which will not only utilize your compressed air efficiently while eliminating a static charge but also blow the debris or particulate off the part.   Units without compressed air operation can eliminate static charges up to 2″ away from a surface while a unit with compressed air will eliminate static up to 20′ away.

A Sample of EXAIR Static Eliminators
A Sample of EXAIR Static Eliminators

 

Because the units do not contact the parts there is no need for being concerned about contamination being transferred to the part, the eliminators will not wear down from dragging across a part or surface. EXAIR static eliminators are also low maintenance products.

To top it all off EXAIR will honor a 30 day guarantee to test the products in your facility.  As well as honor a 5 year built to last warranty on compressed air products and a 1 year warranty on any electrical component.

If you would like to eliminate your static problems, contact us. 

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

PEEK – A – Boo

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Having an almost 4 year old and an 18 month old at home means I spend at least 15 minutes every evening playing some form of Peek-A-Boo.  Last night it was my oldest holding a blanket in front of her while her younger sister sat on the floor and watched.   Then she would drop the blanket on the ground and yell PEEKABOO!  I’m sure we all know this as the normal version of the game.   However, my oldest also easily confuses Peek-A-Boo with hide and seek as well as just flat out scaring people.  (Which is hilarious until it happens to you.)

baby-peek-a-boo

Here at EXAIR we use a different form of  PEEK.   In fact, we just released another Super Air Nozzle in PEEK plastic.   The model 1104-PEEK Super Air Nozzle.   This nozzle will tout the same performance as the Zinc/Aluminum and Stainless Steel models but will be better suited for certain applications.   Why might someone use a PEEK nozzle instead of a metal one?

IMG_3744

The brief list below is just a few of the advantages.

  • Non Marring
  • Chemical Resistance
  • Hydrolysis resistance
  • Weight Reduction
  • Temperature resistance
  • UV Stability
  • Non-conductive

So if you have an application where you need something a little different than metal, don’t forget we offer many of our Super Air Nozzles in PEEK plastic.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF