Tag: flat nozzle

Step 3: Upgrade Your Blow off, Cooling, and Drying Operations

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

In the world of manufacturing, compressed air is often called the “fourth utility.” It’s essential, but it’s also expensive to produce. If you’re following the Six Steps to Optimize Your Compressed Air System, Step 3 is where you stop the bleeding.

Step 3, dear reader, is the subject of today’s blog.

Upgrading your blow-off, cooling, and drying operations from “homegrown” solutions to engineered products is one of the fastest ways to slash energy costs and improve plant safety.

The Problem with “In-House” Solutions

Many plants rely on makeshift blow-off devices: crimped copper tubes, pipes with drilled holes, or basic air nozzles found at a hardware store. While they seem “free” or cheap, they are incredibly inefficient.

  • High Air Consumption: They lack the physics to move air efficiently, requiring massive volumes of compressed air to do the job.
  • Dangerous Noise Levels: Drilled pipes produce a high-pitched shear that often exceeds OSHA noise exposure limits.
  • Safety Hazards: If a pipe or open tube is dead-ended against skin, it can lead to serious injury or air embolism.

The Engineered Solution: EXAIR Technology

This is where EXAIR engineered compressed air products change the game. Unlike a standard pipe, EXAIR products use the Coanda effect to “entrain” the surrounding room air. For every part of compressed air used, an EXAIR nozzle or air knife pulls in 30 to 40 parts of “free” ambient air.

EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products such as (left to right) the Air Wipe, Super Air Knife, Super Air Nozzle, and Air Amplifier are engineered to entrain enormous amounts of air from the surrounding environment.

If you are drying a conveyor belt or cleaning wide sheets of material, a drilled pipe is a money pit. An EXAIR Super Air Knife provides a high-velocity, uniform sheet of air across the entire surface. It’s quiet (around 69 dBA for most applications) and reduces air consumption by up to 80% compared to open headers.

For targeted blow-off or part ejection, Super Air Nozzles replace open tubes and cheap nozzles. They provide a forceful, concentrated stream of air while meeting OSHA requirements for skin pressure and noise. You get more “push” for significantly less “psi.”

Step 3 isn’t just about blowing air; it’s about optimizing how air manages temperature and waste. From Vortex Tubes that provide spot cooling without refrigerants to Air Amplifiers for smoke and fume removal, these tools ensure you aren’t overworking your compressors for simple tasks.

The Bottom Line

Upgrading to EXAIR engineered products isn’t just a maintenance fix; it’s a financial strategy. Most facilities see a return on investment (ROI) in just weeks through reduced energy bills.

By replacing inefficient, loud, and dangerous blow-off methods with engineered solutions, you’re not just optimizing your compressed air—you’re creating a quieter, safer, and more profitable shop floor.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Reduce Compressed Air with EXAIR Air Nozzles and Jets

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment
EXAIR Nozzles

EXAIR’s Engineered Air Nozzles and Air Jets offer an effective solution for reducing both compressed air consumption and noise levels during blow-off operations. Compared to traditional open copper tubes, pipes, and standard air nozzles, these products can achieve compressed air savings of up to 80%. This significant reduction in air usage also leads to a notable decrease in sound levels, with an average noise reduction of 10 dBA. Furthermore, all EXAIR Air Nozzles and Jets comply with OSHA standards regarding dead-end pressure and sound exposure limits.

EXAIR Nozzles are expertly engineered to utilize the Coanda effect, which enhances airflow by up to 25 times through the attachment of high-velocity fluid to surfaces. Compressed air is released through small openings in the nozzle, drawing in surrounding air and creating a powerful blast of high volume and velocity while consuming less compressed air. The company offers a diverse range of air nozzles, from the compact yet potent Atto Super Air Nozzle to the larger 1-1/4 NPT Super Air Nozzle. Additionally, EXAIR provides Flat Super Air Nozzles and Back Blow nozzles, specifically designed for cleaning tubes, pipes, channels, or holes ranging from 1/4 inch to 16 inches in diameter.

Our Air Nozzles are designed to comply with or surpass OSHA Standard 1910.24(b) regarding dead-end pressure at 30 PSIG. They are engineered to prevent dead-ending, ensuring that there is always an escape route for the air, which means the outlet pressure will not reach 30 PSIG. Furthermore, our products adhere to OSHA Standard CFR 29 – 1910.95(a) concerning permissible noise exposure levels. EXAIR Air Jets leverage the Coanda effect to enhance air movement in their environment. A small volume of compressed air is accelerated through an internal ring nozzle at supersonic speeds, creating a vacuum that draws in significant amounts of surrounding or ‘free’ air. The resulting exit flow is a mixture of these two air sources.

EXAIR produces two types of air jets: High Velocity and Adjustable, crafted from brass and Type 303 Stainless Steel. The High Velocity Air Jet features a replaceable shim that allows users to adjust the gap, thereby regulating the air’s force and flow. In contrast, the Adjustable Air Jet does not utilize a shim; instead, it incorporates a micrometer gap indicator and a locking ring, enabling users to modify the performance in terms of force and flow as needed.

If you have questions about our Air Nozzles and Jets, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Utilizing EXAIR Accessories

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment
Accessories

At EXAIR, we take great pride in our Intelligent Compressed Air Products, which are renowned for their efficiency and minimal maintenance requirements, thanks to their design featuring few or no moving parts. While we often highlight these advantages, we also do not want to overlook the importance of the accompanying accessories that enhance our products’ performance. These accessories play a crucial role in ensuring our compressed air solutions maintain their low maintenance and reduced noise levels, further solidifying their compliance with OSHA safety standards.

Compressed air filters and regulators are among the most essential accessories we offer, and we highly recommend their use with all our products, as well as with other brands. The Filter Separator effectively eliminates water, dirt, and rust from your compressed air system, while the 5-micron filter element prevents contaminants from clogging or damaging connected equipment. For more precise and additional filtration, an Oil Removal Filter should be installed downstream of the Filter Separator; it utilizes a 0.03-micron element to remove oil and solid particles. Our Pressure Regulators allow you to set the desired operating pressure, and we advise maintaining the minimum pressure necessary for optimal performance. This not only conserves air but also fine-tunes the efficiency of EXAIR products in various applications.

Good engineering practice calls for point of use filtration and moisture removal, such as that provided by EXAIR Filter Separators.
The Thermostat’s leads (left) are spliced into the Solenoid Valve’s ‘hot’ lead (bottom right), which essentially acts as the automatic temperature controlled ‘on/off’ switch for the Cabinet Cooler System. NEMA 4/4X versions include mounting hardware (top right).

We offer specialized accessories designed to enhance the performance of some of our products. For instance, our Line Vacs are complemented by the Line Vac Hose, while our Cabinet Coolers can be paired with Thermostats and Solenoid Valves. Additionally, we recommend Mufflers for optimal use with our Vortex Tubes. When it comes to our Air Knives, we provide several excellent options. The Universal Air Knife Mounting System offers a straightforward and dependable solution for mounting. For applications requiring longer knives or independent control of airflow sections, our Coupling Bracket Kits are ideal. Lastly, our Air Knife Plumbing Kits simplify the plumbing process for Air Knives exceeding 24 inches in length.

For those looking to connect Intelligent Compressed Air Products, we offer a range of compressed air hoses and fittings designed to enhance the convenience of installation. Coiled Hoses are an excellent match for our Safety Air Guns, providing greater mobility during operation. Additionally, our Compressed Air Hoses are frequently utilized with our Industrial Housekeeping products, ensuring that both the drum and dolly have the necessary reach for effective use.

Model 9256 6″ Stay Set Hose

If you are looking for an effective solution to mount or position your Air Nozzles, consider our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings, which can be combined to create a comprehensive setup.

If you have questions about our accessories, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Axial vs. Deflector: Which BETE Fan Nozzle Really Makes the Cut?

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Since BETE became part of the EXAIR family back in 2024, we’ve been able to offer a much deeper bench of spray technology to solve the more complex fluid delivery problems our customers face. When you need precision in a spray process, choosing the right pattern is just as critical as the fluid you’re pumping. Fan nozzles are the go-to when you need a flat sheet of liquid with a specific impact. Whether you’re washing down a conveyor or applying a thin coating to a part, the goal is uniform distribution and, often, high force.

There are two primary ways these fan patterns are created: axial and deflector. With an axial fan nozzle, the liquid exits through an orifice and naturally widens into a flat spray. These are great for general cleaning and washing because they provide a tapered edge. This is perfect for overlapping multiple nozzles on a header to get seamless, uniform coverage across a wide area without any “light” spots between nozzles.

Then you have deflector-style nozzles. In this design, the fluid hits an external surface after exiting the orifice, which “peels” the liquid into an extra-wide fan. Because the fluid is deflected, these nozzles can achieve a much higher impact at lower flow rates, making them ideal for heavy-duty scrubbing, rinsing, or suppressing dust.

We see these used across a ton of different industries because of that versatility. In food and beverage, they’re a staple for bottle and container washing. In the steel industry, you’ll find them cooling down rolls or applying lubricants. They even play a huge role in fire protection, specifically in deluge systems where you need to move a lot of water quickly and accurately.

The main takeaway is that fan nozzles are the best choice whenever you have relative motion between the nozzle and the target. If you have a product moving down a line that needs to be wetted, coated, or cleaned, a fan pattern is likely the most efficient way to get it done.

Between EXAIR’s compressed air expertise and BETE’s industrial spray nozzle catalog, we can help you spec out the right nozzle for the job. Give us a call and we’ll walk through the flow rates and spray angles your application requires.

Tyler Daniel

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com