Tag: Efficiency Lab

Dealing With The Unexpected

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Last year about this time, I used the bully pulpit of my weekly blog to update you on the success of our ninth annual Father’s Day Weekend Campout. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m about to fill you in on how awesome the tenth was, but first:

A fellow Boy Scout leader is fond of saying that, when you camp, the weather is always perfect. It may be perfectly sunny or perfectly rainy. Perfectly warm or perfectly cold. Perfectly wet or perfectly frozen. Regardless, it’s always perfect. Yeah; we don’t always like him.

If we’ve learned one thing, it’s to expect the unexpected. This year, it rained. Well, not the whole time. Friday evening was beautiful…we got the campsite set up and dinner cooked well in advance of sundown. My friend & his son had recently waterproofed their tent, and me & my boys had recently purchased a new tent. Both were successfully, and extensively, leak tested Friday night. And all day Saturday. ALL DAY.

This, of course, put a damper on our plans to zipline, which didn’t exactly bother me. I’m sure it’s a temporary reprieve; I mean, I know darn well what I’m doing next year for Father’s Day Weekend, and it CAN’T rain forever. It also, however, put an unexpected damper on our plans to kayak on Sunday. The weather was gorgeous…and fitting for the first day of summer. It was hot enough to make some horseplay in the river sound downright inviting…but the constant rain over the past week had swelled the river banks, and none of the docks were accessible. So we broke camp and returned home to dry our gear. And to look forward to next year.

As Application Engineers, it’s a big part of our jobs to not just expect, but eliminate the unexpected. At EXAIR, we have an impressive arsenal of tools at hand to do just that. Our Efficiency Lab is fully stocked and outfitted to test any of our products…or yours…for performance and effectiveness. We’ve got a wealth of data in our constantly growing Case Study Library. Our Application Database has over 1,000 instances of what will work in certain situations, and our notes on product returns from our 30 Day Unconditional Guarantee give us information on what WON’T work.

If you’d like to find out how our products…and their capabilities…can work for you, give us a call. I look forward to seeing how we can help.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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How To Determine Which EXAIR Product Is Right For You

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment
Expert Testing, Professional Results
Expert Testing, Professional Results

Those of you who are frequent readers of the EXAIR blog (we appreciate your loyalty and fine taste, by the way) probably know a little something about our Efficiency Lab. This is where, upon request, we will perform a controlled test of a compressed air product that you’re currently using, and provide a comprehensive report, comparing it to a suitable EXAIR Engineered Compressed Air Product.

It’s a service that we provide at no charge, and to “sweeten the pot,” our goal is a 24-hour turnaround on the testing, from the time we receive your product.

For some folks, however, seeing is believing…and sometimes, critical elements of a particular application just can’t be duplicated in our facility, so a “real world” trial becomes the only way to find out for sure. That’s where our 30 Day Unconditional Guarantee comes in. If you’ll commit the time to give us a try, we’ll commit to allowing you to do, risk free.

Give any EXAIR catalog product a 30 day trial, risk free.
Give any EXAIR catalog product a 30 day trial, risk free.

This was exactly the case with a manufacturer of cable cleaning equipment, who sought an efficient, quiet compressed air solution to dry the cable upon exiting their machinery. Some of the cables that these machines service are very small in diameter, so they wanted to evaluated both an Air Wipe, and an Air Amplifier.  Both had theoretical advantages:

Air Wipes come in sizes from 1/2" to 11".Air Wipes come in sizes from 1/2″ to 11″. The Air Wipe’s 360° converging flow provides for positive contact with the material, which uniformly wipes the entire surface with high velocity air. Its split clamshell design also eliminates the need to thread the material through it.

Air Amplifiers entrain enormous amounts of "free" air, at ratios of up to 25:1!
Air Amplifiers entrain enormous amounts of “free” air, at ratios of up to 25:1!

The Air Amplifier’s compressed air consumption is lower, its operation is quieter, and it’s less expensive.

After trialing both a Model 2430 ½” Aluminum Standard Air Wipe and a Model 120020 ¾” Super Air Amplifier, the Air Amplifier proved itself out, and became their standard offering on this machine.

For 31 years now, EXAIR Corporation has established and maintained a formidable reputation for being easy to do business with. In Application Engineering, we support this by committing to making sure you get the most out of our products. If you have an application, or an idea, you’d like to discuss, give us a call. We can’t wait to find out how we can help.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Never Think Your Idea Will Not Be Heard

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

The above title proved very true in a work experience of my father’s. After working in the mill for several years, he drew up a new piece of process equipment which would eventually turn in to something that they put in place on the production line.   This was all done from his idea that he was able to place on a scrap piece of paper as a drawing.   While he wasn’t the decision maker in the process, he was the person who saw what kind of impact this device could have and knew the people he had to get the information to.

