Tag: conveyor pneumatic tube

EXAIR Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vacs™: Overview

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
Threaded Heavy Duty Family

Do you have operators climbing steps to dump bags of material in hoppers?  Or do you need a faster way to remove scrap from your process?  Or do you have budgetary constraints in trying to move material from pont A to point B?  If you answered yes to any of these, EXAIR can help you.  We manufacture an air operated conveyor that does not have any moving parts, very compact in design, and has a high throughput capacity.  They can attach easily to standard hoses, pipes, or sanitary flanges.   These inexpensive conveyors are designed to make conveyance safer and ergonomically better for your operators.  EXAIR calls this product line, Line Vacs™.

The Line Vacs use a small amount of compressed air to generate a vacuum by a Venturi effect.  The unique design of the generators creates a high velocity to create a powerful vacuum on one side.  Once the product reaches the throat area of the Line Vac, the compressed air will carry the product the rest of the way.  We can reach horizontal distances up to 100 feet (30 meters) away and vertical heights up to 20 feet (6 meters).  EXAIR manufactures a variety of Line Vacs in different sizes, styles, and materials.  In this blog, I will cover the Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vacs.

Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vac

The Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vacs are designed to convert regular piping into a powerful conveying system.  They range from ¾” NPT to 3” NPT and can connect easily to PVC and pipe fittings.  The construction is made from a hardened alloy steel to resist abrasion which can occur prematurely with aluminum or stainless steel.  The Threaded Heavy Duty Line Vac can create a higher vacuum level to pick up heavier objects as well as conveying larger volume of material.  As a kit, the Line Vac will come with a filter, regulator, and a mounting bracket.  This adds overall value in mounting, controlling, and protecting the Line Vac for years to come.  This simple device is a great product to use in rugged industrial applications.

If you need to convey heavy materials like steel shot or abrasive products like ceramic or shot-blasting media, the Heavy Duty Line Vac could be a blessing for you.  Not only can they transfer material safely and quickly, but they also will help in saving the backs and knees of your operators.  If you would like to discuss your application further, please contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.

John Ball
Application Engineer

Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Coast to Coast and Beyond

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Recently, I was working with  a customer looking for a Premium Reversible Drum Vac and wanted it shipped to the Northwest Territories of Canada –  which we could do!  It got me to thinking, what are the farthest US state and territory locations EXAIR has shipped to in the North, South, West and East directions.  I ‘scoured’ the records and came up with these.

Furthest North- We have shipped to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  Most recently, believe it or not, we shipped a NEMA 4X Cabinet Cooler to an Oil and Natural Gas Exploration Company.  Goes to show that even the coldest environments still have the need to provide cool, clean, dry air to cool and protect electronics in electrical enclosures.

Furthest South – We have shipped to the US Territory of Puerto Rico, city of Santa Isabel.  An Aerospace company needed a strong, laminar blast of air and utilized a 6″ Stainless Steel Air Knife.  An Air Knife offers a quiet, efficient way to clean, dry or cool parts, webs, or conveyors.

Furthest West- We have shipped to the US Territory of Guam.  The local University ordered a model 1111-4 Super Air Nozzle Cluster, for a good strong blast of air flow for a cleaning operation.  The model 1111-4 delivers 3.2 lbs of force, at just 82 dBA of sound. A safe and efficient nozzle for blowoff operations.

Furthest East- We have shipped to Eastport, Maine.  The customer in Eastport ordered a Line Vac and a section of Conveyance Hose.  The Line Vac is a great tool for conveying large volumes of material over long distances, through a standard hose or tube.  The compact design features large throat diameters for maximum throughput capability.

 

It was interesting to look back and see all the places that EXAIR has shipped.  We have customers from all over the globe. If you are outside the of 50 US States and Canada, we have a dedicated team of International Application Engineers that will work with you to select the best EXAIR product for your process and application, and direct you to your local International Distributor.

