Tag: grounding

New ATEX EasySwitch® Wet-Dry Vac: Safer Industrial Cleanup in Explosive Environments

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

A pneumatic, ATEX-rated wet/dry vacuum built for Zones 1 and 21—switching between dry debris and liquid recovery in seconds.

EXAIR ATEX EasySwicth Vac for explosive environments.

Industrial cleanup is challenging enough—add potentially explosive atmospheres and the stakes go up fast. In ATEX-classified areas, using the wrong equipment can introduce ignition risks from sparks, heat, or static buildup. That is why EXAIR developed the ATEX EasySwitch® Wet-Dry Vac: a compressed-air-powered system designed to deliver reliable wet and dry cleanup in hazardous environments, including ATEX Zones 1 and 21.

What is the ATEX EasySwitch® Wet-Dry Vac?

The ATEX EasySwitch is a pneumatic (compressed-air-driven) industrial vacuum engineered for hazardous locations. It provides powerful suction for both dry materials (dust, powders, chips, absorbents) and liquids (including coolant), and it is designed to let operators switch between dry vacuuming and liquid recovery quickly using a simple latch mechanism.

Why Pneumatic Matters in Explosive Environments

In environments where explosive gases or combustible dust may be present, controlling ignition sources is critical. Because the ATEX EasySwitch operates solely on compressed air, it avoids many risks commonly associated with electric vacuums.

  • No electrical components to create sparks, heat, or motor-related failure points.
  • Static-dissipative design with proper grounding to help reduce electrostatic buildup.
  • No moving parts in the pneumatic vacuum generator, supporting a low-maintenance design for demanding use.
  • Built for ATEX Zones 1 and 21, supporting cleanup needs in hazardous, compliance-driven operations.

One vacuum for wet and dry cleanup

Cleanup needs change quickly on the plant floor. With the EasySwitch system, operators can move from dry debris collection to liquid recovery in seconds—helping reduce downtime when switching tasks. Typical materials include dust, powders, coolant, chips, and absorbents.

Where it fits: hazardous-area industrial cleanup

If operations include combustible dust or flammable atmospheres, a dedicated hazardous area vacuum can be a key part of safe housekeeping. The ATEX EasySwitch is designed to support compliant cleanup in critical environments where maintaining clean workspaces is essential.

Part of EXAIR’s industrial vacuum lineup

The ATEX EasySwitch joins EXAIR’s broader range of industrial vacuum systems built for efficiency and performance, including Reversible Drum Vacs for liquid transfer, Chip Trappers for separating solids from liquids, and Heavy Duty Dry and HEPA Vacs for fine dust collection.

Pricing and next steps

ATEX EasySwitch systems start at $3,900 USD. To learn more about specifications, configuration options, and fit for your application, contact EXAIR at (800) 903-9247 or email techelp@exair.com. More details: https://exair.co/atesv

Neal Raker, Application Engineering Manager
nealraker@exair.com

Glass Filled PEEK Super Air Knife w/ Brass Hardware & PTFE Shim? No Problem!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

That’s right folks, we’ve gone and done it again.  When a customer calls for custom product because their environment calls for it or due to dimensional requirements, EXAIR has the ability and flexibility to meet those needs!

This time around it was a customer with specific material requirements due to their environment. I had a customer contact me recently that was using an aluminum Super Air Knife near a high voltage operation and was getting ground interference due to the aluminum air knife.  They asked if it was possible to make them a custom knife out of PEEK plastic.  After some light discussions about the form of the knife and what other materials are safe for their environment we settled on a 30% glass filled PEEK plastic for the knife, brass bolts and pipe plugs, with a PTFE shim installed.   The form factor of the knife would follow the same shape as our PVDF Super Air Knives that are available from stock.   The customer could not use PVDF due to high temperature and potential off-gassing in the process.

The results are shown below.

IMG_6590
EXAIR 6″ Super Air Knife in 30% Glass Filled PEEK Plastic w/ Brass Hardware and PTFE Shim

End View – 6″ Super Air Knife in 30% Glass Filled PEEK Plastic w/ Brass Hardware & PTFE Shim

Whether you are looking for a one off product that is tailor made to your application or want to have a simple feature like hardware material changed in a stock EXAIR product that you are incorporating into thousands of machines, we have the solution for you.

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