That brings me to the topic of this blog, don’t ever think an idea is too small to warrant a reward.  This can ring true throughout any type of application, including compressed air.  There have been instances where a maintenance worker, or even a new operator, have called in to speak to me here asking what can they do to lower the noise in the work area when they are using the hand held blow gun the company supplies.   After talking to them about what they are trying to achieve with the blow gun and how much air they are currently using, we generally find that they can save a good amount of compressed air, lower the noise level, and become OSHA compliant, all by changing this one simple tool.   Once they have all the benefits that their company will see from implementing our engineered solution, they can then propose this to the decision makers.

For the most part, companies will at the very least entertain ideas like this.  When you back that idea up with some relevant data on how much money the company will save, or the fact that is will make the work environment safer and more enjoyable, then you will more than likely get a little more attention.  The main point is to ensure that you are getting that information to the correct person and that you have the correct information.   That is one of the many reasons that EXAIR has a full team of Application Engineers who can help you identify how much air you might be using, what products will fit the need, and what kind of benefits your company will see.   On top of all the information that we have available for free, we even offer the chance to get compensation for sharing application data with us.

EXAIR Efficiency Lab
EXAIR’s Efficiency Lab will test your product for force, flow, and noise.

That’s right, we will compensate you for sharing your cost savings, sound level reductions or application improvements, with us.  This is all possible through our Case Study program.  All you have to do to find out more is contact any Application Engineer.  We simply need some photographs of the application and some quantitative data for the benefits you have gained.  Don’t know what your current device is using, take advantage of our EXAIR Efficiency Lab, that will give us a good amount of information we need to then, help you solve a problem as well as produce a Case Study.

If you would like to discuss your compressed air systems or how we can help you, please contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

The Best Company Policy Is Right Here At EXAIR

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

All companies have policies. Some have a LOT. Others may not have enough. Some emphasize documenting every single action. Others write down the basics, and rely on “unwritten mutual understandings” for the rest…

We don't call it "yelling;" we call it "stuff you should already know."
We don’t call it “yelling;” we call it “stuff you should already know.”

At EXAIR, we have one core policy: to be easy to do business with. This has served the company well for thirty one years now, and I don’t expect it to be supplanted with anything else, anytime soon. Now, it may seem vague or ambiguous, but we’re quite specific, and diligent, in our methods of adhering to this one core policy:

Easy to find technical information: We offer complete specifications, performance data, dimensions, and application information for any EXAIR compressed air product on our website, and in our catalog. If you have specific questions, a team of the most knowledgeable and experienced Application Engineers in the business are standing by.

Easy to contact technical support: You can reach an Application Engineer immediately by phone or Live Chat. Emails to techelp@exair.com are also given prompt attention. We have a number of tools at our disposal, including a comprehensive test facility that we call the Efficiency Lab…if you have an operational question that we haven’t answered yet, we’ll find the answer in short order.

Easy to get products: If it’s got a part # in our catalog, it’s in stock, and available for same day shipment. Exceptions are some of our longer Air Knife products, which may take one day to ship. We can even manufacture custom length Air Knives, and ship them in only three days. Just so you know, we’re finishing up our 19th consecutive year with a 99.9% on-time shipment record.

Easy to solve applications: This is where the rubber hits the road, once we’ve made it easy to select and obtain your EXAIR product. Those same Application Engineers are ready to assist with any questions you may have about installation, operation, “tips and tricks,” etc. We’ve got an Application Database (registration required for access) that details over 1,000 successful uses of our products. Odds are, one of them is close enough to your situation to help shed some light.

Easy to solve applications, part 2: If, for any reason, the EXAIR product you buy doesn’t work out for you, we offer a 30 Day Unconditional Guarantee on all catalog products. Whether you want to get the next larger or next smaller product, a different one, or go another direction altogether, you’re not stuck with your first purchase…we’ll arrange return for full credit.

Easy to help us help the next person…and yourself: We’re keenly interested in knowing how our products work in specific applications. If you’ve put an EXAIR product to the test, and found that it’s saving you time or money, cutting your air consumption or noise levels, increasing production or safety, or any other quantifiable benefit, you may qualify for participation in a Case Study. Not only will that allow us to better apply our products, we’ve got something for you if you provide a case study for EXAIR.

If you’ve got an application that an EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Product may be the solution to, give me a call and find out how easy we can make it work for you.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
(513)671-3322 local
(800)923-9247 toll free
(513)671-3363 fax
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Max the Brown Tabby and Burt the Grey Kitten: Cat Argument 3 photo courtesy of Found Animals Foundation.  Creative Commons License.