Tag: depreston

Cooking: Offroad in a minivan without instructions

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Do you like to cook?  I do.  As an engineer, it’s kind of a stress release for me and a welcome change to designing say, a custom air knife.  Sure, there’s a certain satisfaction in seeing that custom Super Air Knife built and perform to spec, but they don’t taste very good.  Or maybe I enjoy cooking because it appeals to my sense of structure.  Following a discrete number of steps to arrive at a prescribed solution.  Of course, sometimes the directions sound a lot easier than they are…

So while on one hand I do try to stick to the recipe when I cook (at least for the most part), I tend to be the kind of guy that will build his entire entertainment center, and in the course of cleaning up the various debris afterward, find a very well-preserved set of directions sealed in the little plastic bag they came in.  And stopping to ask for directions? HA!  I mean hey, I am after all, a guy and some things can’t be changed.  As I often tease my wife ‘I don’t read directions, I WRITE them.’  Of course, occasionally this can lead to problems, or as I like to call it ‘unplanned adventure.’  For example, one time on the way to Florida…

Okay, so that’s not actually me and my family, but we did have a similar experience in South Alabama one time.  And believe me, that’s a story my wife LOVES to remind me of every time I get lost, um, which is never. Right…

So regardless of your take on directions, we here at EXAIR understand you.  And you’ll understand us too.  We write all of our own Installation and Maintenance Instructions, so there’s no ‘mistranslations’ to deal with.  Unlike the set of directions we recently received with a promotional give-away R/C helicopoter…

The last sentence of paragraph b) is my favorite.

So, you’re the recipe following type?  Take a look at our Knowledge Base for a complete library of Installation and Maintenance Instructions (a one time registration gets you permanent access to instructions, 2D drawings and 3D models, a large application database, product Powerpoints and a video library!). Or maybe you like to try to do it on your own first, and only get help as a last possible resort.  Try our online chat or pick up the phone and call us a 1-800-903-9247.  Either way, it’s okay by us.  And we promise, if you do ask for help, we’ll keep it just between you and us…

Dan Preston
Design Engineer
DanPreston@exair.com

Are we not EXAIR?

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I love quizzes.  They’re a chance to sharpen the ‘ol gray matter up a little bit and have some fun comparing notes afterwards.  I especially love ones about ‘You might be a child of the 80’s if…’  A lot of them revolve around music and, although I can’t carry a tune in a bushel basket (ask my co-workers), I’m pretty good at knowing the lyrics.  Here’s a few questions to test your 80’s mettle.  Needless to say, ‘no fair peekin’ on the internet:

1) What is the proper response to ‘Are we not men?’

2) What instrument was Thomas Dolby ‘playing’ in the ‘She blinded me with Science’ video?

3) Everyone remembers ‘Don’t You(Forget About Me)’ from the Breakfast Club.  Who sang it?

If you like those, check out this website http://www.yetanotherdot.com/asp/80s.html Great little diversion from the workday…  I got an 82.

Okay, now for a quiz of a different nature.

1)      Who is the only Air Knife manufacturer IN THE WORLD to have a 3D library of all their knives?

2)      Who has the only Cabinet Coolers IN THE WORLD with a CE mark?

3)      Who has the only Air Knives IN THE WORLD with a CE mark?

4)      Who offers the most -316 stainless steel and -PVDF products FROM STOCK?

5)      Who else has Professor Penurious?

Put your #2 pencils down, and exchange your paper with a neighbor.  It’s gradin’ time! 

1)      EXAIR.  That’s right baby, only one in the WORLD.  And if it’s not in a format you need, e-m me and I’ll get it right over to ya.

2)      EXAIR.  Sure a few others have 3rd party recognition, but NOBODY else has CE.

3)      EXAIR.  You heard it here first.

4)      EXAIR.  Check it out on our ‘Buy Now’ section.  Open 24/7/365.

5)      No one.  Actually, I don’t think we could get rid of him if we wanted to.  He’s a little eccentric to say the least, but harmless enough.  Besides, EXAIR is the only one within biking distance.

So if you’ve got a question about an application, a special material or if you just want to hear about my lifelong regret of deciding to buy Van Halen’s ‘1984’ on cassette rather than vinyl, pick up the phone and give me a call.

Dan Preston
Design Engineer
DanPreston@exair.com               

P.S. Answers to above:  1) We are Devo! 2) Violin/Viola/Cello 3) Simple Minds.  If you couldn’t answer this off the top of your head, your homework assignment is to go home and watch the ‘Brat Pack’ movie of your choosing.

Lower Your Noise Levels and Measure the Results.

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Last year, I bought an old pickup to haul firewood.  I got it cheap, but of course, it had a few issues.  Among them were mushy brakes.  A quick inspection revealed a leaky rear brake line which I quickly replaced.  Now a year later, the brakes are starting to get mushy again.  After bleeding them again and going over the entire system, it looks like the master cylinder has come to the end of its useful life as well.  Guess that means a another trip to the parts store is in my future.  Oh well, I love a good challenge.

Have you ever been in this situation?  Perhaps you’ve fixed one problem, only to find another.  Often is the case when a customer replaces a noisy blow off operation with a much quieter, engineered EXAIR nozzle or air knife.  Things become so much quieter, that customers often begin to hear how much louder other operations in the plant are. 

While EXAIR can’t help quiet every noisy operation in your plant, we can help you find them.  Our Sound Level Meter comes calibrated and ready to go.  You’ll quickly be able to track down those loud operations, and sooner be able to identify a solution.  And of course, if it is compressed air related, we’ll help you find a solution.  And like me with the brakes on my truck, you might just find you enjoy the challenge!

Dan Preston
Mechanical Engineer
EXAIR Corporation

Staying Sharp…and Ahead of the Competition

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Whilst sitting down to do my taxes the other night, the lead on my No. 2 pencil broke.  I immediately remembered that the electric pencil sharpener we used had become quite dull, and being non-repairable, had made it’s way to the garbage can.  So I went to the garage to use the trusty hand crank style.  This too proved to be in less than prime condition.  It was one of those cheap plastic kind that only has one blade inside and never gets the point as sharp as I want it.  And when it does get barely sharp enough to use, the unbalanced design of the low-cost sharpener usually winds up snapping off the point.  Having had enough, I pulled out the Swiss Army Knife and sharpened it ‘carpenter’ style.

Learning from my past mistakes, I stopped in an office supply store over the weekend and began looking at the various sharpeners available.  I immediately passed up another non-repairable electric style, which, I might add cost twice as much as the hand crank versions.  I found that this particular store had two brands of the hand cranked style I liked.  Both claimed all metal construction, and looked very similar from the outside.  But I was determined I would not waste my money on another cheap pencil sharpener.  I kneeled down on the floor and opened the two units up.  Although this got some strange looks from other customers as well as staff of the store, I was glad I did it.  The lower cost of the two units was a single blade.  The slightly higher priced unit ($2 more to be exact) had the two-blade style I was after.  I took it home, installed it and immediately ran around the house looking for any pencil in need of sharpening.  After 5 minutes of pure pencil sharpening joy accompanied by that glorious sawdust/graphite smell, I finally let my son have a turn.  He was super excited because 1) this was a pencil sharpener just like the one he used in school and 2) mounting the new sharpener gave me a chance to position lower, so that he could more easily use it. 

So, what does this have to do with EXAIR?  Just as spending a little extra time researching the pencil sharpener paid off, so too will evaluating the next compressed air product you buy.  You might find a lower cost imitator out there, but when you compare apples to apples, you’ll find that any marginal cost savings is soon lost due to poor engineering and manufacturing techniques.  And as an added bonus, our engineers often find they can help customers not only find the best product for their application, but show them a more efficient way to install and use it.

There’s an old familiar saying that rings true here:  You get what you pay for.  Speaking of paying, think I’ll stop and buy a few packs of No. 2 pencils on the way home…

Dan Preston
Mechanical Engineer 
EXAIR Corporation