Here is a brief video that provides a few details about my background and interests.
To discuss your application and how an EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Product can help your process, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or one of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.
Brian Bergmann
Application Engineer
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I’ve written before on the Principles of Operation of EXAIR products, and about how there may be more than one option to consider when choosing an engineered Compressed Air Product…here, here, and here. This may, in fact, be the most valuable service that an Application Engineer can offer a caller: providing the BEST solution, regardless of what the initial idea was. Case in point:
A caller who was familiar with our Reversible Drum Vacs’ (RDV) two-way pumping action wanted to see if he could use one for a similar purpose: they were putting a thin plastic bag liner in an open top drum, and used an electric shop vacuum to suck the air out from between the drum and liner, essentially “form fitting” the liner to the drum. Then, when they fill that liner with their product, they reverse the shop vacuum, blowing air INTO the space between the drum & liner, to assist in removing the bag. This works, but the electric vacuum is loud, and they have to move the hose from one connection to the other every time they want to put a bag in or take it out of the drum.
Like I said, the caller was familiar with our Reversible Drum Vac, so he was picturing it pulling a vacuum on the drum to pull the bag in place (when the RDV is in the “fill” position) and porting air into the drum to expel the bag (when it’s in the “empty” position.)
Thing is, the RDV needs to be installed on a drum lid, and there wouldn’t be a very effective way to port it to the space between the drum & the bag. Here’s where our attention turned to another product: the E-Vac Vacuum Generator. Same principle of operation, but easily adaptable to their specific need, because it’s, quite simply, built for adaptability.
By plumbing the vacuum port (#4 above) to a tube inserted into the drum (same as their shop vac’s hose) they can quickly pull a vacuum, which pulls the bag into place. With a valve installed on the exhaust port (#5 above,) they can close the valve to port the compressed air supply back through the vacuum line, expelling the bag. No noisy electric motor, no constantly changing the hose, just a small (Model 800005M In-Line E-Vac Low Vacuum Generator w/Muffler, in this case) compressed air operated device, with no moving parts.
If you have a need for air flow, vacuum generation, cooling, static elimination, industrial housekeeping, atomized fluid spraying, bulk material conveyance, or just questions about improving your use of your compressed air, give us a call. We’re eager to help.
Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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Two of my kids are participating in a puppet program. They learn puppet technique and behavior (which, oddly enough resembles their own behavior) as well as having the opportunity to create props and have input on the show itself. They are certainly having fun with it and if I’m lucky, these budding young performance artists will have a future like this…
I had the chance to see their first performance over the weekend. One Edwards child was the soldier who held the flag steady. Another of my kids was in control of one of the three soldiers who saluted the flag. Let me just say – that flag was as steady as can be and my other kids’ soldier clearly had the best salute of any of the others. Noticeably, I was concentrating upon my kids, they are after all part of my work – I was taking pride in my work to a certain extent.
Sure, I looked at some of the other puppets, but I wanted to make sure I noticed something specific about the puppets my kids were controlling, so I could compliment them on it. So I happened to notice that the salute my daughter was giving to the flag had a perfect pause on the brow with a sharp snap forward upon saluting. I also noticed the unwavering flag being held for the soldiers to salute. That flag was held with the firmest of foundations by my son, and that is what I complimented them on.
Similar things happen within companies. We concentrate on our own stuff, we recognize the details within the smaller picture and take pride in what we produce. It’s the natural way for things to go. In taking pride in our work and concentrating on the details we begin to differentiate ourselves as experts.
EXAIR, for one, prefers experts – companies whose people can provide us their accumulated knowledge and expertise in areas outside of pneumatics. We, in turn, take pride in providing our expertise about pneumatics to customers busy concentrating on their own trades. So we urge you to take pride in your work, we’re counting on you.
Kirk Edwards
Application Engineer
kirkedwards@exair.com