If you would like to talk about any of the EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Products, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Brian Bergmann
Application Engineer

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Twitter: @EXAIR_BB

316 Stainless Steel Line Vac Conveys Cookies in Creamery

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
Cookies in need of pneumatic conveyance at creamery

An overseas ice cream manufacturer reached out to me recently with a request for assistance.  They were in search of a better means to transfer “inclusions” from a storage bin into the blending tanks of their creamery.  The “inclusions” in question, shown above, looked familiar.  I’ve found identical cookies stashed in my sons’ favorite places around the house, so I’m somewhat familiar with their transfer from one place to another.  Fortunately, in this application the cookie transfer is deliberate whereas it is always “magic” or “no one knows how it got there” when it happens at home.

Both solid cookies and crumbs (shown above) are conveyed.

Seeing as how this application involves the transfer of foodstuffs, we immediately explored a 316 grade stainless steel solution, and gathered the necessary data for determining the proper pneumatic conveyor (an EXAIR Line Vac).  Our Line Vacs utilize a high velocity airstream which travels along the ID of a conveyance tube to move material.  Because of this, application specifics like material/material size, bulk density, conveyance height and distance, and required conveyance rate play a key role in proper sizing.  Here’s how the specifics looked for this application:

 

Material:  Dry cookies and cookie crumbs, 8mm-50mm in diameter (5/16” – 2” in diameter)

Bulk density:  0.69 g/cm³ (43 lb./ft.³)

Conveyance height:  None

Conveyance distance:  5m (16.5 feet)

Required conveyance rate:  As high as possible, preferably in the range of 500kg/hr. (1100 lb./hr.)

Available compressed air supply:  170m³/hr. @ 5.5 BARG (100 SCFM @ 80 PSIG)

Material constraints:  316SS mandatory

 

With these details well defined, I used our empirical test data to appropriately size a suitable Line Vac.  In this case, we had a viable solution in our Heavy Duty Line Vac with regards to conveyance rate, but this solution is not the proper material.  So, we matched performance of a Heavy Duty Line Vac in our 316SS Line Vac using model HP6064-316.  Model HP6064-316 is not a stock option and not shown on the website, so having a proper dialogue with an Application Engineer was critical to dialing in on the right solution for this application.

Once the solution was confirmed, this customer was all set.  We worked with them on every aspect of the application solution and ended up shipping them (3) specialized Line Vacs in 316 stainless steel.  The Line Vacs are up and running, helping to make delicious ice cream for expecting customers.

If you have a similar application or are interested in exploring a Line Vac solution, now is the time to act.  We have a Line Vac promotion running through the end of October that includes a free 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle with the purchase of any Line Vac.  Application Engineers are available for any questions you may have via phone (1-800-903-9247), email (techelp@exair.com), and online chat.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

2.5″ Line Vac Used In Plastic Part Recovery

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

I recently worked with an OEM who designed an injection molding machine for their customer. In their design, after the polypropylene parts are formed, they pass through a punch process which creates a scrap piece roughly 1-3/4″ in diameter and 6mm thick but it is very light in weight. The end user was looking for a way to recover these parts in an effort to reduce the amount of waste material in the process but needed an automated solution so they didn’t have to dedicate an operator to manually recover the parts and dump them in the recycle bin. The recovery bin is located close to 25 feet away on the other side of the machining area.

After further discussion,  I recommended they incorporate our Model # 6085 2-1/2″ aluminum Line Vac into their design. The 2.5″ Line Vac has a 2.25″ inside throat diameter which could easily pass the parts and convey them to the collection hopper.

Line Vacs connect to standard ID hose or pipe to create a powerful in-line conveyor

With the recovery bin being located outside of the processing area, they were going to have to run the discharge piping up and over the machines so they were needing something flexible to do so. In addition to the Line Vac, I suggested they use a 30′ section of our 2.5″ conveyance hose. Our conveyance hose is constructed of a durable, clear reinforced PVC, ideal for most general applications and we offer it in 10′ lengths up to 50′, in diameters of 3/8″ to 3″ ID.

Flexible clear PVC hose with smooth bore eliminates material build up.

 

When it comes to moving dry material, like small plastic parts or more abrasive materials like steel shot blasting media, the Line Vacs are the perfect, maintenance-free solution as they have no moving parts or motors to wear out. For help selecting the best option to fit your needs or to discuss how another product might be suitable for your application, give us a call.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN