Tag: drilling

EXAIR Mini Cooler™: Overview 

Published on by johnball2014Leave a comment
EXAIR Mini Coolers

EXAIR offers a line of spot cooling devices to blow cold air to remove heat.  Heat can cause premature failures and shortened tool life.  We use the Vortex Tube phenomenon to make very cold air without any moving parts or Freon.  They only need compressed air as the “engine” to spin the air streams into two parts; hot air and cold air.  They are maintenance free and can supply cold air down to a temperature of -50oF (-46oC).  EXAIR “dresses up” a Vortex Tube to make a more functional device for spot cooling.  In this blog, I will cover the smallest of our spot coolers; the Mini Cooler™.   

The EXAIR Mini Cooler was designed for tight areas to cool small objects.  It has a cooling capacity of 550 BTU/hr (139Kcal/hr).  It only uses 8 SCFM (227 SLPM) at 100 PSIG (6.9 bar).  The system will come with a manual drain Filter Separator with mounting bracket, a Swivel Magnetic Base with 100 lb. (45.5Kg) pull magnet, and a flexible hose kit.  We offer two options for the flexible hose kit; a Single Point Hose Kit, model 3808, and a Dual Point Hose Kit, model 3308.  The Single Point Hose Kit will give you one flexible outlet to easily position the cold air stream near the target point.  It will also include a round point tip and a flat-fan tip.  The Dual Point Hose Kit adds a split to have two separate cold outlets; still including the round and flat-fan tips.  With these features, the Mini Cooler is easy to mount, use, and move for optimal cooling and blowing. 

Model 3308

When using the Mini Cooler, the flexible cold outlets can easily bend around fixtures, spindles, and welding horns.  The swivel magnetic base gives extra adjustment at the base of the cooler to aid in “hard to reach” places.   To further the benefits of the cooler, the operating pressure can be changed to lower or raise the cooling capacity to meet your demands.  At 100 PSIG (6.9 bar), the cold air flow can reach a temperature as low as 20oF (-7oC).

Some applications for the Mini Cooler would include small diameter milling and drilling where the cold air can keep the tool cool and remove the chips.  It can also be used for soldering, industrial sewing, ultrasonic welding, or even small punching applications to list a few.  With the dual point hose kit, it is ideal for targeting two sides of a cutter, aiming at multiple blades where material is being slit, or cooling multiple ultrasonic points for faster cycle times.

If you believe that you have an application where spot cooling could increase production rates and/or extend tool life, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We can offer the Mini Cooler for smaller targets; or, larger versions like the Adjustable Spot Cooler and Cold Gun Aircoolant System™.  We are looking forward to hearing from you.

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

Applications for Vortex Tube Spot Cooling

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The EXAIR Mini Cooler family is one of the many vortex tube based Spot Cooler products that EXAIR offers.  This is the smallest of the group coming in at 550 BTU/hr of cooling capacity.  The Mini Cooler Systems  are available in two options.

minicoolerWFAM_500
EXAIR’s Mini Cooler is available with a single point hose kit or a dual point hose kit.

  • The Single Point Outlet option will give you ten inches of flexible cold outlet to easily position the cold air stream near the target point.
  • The Dual Point Outlet option gives ten inches of 1/4″ flexible outlet that then splits to two separate four inch lengths of 1/4″ flexible cold outlet hoses.
  • Both include point or flat fan tips for the cold air outlets
  • Both include a manual drain filter separator
  • both include the swivel magnetic base with 100 lb. pull magnet.

minicooler_appli400
The Single Point Mini Cooler with a Flat Fan Tip installed on a milling application where liquid coolant cannot be used due to material constraints.

The single point hose kit is ideal for small diameter milling or drilling applications where the cold air can cover the contact area of the cutter.  It can also be used on soldering, industrial sewing, ultrasonic welding, or even small punching applications to list just a few.

EXAIR’s Mini Cooler System w/ Dual Point Hose Kit keeping UHMW cool while being machined

The dual point hose kit is ideal for two separate small diameter cutters, one larger diameter cutter, rotary style knives where there material is being slit, or larger diameter multi-point ultrasonic welders/punches.

When using the Mini Cooler the adjustable cold outlet stays in place and can easily bend around fixtures, spindles, welding horns, or dye aligning pins.  The swivel magnetic base gives additional adjustment at the base of the cooler to aid in the versatility of this product.   To further the adjustability of the cooler the operating pressure can easily be adjusted to lower or raise the cooling capacity of the Mini Cooler to meet the demands of the precise application.

If you believe you have an application that would benefit from the use of a Mini Cooler, or you are unsure which product would be ideal for your application please contact an Application Engineer.  we are all here, willing to help however possible to get your application improved in both safety and efficiency.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

 

Yet another home use for a few EXAIR products

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

I feel as though my wife thinks I am the king of hobbies.  I know I have blogged before about motorcycles and several other activities that I enjoy.  So far I have found a use for an E-Vac to bleed the brakes on my Suzuki.  Now I have had my eyes opened to the art of wood working.

You see my brother in-law makes a living through custom wood working.  One day, he showed me a quick easy project – a pen.  That’s right, a plain old writing utensil.   So I followed his instructions and about an hour and a half later I had a pen that I had made all on my own. (The pencil shown below was just turned last night)

Flash forward several months and I am now making pens and pencils in my basement.  After watching the local sites and papers for cheap equipment I now have a wood lathe and have moved some of my metal working equipment to make room for wood working equipment.  The funny thing is I have still found several uses for EXAIR products.

The first is on my drill press, a very common application for us in industrial environments.  This would be the perfect spot for a Mini Spot Cooler.  I have a compressor that is just large enough to run it at full capacity and so when I am drilling through a 3 – 4″ long blank I don’t get the burning wood smell or melting acrylic.  It won’t even scream like a banshee when the bit gets in full depth of cut. (Below the Mini Spot Cooler is used to cool an abrasive cut off wheel.)

This isn’t the only place an EXAIR product can be used.   I could also use the Mini Spot Cooler or a Cold Gun on the lathe when turning acrylic blanks to keep the tool and cutting point cool.  I could even use a Mini Chip Vac to  vacuum the chips from the lathe as they are being made.  Not to mention that the 0.1 micron filter is fine enough to catch the sanding dust made when finishing the pens.

So whether you’re a hobbyist or a professional, EXAIR will have a product that will fit your needs or help make your work a little easier, safer, and quieter.  So feel free to give us a call and talk to an Application Engineer to discuss your application.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF