If you are not sure about which vacuum generator you need or if your application demands lifting a variety of materials, the Adjustable E-Vac is the right choice. This video illustrates how to adjust our Adjustable Vacuum Generators and the flexibility it can contribute within your application.
Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
Davewoerner@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_DW
Once again this week, I had a customer call in with a special request on one of our products. The customer had purchased a 6030 Adjustable Air Amplifier to cool plastic components after they were formed in a previous process. These components are made continuously and the only way to test the cooling capabilities was during a production run. If there was any error in the system, a whole batch of product was rejected, so the customer needed to be able to fine tune the process easily. The space was very confined, so the customer had taken the 3/4″ outlet and connected a 3/4″ hose with hose clamps in order to direct the air to the proper area. From the 3/4″ hose, they had necked down the line to 3/8″ hose to fit into their process. By necking down the outlet of the air amplifier, the customer was limiting the output of the 6030, but it was enough air to get there job done. Now that he had successfully used the 6030, the customer wanted to rollout the idea to other product lines and create a more robust system than hose clamps and homemade reducers. Fortunately, for this customer and many others, EXAIR has the skill and flexibility to manufacture custom solutions.
The customer wanted to roll the project out into 25 production lines, and create a more robust system. The first idea that came to mind was using a threaded Line Vac to replace the Air Amplifier. This would be a stock item that would produce a similar amount of air flow as the air amplifier through a 3/8″ hose. Obviously, the Air Amplifier would produce more airflow in free air, but since we are restricting that flow with a 3/8″ hose, the Line Vac and the Air Amplifier would produce similar air flow in this application. Unfortunately, the customer didn’t have the ability to test the process with the Line Vac, because of his production schedule and the risk of losing a batch of product during the testing. Because of these requirements, the customer asked us to produce (25) Special Air Amplifiers with threaded outlets to replace his 6030 that he was currently using. The Adjustable Air Amplifier would give the customer the ability to adjust the air flow by changing the air gap in the Air Amplifier to his exact specification. This adjustability means he can set the Air Amplifier to meet his current requirements, and adjust if the conditions change on his production line. Also, the system would now be threaded so he could install hard pipe to make a permanent and robust system throughout the facility.
Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
davewoerner@exair.com
@EXAIR_DW
I had customer call this week who was using an E-Vac model 800008H, an 8 SCFM Porous Vacuum Generator, to pull a vacuum on four vacuum cups. He was trying to lift a part with the four vacuum cups placed on a clean metal portion of the part. Unfortunately he was having a little trouble. He had to lift the product very slowly because the part could easily be dislodged, if the part was bumped or came to an abrupt stop.
The problem is a relatively simple one. The customer choose a porous vacuum generator when he would be better served with a non-porous unit. The vacuum cups are attaching to a non-porous surface, sheet metal, in a relatively clean environment. The difference between porous and non-porous units is that porous units has more vacuum flow available at a low vacuum level, where the non-porous vacuum generators have a higher level of vacuum, but less vacuum flow. Because of the high vacuum flow, a porous unit is much better for lifting porous materials like cardboard, some particle boards, and fabrics. The higher vacuum flow of porous vacuum generators helps maintain the vacuum when pulling upon materials which let a constant flow of air through. In the customer’s case, he was lifting a clean sheet of metal, a non-porous material, and needed a higher vacuum level as opposed to a higher vacuum flow. A higher vacuum level [more inches of mercury (Hg) of vacuum] would pull harder upon the metal and hold it tighter.
Let’s look at the customer’s example more closely. An EXAIR model 800008, porous E Vac, will generate a maximum of 21 inches of mercury (“Hg). A model 810008, non-porous E Vac, will generate 27 inches of mercury (“Hg). Let say he was using a 900758 3 1/4” diameter round vacuum cup. If you look at the Vacuum Lift Chart, you see that the 900758 can lift 42.8 lbs. at 21 “HG, but it can lift 55.0 pounds at 27 “HG of mercury. So in this application the customer can increase their lifting capacity by 28.5% by switching from a non-porous vacuum generator to a porous vacuum generator.
Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
davewoerner@exair.com
@EXAIR_DW
I recently had a customer e-mail me with this inquiry. Following is our discussion:
Customer:
We have a small vortex (3208) and a set of generators, the one that is pre-installed in the Vortex Tube (8GR) and a few more:
2GR, 4GR, 2GC, 4GC, 8GC
Maybe you could tell me the effect of these generators on the cold flow.
My main application is to refrigerate tools during machining or cool ultrasonic transducers during continuous operation. My compressed air source is 6.5 BARG. Using the Vortex Tube as it comes, after closing the hot flow and opening it a revolution, I can reduce the temperature from 22ºC (room temperature) to -6ºC (measured in the cold air flow at the output). How do I use the flow generators?
EXAIR:
Thank you for your question concerning the generators which are interchangeable on the Vortex Tube. The purpose of the various sizes and types is explained as follows:
GC vs. GR designation: The GC type generators are designed to achieve maximum temperature drop for applications which may need an airflow which is below 0 degrees F. It is unusual that an industrial cooling application would need air this cold, but some scientific and other similar academic pursuits do need air flows that cold. The thing you give up when you try to achieve low cold temperature is the flow. Flow and temperature drop are inversely related to one another with a vortex tube’s function.
The GR type generators are used for temperatures down to zero degrees F. So, these would be the more prominently used generators for industrial applications. We usually will set up a Vortex Tube in a cooling application to have about 50 degree F temperature drop and can still preserve 80% of the total flow for cold flow applications. This is what we refer to as maximum refrigeration settings.
As for the numbers on each generator (2, 4 or 8) this is the indication of the amount of air volume consumed by the Vortex Tube when this specific generator is installed. The flow rate is indicated in SCFM with 100 PSIG inlet working pressure. So an 8 SCFM @ 100 PSIG flow rate is what is determined by an 8-GR or 8-GC generator. Small Vortex Tubes are available in flows of 2, 4 or 8 SCFM.
Basically, the larger your flow rate, the more cooling power you can generate. Think of the cold air as ice. Think of 8 SCFM as a 55 gallon drum of ice and a 2 SCFM as a 5 gallon bucket of ice. Both have the same temperature, but the 55 gallon size has potential to do more work to cool down a larger heat load.
Creating a spot of heat with a torch or an electric heating element is not hard to do with common tools found in a manufacturing environment. Creating a spot of cold air for similar situations is a very tough thing to do in the same situation. A Vortex Tube is a handy and convenient tool to allow for the spot cooling or small chamber cooling applications.
If you have a spot cooling application you think we may be able to help with, please contact us by e-mail, chat, Face Book, Twitter, phone or fax. We will be glad to assist.
Neal Raker, Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com
