Tag: conveyor belt cleaning

Press Release – Streamline Plant and Equipment Cleaning with the NEW FlexiSan™ Modular Spray System

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

BETE announces the launch of the new FlexiSan Modular Spray System, an innovative solution designed to simplify cleaning and sanitizing processes, reduce downtime, and enhance operational efficiency in the food and beverage industry and beyond. 

Including a durable, mobile cart with integrated chemical handling and at least one Clean-in-Place (CIP) spray header, the system optimizes Open Plant Cleaning (OPC) and produces effective, consistent results for various applications, from everyday wash downs to tackling tough soils. Processing facilities can apply cleaning and sanitizing agents to a wide range of equipment, including conveyors, hoppers, bins, mixers, and other critical process areas.  

THE FlexiSan Advantage:

  • Streamlined Sanitation – Easily switch between rinse, clean, and sanitize steps for faster, more efficient wash-downs
  • Portable and Easy to Use – A rugged, stainless steel cart moves effortlessly between cleaning zones
  • Tough on Soils – Handles everything from light residues to heavy build-up like syrups and coatings
  • Saves Water and Chemicals – Precision spraying minimizes waste while maximizing effectiveness
  • Built for You – Flexible options and automation features to fit your exact process needs

FlexiSan Base System:

The base spray system includes a durable, mobile cart with integrated chemical handling and at least one Clean-in-Place (CIP) spray header assembly.  Engineered for simplicity and mobility, the cart connects directly to plant water and can deliver up to two chemicals, typically a cleaner and a sanitizer, through the spray header(s). Its portable design makes it easy for operators to move between cleaning zones and quickly connect to supply drops or CIP headers.

For light soils, standard plant water pressure (60–200 PSI / 4-14 bar) is sufficient to loosen and dislodge contaminants. With dual holding tanks for cleaner and sanitizer, the cart makes it easy to switch seamlessly between rinsing, cleaning, and sanitizing, streamlining the entire sanitation process.

For heavier soil levels that require hot water and higher pressure for fast, effective cleaning, such as chocolate coatings or heavy syrups, our FlexiSan Max can be used. Built upon the same components as our base FlexiSan system, the FlexiSan Max adds a pump package with quick mechanical and plumbing connections to the base cart unit, integrating it with the supply and delivery lines.

Delivering between 400 and 600 PSI (28–41 bar) to the CIP spray bar, this additional pump system provides the impact needed to effectively and efficiently remove tough soils. The result is significantly shorter cleaning cycles for conveyors, which can mean only a single rotation is required.

For more info, visit BETE at www.bete.com. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Super Air Knife with a Plumbing Kit Removes Gypsum from a Conveyor Belt

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

Plumbing Kits

A gypsum facility was having issues in losing powder from the tailings in their conveying system.  The conveyor moved gypsum from their processing plant to an outside silo bin location for loading and transportation.  The conveyor that they used was 60” wide.  As the conveyor went around the end to dump the gypsum powder, some of the material would stick to the belt and collect on the floor underneath.  Depending on production rates, they would have to stop the operation to clean up the floor which added additional hours for custodial work.  The customer sent a picture of the problem and wondered if EXAIR could help them with this application.

The facility did an annual cost projection to determine the loss of money from the gypsum material collecting under the conveyor.  The custodial cost to clean up the excess powder was roughly $45,000/year.  The unscheduled downtime was estimated at 115 hours per year.  (They did not share the loss of dollars in production to EXAIR.)  But it was large enough that they needed a solution from EXAIR.  (The photo below is similar to the same application as written by Lee Evans: “EXAIR Super Air Knives Improve Process in an Aluminum Rodding Shop“.)

Powder collecting under conveyor

I suggested a model 110260PKI Super Air Knife Kit for this application.  The Super Air Knife was 60” in length to cover the conveyor belt.  The kit included a filter, a regulator, and a shim set to “dial” in the minimum amount of force to remove the material.  This gives the customer the most flexibility when using an EXAIR Super Air Knife.  The “PKI” suffix at the end of the model number indicates our Plumbing Kit.  This kit which is Installed on the Super Air Knife allows for ease of installation to compressed air connections and it also allows for the proper airflow to get a consistent blow-off across the entire length of the Super Air Knife.

At EXAIR, we pride ourselves in energy efficiency.  Compressed air is expensive to make, so why not use it as efficiently as you can?  The Super Air Knife has a 40:1 amplification ratio which allows 40 parts of ambient “free” air for every 1 part of compressed air.  And, with the “dirty” environment at the gypsum facility, the Super Air Knife would not be affected as they do not require a motor that can fail or a maintenance program to perform.  After installing the model 110260PKI, the gypsum powder was no longer collecting on the floor underneath.  If we look at the cost of removing the hourly rate of the custodian, the Return on Investment, ROI, was only 27 days (and this did not include the increase in production rates).

Spillage is wasteful, costly, and time consuming to cleanup.  If you have excess waste from your conveying system, EXAIR will have the product to help you.  For the gypsum facility above, the Super Air Knife Kit made it possible to increase production efficiencies with a short ROI.  You can contact an Application Engineer to review your application and see if we can improve your conveying operation.

John Ball

Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Compressed Air Uses In Industry

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

From pneumatic hand tools like impact wrenches or nail guns to larger scale industrial applications like stamping presses, the use of compressed air can be found in almost any industry. In fact, it is often referred to as a “fourth utility” next to water, gas and electric.

Compressed air is used in virtually every industry!

 

Take for example in construction, workers will use a pneumatic riveter to join steel framing because of the power generated by the tool over an electrically powered device, not to mention it provides for a safer operation by removing an electrical hazard. Many companies use compressed air operated diaphragm pumps or air motor driven pumps to move expensive or viscous liquid from one location to another. These types of pumps are self priming drawing the liquid in and provide positive displacement meaning they fill and empty the liquid chamber with the same amount of liquid through a common inlet and outlet.

Amusement parks have used compressed air in some capacity in the operation of thrill rides like roller coasters or to enhance the effect of certain attractions. Compressed air can be found in hospitals where it is used for specialized breathing treatments or to power surgical instruments in an operating room. Educational facilities use compressed air for laboratory testing. You can even find compressed air in the tires on your car. Basically, when you think about it, compressed air is being used just about anywhere.

Here at EXAIR, we manufacture Intelligent Compressed Air Products to help improve the efficiency in a wide variety of industrial operations. Whether you are looking to coat a surface with an atomized mist of liquid, conserve compressed air use and energy, cool an electrical enclosure, convey parts or dry material from one location to another or clean a conveyor belt or web, chances are we have a product that will fit your specific need.

EXAIR has been providing engineered solutions since 1983.

 

To discuss your particular application or for help selecting the best product, contact an application engineer at 800-903-9247 for assistance.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

Compressed Air Valves image courtesy of Shane Gorski via creative commons license.

How Do You Make Cement? Start with Clinkers

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Last week I wrote about the use of the Atomizing Nozzles to create a fog for wet room curing of concrete samples poured during road construction.  This week, I had the opportunity to work with another customer about concrete, but this time it was regarding the the manufacturing process.  Invariably, I always learn something new , and for this interaction, it was the term ‘clinkers.’

Concrete is a composite material composed of coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement that hardens over time.  The customer I was working with was a cement manufacturer.  Cement production is basically a 2 step process – 1) clinker is produced from raw materials and 2) cement is produced from cement clinker.

clinkers
Typical Cement Clinkers

To make the clinker (step one), several powder raw materials are fed into a rotary kiln.  The kiln is heated to very high temperatures, and when the materials are mixed and heated, new compounds are formed and hydraulic hardening occurs resulting in the formation of the clinker.

My customer needed a way to clean off the residual dust left on the transport belts, after the clinkers were transported to storage silos.  Due to the high temperatures in the area, we focused in on the EXAIR Type 303 Stainless Steel model of the Super Air Knife, as it can withstand temperatures up to 800°F.  The customer went with (3) of the Super Air Knife Kits, which include the Shim Set, Auto Drain Filter Separator, and Pressure Regulator w/ Gauge, for easiest installation with maximum functionality.

The Super Air Knife is a tried and true product for cleaning, drying, cooling and general blowoff for conveyors.  And with widths up to 108″ available, any size conveyor can be handled.

To make cement (step two), the clinker is ground into fine powder with other ingredients including gypsum (calcium sulphates) and possibly additional cementitious (such as blastfurnace slag, coal fly ash, natural pozzolanas, etc.) or inert materials (limestone). It is then stored or packaged and ready to be made into concrete.

To discuss your application and how an EXAIR Super Air Knife can benefit your process, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our other Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Brian Bergmann
Application Engineer

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