Tag: food manufacturing

Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jet Replaces Blower Ionizer and Speeds up New Production Line!

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

When looking to solve an industrial process problem, EXAIR is the go-to solutions provider. Such was the case in a recent application with a customer in South America. The company manufactures a variety of different caps used for glass bottles in the food & beverage industries. They have an issue with debris from the environment sticking to the insides of the caps.

Their current production speed worked at around 200 caps per minute. Their solution for mitigating static was an ionized blower system. With this solution, they had maxed out the speed at which they could produce the caps while still removing the particles that would adhere to the insides. At higher speeds, residual contamination was left on the caps.

The customer is looking to construct a new line that can operate at speeds of up to 300 caps per minute. To do so, they began seeking out a different solution for their static troubles. The issue with blower-based ionizers is that the turbulent nature of the airflow causes some of the ions to cancel one another out before reaching the target. EXAIR’s Gen4 Static Eliminators utilize a laminar flow of high-velocity air to transport both positive and negative ions to a surface that needs to be treated.

After reviewing some photos of their current setup, I recommended implementing some of EXAIR’s Gen4 Stay Set Ion Air Jets to be positioned over each run of caps. In addition, we recommended angling the flow from the jets in a manner counter to the direction that the caps were traveling. As we recommend for any static, blowoff, cooling, or drying process it’s important to take advantage of counter-flow to maximize the time in contact the part has with the airflow. The longer we can remain in contact with the part or material, the more successful we’ll be at neutralizing the static (or cooling, drying, or any blowoff process).

The Gen4 Ion Air Jet is a compact ionizer that is capable of delivering a concentrated, ionized airflow. This is particularly critical in sensitive applications where a large area of airflow could disturb the process or surrounding materials. The quiet, focused air stream can quickly eliminate the static charge on surfaces. At a pressure of 80 psig the Ion Air Jet is capable of dissipating a 5kV charge in just .18 seconds!

In addition to providing rapid static decay, the Ion Air Jet also helps to minimize compressed air use while maximizing the ionizing airflow. Utilizing a specially designed shim, the Ion Air Jet entrains ambient air at a rate of 5:1. The Ion Air Jet can be adjusted from a “blast” to a “breeze” simply by increasing or decreasing the inlet pressure to the ionizer.

When precise positioning is necessary, as was the case in this application, the addition of the Stay Set Hose and magnetic base allows for simple installation and directing of the ionized airflow. It’s also useful in applications where frequent repositioning may be required due to product or material changeovers.

If you’re looking to improve on a process in your manufacturing facility, give EXAIR a call and see what we can do to get the most out of your compressed air.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Environmental Separation with EXAIR’s Super Air Knife

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Super Air Knife is THE best solution for compressed air blowoff operations that necessitate a wide sheet of compressed air. We’ve been manufacturing Air Knives for over 40 years, with the Super Air Knife making its first appearance back in 1997. Since then, the Super Air Knife has undergone a few enhancements over the years as we’re constantly trying to not only introduce new products but also improve on the ones we have. We’ve added new materials, longer single piece Super Air Knives, as well as additional accessories. But, by and large, the basic design has remained the same. As the saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”.

The Super Air Knife utilizes a source of compressed air to create a laminar sheet of high-velocity air. This supplied compressed air mixes with ambient air that is entrained into the primary airstream. The Super Air Knife entrains ambient air at a rate of 40:1, making it VERY effective in a variety of drying, cleaning, and cooling applications. Available in lengths ranging from 3”-108” and in a variety of different materials of construction, there’s a Super Air Knife available for just about any application. Any time you have product moving along a conveyor that needs to be cleaned, dried, or cooled off, a Super Air Knife is the ideal fit.

Not all applications involve blowing directly onto a product. In some cases, we use our Super Air Knives to perform what we often refer to as environmental separation. In an environmental separation application, we’re using high-velocity airflow to keep two areas separated from one another. That is, using the Super Air Knife to keep a protecting barrier in place so that harmful gases, vapors, or fumes don’t come back toward an operator. Or, it can be used in applications where we need to keep warm air from escaping (such as a large oven) or, on the other hand, cool air (from a refrigerator or freezer).

In many food processing plants, there are areas of the facility where products travel along conveyors that may enter/exit environmentally controlled spaces. In a recent application, I helped a customer that needed a solution for keeping the cold air from a freezer space contained. Inside the freezer it was -4°F. After the product has been baked, it goes through a network of conveyors at ambient temperatures to cool down. The product is then immediately frozen before final packaging.

At the entrance to the freezer is a conveyor with an 18” wide opening. To prevent the cold air from the freezer from exiting, a Model 110018SS Super Air Knife was installed across the top of the opening. The high-velocity, laminar airflow keeps the cold air inside the freezer while the warmer ambient air is unable to bypass the air from the knife.

While most applications will involve blowing off, drying, cooling, or cleaning, EXAIR’s Super Air Knives have a host of other potential possibilities. Feel free to take a look through the Application Database on the EXAIR website and get in contact with an Application Engineer today for assistance.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Adjusting Mounting Angle Helps Food Packaging Manufacturer Enhance their Super Air Knife Blowoff

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Super Air Knives are the ideal fit for any application requiring a laminar “curtain” of air for blowoff purposes. The high-velocity airflow does an excellent job of cleaning off surfaces, cooling, and drying in a wide variety of applications throughout industry. These products are engineered to provide a consistent and reliable force across the full length of the knife, ensuring repeatable performance in any application.

The Super Air Knife utilizes a source of compressed air to create a laminar sheet of high velocity air. This supplied compressed air mixes with ambient air that is entrained into the primary airstream. The Super Air Knife entrains ambient air at a rate of 40:1, making it VERY effective for a variety of drying, cleaning, and cooling applications. Available in lengths ranging from 3”-108” and in a variety of different materials of construction, there’s a Super Air Knife available for just about any application. Any time you have product moving along a conveyor that needs to be cleaned, dried, or cooled off, a Super Air Knife is the ideal fit.

The key to any successful Super Air Knife application is ensuring proper plumbing is assembled to the Air Knife as well as the correct mounting angle for the blowoff. This was the case in a recent application I assisted with for a company who deals in packaging raw foods using a method to increase longevity. The foods are bagged where they’re submerged in a water tank and exposed to high pressures. This process results in a significantly greater ability to preserve the quality of the food and keep any bacteria at bay for longer than just simply sealing the bags alone.

Once the products emerge from the water bath, they’re placed on a conveyor to dry. EXAIR’s Super Air Knives are being used to blowoff any remaining water from the package before they’re boxed. Looking to speed up the process a bit as they had residual water remaining on the packages that was being dried manually, they reached out to EXAIR for some assistance in improving the overall result.

As you can see in the photo above, the knife has been installed blowing directly down onto the conveyor. When positioned in this way, the product is only in contact with the high velocity airstream for a brief moment. For any blowoff operation where products are traveling along a conveyor, we want to angle the knife against the direction of travel to maximize time in contact. By blowing against the direction of travel, we maximize the contact time and can dry the packaged food far more effectively.

A situation that originally started with the customer looking to either increase air consumption by adding thicker shims to their existing Air Knife or adding new Air Knives altogether was solved by simply adjusting the current angle of their existing installation.

In doing so, they saved what would’ve been unnecessary compressed air usage and were able to immediately case pack the food in boxes once it made it to the end of the conveyor. If you have an existing EXAIR product that you’d like assistance with, EXAIR’s team of Application Engineers is ready to take your call. Reach out to us today, and we’ll be happy to help you to determine the best products for your application!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_TD

Cleaning A Cookie Cutter Die Using A 24″ 316SS Super Air Knife

Published on by exaircorpLeave a comment

I recently worked with a food manufacturer who was looking for a way to clean the die roller in their cookie cutting process.The cutting machine is fed by a ribbon of extruded dough that is cut into various shapes as it passes by a 24″ wide roller. After the cookies are cut, the finished product then travels down a chute to a feed tray where it is conveyed to a packaging area. They were starting to see an increase in rejects as some cookies were being “double stamped” as a result of residual dough sticking to the die. They tried to install a brush traveling the span of the roller in an effort to wipe it clean but this wasn’t very effective and also caused some contamination as some of the bristles would break loose. They then tried having an operator use an air gun to manually clean the roller and while this did work, it severely slowed the process down, reducing production and negatively affecting their bottom line.

That’s a lot of cookie cutters!

After discussing the details of the application, I recommended the customer use our 24″ 316ss Super Air Knife in the application. The Super Air Knife produces a laminar sheet of air across the length of the knife and consumes only 2.9 SCFM per inch of knife length when operated at 80 PSIG. The 316ss construction resists pitting and is the preferred choice when being applied to a food process as it minimizes the potential for metal contamination.

SS Super Air Knife available in lengths from 3″ up to 108″

When it comes to wide area treatment, an Air Knife is the optimal choice. If you have a similar application that requires assistance, please contact an Application Engineer at 1-800-903-9247.

Justin Nicholl
Application Engineer
justinnicholl@exair.com
@EXAIR_JN

 

Largest collection of cookie cutters I’ve ever seen image courtesy of Steven-L-Johnson via Creative Commons license.