When selecting a vacuum, you want to take into account a variety of things other than the purchase price. You should consider reliability, safety, and the total cost of ownership. I had a customer contact me about our Chip Vac System. They were currently using an electric vacuum to clean up debris around their machine shop. I gave them the pros of using the Chip Vac System as compared to electric vacuums. They thought that it was too much money as compared to the electric version. In less than 6 months, this same customer contacted me again to purchase the Chip Vac System, as they had gone through two more electric vacuums in that time. I would like to share some of the features and benefits that I shared with the customer above to illustrate how the EXAIR Industrial Housekeeping Products are better than electric vacuums that you could purchase.
1. Reliability: The EXAIR venturi-type vacuum systems do not have any moving parts that can wear; so, they will last for a long time. We use compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum to pick up liquids and debris. We do not use electric motors with bearings that could lock up and fail. EXAIR offers different materials for different applications, like the heavy-duty version, which uses an abrasion-resistant material for sandblasting, glass, and garnet.
2. Safety: We cover two areas in this field. The first is the potential hazard of liquids and electricity. Our vacuums only use compressed air to generate a vacuum. Even though EXAIR products are not certified to be used with explosive materials, we are still able to remove the shock hazard for users when operating electric vacuums for liquids. The second safety concern is noise. Electric vacuums can be very loud. And when the motor bearings start to fail, they can become even louder. Loud noises can become an OSHA violation and may require hearing protection. With the EXAIR industrial vacuums, we are near 83 dBA in sound during operations.
3. Total Cost of Ownership: It is easy to run to your nearest hardware store to purchase a vacuum for your facility. The problem, like with the customer above, is that you will have downtime, multiple purchases, and frustration when using inexpensive electric vacuums. You may decide to go with a bit more expensive electric unit, only to find that it is extremely noisy. The total cost of ownership takes into account the safety, reliability, and purchase price over the years of operation.
EXAIR offers a wide range of packages and categories in our Industrial Housekeeping Products. Here is a short guide to the pneumatic vacuums that we manufacture.
EasySwitch® Wet-Dry Vac: Our newest vacuum line that can be used for both wet and dry materials. They come with a standard and a HEPA filter to contain the dry material inside the 55-gallon drum. The patent-pending lid has quick and easy access to remove or add the filter without tools or removing the lid. So, transitioning from a dusty to a liquid cleanup is quick and easy.
Chip Vac™ System: Like the name states, it is a great vacuum for cleaning up chips from a machining process. The vacuum generator uses a small amount of compressed air to create a powerful vacuum to remove the chips from the process or from the machine. We offer 5-gallon, 30-gallon, 55-gallon, and 110-gallon drum sizes. The material can be stored for recycling.
Heavy Duty Dry Vac™ Systems: A “big brother” to the Chip Vac System, it can handle heavy items like sandblasting material, garnet, sand, steel, etc. The vacuum generator is made from an abrasion-resistant, hardened material that can resist wear from these types of materials.
Heavy Duty HEPA Vac™ Systems: This vacuum uses the same vacuum generator as the Heavy Duty Dry Vac, but we replace the filter with a HEPA media. This media stands for High Efficiency Particle Air filter, which can remove particles down to 0.3 micron at a rate of 99.97%. So, if the material is very small and fine, this vacuum will keep the material inside the drum and not back into the atmosphere.
Chip Trapper™ System: Designed and used by EXAIR. We are able to clean and change out the coolant system within our CNC machines quickly. Time is money, and when a CNC machine is not running, it is not making money. The Chip Trapper has a filtration system to clean the coolant from swarf and tramp oil. By using compressed air, we are able to aerate the coolant, which reduces bacterial growth and extends the life of your coolant. With a switch of a lever, you can return the fresh, clean coolant back into the sump. We offer different micron ratings with the filter bags to accommodate the type of CNC machine and fluid “cleanliness” required.
High Lift Chip Trapper™ System: Like its cousin above, it has a stronger vacuum generator to move thicker materials or retrieve coolant from sumps below floor level. It can move fluids up to 15 feet (4.5 meters). It will come with a longer vacuum hose to reach those distances.
Reversible Drum Vac™ System: This system is a great tool for transferring liquids. It has a two-way pump to bring the liquid into a 5-gallon, 30-gallon, 55-gallon, or 110-gallon drum, and with a turn of a knob, you can discharge the liquid from the drum. It has a safety valve for the drum and a shut-off valve to prevent overfilling. They can be used with closed-top or open-top steel drums, and they can fill a 55-gallon drum in 90 seconds.
High Lift Reversible Drum Vac™ System: Like its cousin above, it has a stronger vacuum to lift liquid from a farther distance or for fluids with viscosities up to 1400 CPS. It does come with a longer vacuum hose, which is great for any slip hazards that may occur. We only offer the 30-Gallon, 55-Gallon, and 110-Gallon versions.
Vac-u-Gun™: This is a hand-held vacuum system that works great for small jobs. The generator can be switched from a vacuum collection system to a blow-off system. In vacuum applications, we have a transfer hose to move material or a filter bag to capture debris. Or you can switch the generator around to make it a blow-off system to clean material from tables, electrical panels, or parts.
Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun™: EXAIR modified the Vac-u-Gun to do a unique job, clean out chips from blind holes and hidden contours. We blow a small amount of compressed air through a tube at the same time that we vacuum to draw and extract chips. We use a vacuum tube to help move the loose debris into a filter bag.
All the vacuums above only use compressed air for a reason. They may seem a bit “pricey” to some, but you will not be disappointed. These vacuums are built and designed for rugged industrial use with longevity, safety, and reliability in mind. Production is very important for manufacturing plants, and having a dependable vacuum will help keep production running smoothly. We can help reduce your headaches from purchasing multiple electrical units, like the customer above. If you would like to discuss your Industrial Housekeeping requirements, an Application Engineer at EXAIR will be happy to help you select the correct product.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb
