Tag: exair cold gun

Coolant Mess Vs. “Dry” Machining

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

It seems like a lifetime ago now that I have been with EXAIR for almost 14 years. However, I come from the metal cutting industry and still have numerous contacts and interests in what kind of technological advancements the industry sees. In the industry and even today, there seems to be a constant battle between using coolant to provide chip evacuation, lubrication, and cooling during a cut versus trying to tune the programs and feeds to perform dry machining. During dry machining, the operator may stand there and keep a handheld Safety air gun blowing chips away from the cutter and out of the tool path. The machine may even be plumbed up with compressed air to run through the traditional coolant lines rather than pumping liquid. This comes with its own issues. What if I were to tell you there is a third option?

You already know a third option exists if you read our blog regularly. It is the EXAIR Cold Gun Aircoolant System. These utilize the vortex principle to produce a cold air stream that will provide chip evacuation and cooling of the cutting tool and material. It will drop the incoming compressed air temperature by 50°F and easily point that cold stream of air at the cutting point just like a coolant line. This means the evacuation of the chip and, by using the cooler air, you can help reduce the heat buildup within both the cutting tool and the material, which can prevent thermal growth creep as well. Keeping the cutting tool and the material cooler reduces the amount of wear on the tooling and or coating of the tool. This has been found to reduce tool wear by over 21%.

This can not only reduce tool wear and improve the finish, but it also reduces the amount of cleanup by not introducing the liquid aspect. No more mopping up around the open guard machines or having to wipe down or blow off parts to remove moisture. The parts will come off the machine dry and the chips will go into the chip hoppers dry as well.

If you would like some help determining which of the four Cold Gun options is the best fit for your machining operation, please contact an Application Engineer today.

Brian Farno, MBA – CCASS Application Engineer

BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

A Cold Gun to help a Stamping Process

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

 

Movie Film

When it comes to die stamping, friction generates heat.  Heat can be a problematic cause for generating scrap, slowing production speeds, and decreasing tool life.  A manufacturer of film reels was seeing the effects during their process.  They had a stamping machine that was creating the sprocket holes in the outer edge of a 35mm film.  These holes are used for advancing the reel strip through printers, projectors, and processing machines.  They had to be particularly careful, as film materials warp easily with heat.  Some of us remember the film reels that would bubble and burn out when the film stopped in the projector too long.  So, speed was critical without creating any quality issues.

The film reel manufacturer was intrigued with the EXAIR Vortex Tubes as they can generate cold air by only using compressed air.  They do not use refrigerants or have any moving parts.  They are very compact and can fit into tight places.  The manufacturer thought that if they could reduce the temperature in the stamping process, they could speed up production.

EXAIR makes different accessories available to help with installation and function of Vortex Tubes for various applications.  For this customer, I recommended the model 5315 Cold Gun System.  This product generates 1000 BTU/hr of cooling power, and has a Dual Point Hose Kit to allow for targeting both sides of the film reel.  It includes an incorporated, magnetic base to securely position it on a ferromagnetic surface of the stamping machine. Finally, it includes two 1” flat nozzles to spread the cooling airflow out a bit.  These flat nozzles would help to direct the cold air in between the two stamping plates.   They were able to keep the film reel and the die stamp cool as they sped up their operation.  Even with the additional speed, they also noticed that the die stayed sharper 20% longer which allowed for a corresponding productivity increase . 

If heat is slowing down your process, EXAIR will most likely have a product to keep it cool.  As with the customer above, heat was a “reel” problem.  With the Cold Gun System, we were able to increase their productivity and decrease their downtime.  Please contact an Application Engineer to discuss your application if temperature is affecting your process. 

John Ball
Application Engineer

Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Photo by: Film by JanBaby  Creative Commons CC0 Public Domain

Adjustable Spot Cooler from EXAIR

Published on by Jordan T Shouse2 Comments

The Adjustable Spot Cooler is a low cost, reliable, maintenance free way to provide spot cooling to a myriad of industrial applications. Simply turn the knob, and the temperature can be changed to suit the needs of the process. The Adjustable Spot Cooler delivers precise temperature settings from -30 °F (-34 °C) to room temperature.

Adjustable Spot Cooler
Adjustable Spot Cooler

The Adjustable Spot Cooler utilizes the Vortex Tube technology that converts compressed air into a cold air stream. To learn more about EXAIR vortex tubes, click here.

  • It can produce temperatures form -30 °F to +70 °F (-34 °C tp +21 °C)
  • Parts included for flow rates of 15, 25 and 30 SCFM (425, 708, 850 SLPM.) The unit comes from the factory set at 25 SCFM (708 SLPM)
  • It can produce refrigeration up to 2,000 BTU/hr (504 Kcal/hr.)

A swivel magnetic base allows for easy mounting and portability, you can move it from machine to machine as needed. The flexible cold air outlet tubing holds its position and is easy to aim. Most importantly, there are no moving parts or CFC’s, ensuring maintenance free operation.

asc_onlathecmyk
The Adjustable Spot Cooler maintains critical tolerances on machined plastic parts
How the Adjustable Spot Cooler Works

The Adjustable Spot Cooler incorporates a vortex tube to convert a supply of compressed air (1) into two low pressure streams, one hot and one cold. With the turn of a knob, the temperature control valve (2) allows some hot air to flow through a muffling sleeve and out the hot air exhaust (3). The opposite end provides a cold air stream (4) that is muffled and discharged through the flexible hose, which directs it to the point of use. The swivel magnetic base (5) provides easy mounting and portability.

The Adjustable Spot Cooler can produce a wide range of air flows and temperatures as determined by the temperature control valve knob setting and the generator installed. The generator controls the total SCFM (SLPM) of compressed air consumption, and is easy to change. From the factory, the 25 SCFM (708 SLPM) generator is installed, producing up to 1,700 BTU/hr (429 Kcal/hr) of cooling. For less cooling, the 15 SCFM (425 SLPM) generator can be installed, providing up to 1,000 BTU/hr (252 Kcal/hr) of cooling. And for more cooling, the 30 SCFM (850 SLPM) generator can be installed, providing up to 2,000 BTU/hr (504 Kcal/hr) of cooling.

Adjustable Spot Cooler Specifications

Two (2) Systems are available as shown below, and include the 15 and 30 SCFM (425 and 850 SLPM) generators, a filter separator, and either a single or dual point hose kit.

3825_3925 adj spot cooler

If you have any questions on how our Adjustable Spot Cooler can help save you money give us a call! One of our application engineers will be happy to assist!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an Email
Find us on the Web 
Like us on Facebook
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS

EXAIR Cold Gun Promo Starts November 1st!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

That’s right, with the start of November this year we also start our Cold Gun promotion. This promotion runs from the start of November until December 31, 2023. The best part is that Cold Guns have a long history of providing spot cooling solutions for industry. Cold Guns have been cooling product and processes for over 36 years! Take advantage of the current promotion today!

From left to right: EXAIR Mini Coolers, Cold Guns, and Adjustable Spot Coolers come with Magnetic Bases for instant installation.

The EXAIR Cold Gun promo is a great way to receive an additional tool to extend the use of the Cold Gun. With the purchase of a promotional Cold Gun System w/ Single Point Hose Kit or promotional High Power Cold Gun System w/ Single Point Hose Kit you will receive a Dual Point Hose Kit for free. This is a $48.00 USD value. The Cold Gun will drop your compressed air temperature by 54 °F when operating at 100 psig inlet pressure. Choose the standard point tip or the 1″ fan tip to blow the cold air. The total length of the flexible discharge hose is around 11″. If more coverage is needed, the promotional Dual Point Hose Kit gives around 5-6″ of straight hose before splitting into two smaller lines that offer both point or fan tip nozzles as well. This dual point can be used to reach both sides of larger diameter cutters and components that need a blast of cool air.

Single Point
Dual Point

The Cold Gun is easily setup in any machine that has a ferrous metal surface thanks to its integrated magnetic base that will hold the unit in place even when the machine is moving or vibrating. If you do not have ferrous metal available for the magnetic base, using rigid piping or even something like u-bolts to hold the unit into place is a common practice of customers who need the cooling and know the Cold Gun will perform.

Lastly, if you aren’t certain whether the Cold Gun is the solution, we have an entire team of Application Engineers here to discuss the application, and it is also backed by our 30-day guarantee so our US and Canadian based customers can order one, test it in their facility for 30 days. If they are not pleased with the performance for any reason, the item can be returned to EXAIR. If you want to discuss your application, contact us today!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

Send me an Email
Find us on the Web 
Like us on Facebook
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS