
EXAIR manufactures a range of industrial pneumatic drum vacuums geared towards cleaning up the messes you’ll find in just about any environment. They are safe, quiet, and do not have any moving parts or electric motors to wear. These are workhorses with a long history of durability and reliability. EXAIR offers systems suitable for use with dry materials and wet materials, as well as one capable of handling both. In this blog, I will cover our Industrial Housekeeping product line.
EXAIR’s Industrial Vacuums are designed to be used with steel drums that you may already have. If you don’t have a steel drum in good condition, we offer a Premium System that includes the drum. We have 30-, 55-, and 110-gallons for most systems, and we do have a portable 5-gallon size for our Mini Chip Vac and Mini Reversible Drum Vac Systems.
Let’s start with our Reversible Drum Vac System, which allows you to fill a 55-gallon drum in less than two minutes. With the simple turn of a knob, the stainless steel pneumatic pump quickly empties the drum as well. For thicker, more viscous liquids (up to 1400 cP) or for applications that require lifting the liquid from below-grade sumps, our High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System is the better option. Operating in the same manner as the Reversible Drum Vac, the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac System provides extra power. Both the Reversible Drum Vac and High Lift Reversible Drum Vac are offered on a variety of different systems, both with and without the drum included.
Using either a standard or High Lift Reversible Drum Vac to provide the vacuum source, the Chip Trapper is able to pick up both the liquid coolant and chips or shavings that are suspended in the coolant. The liquid is forced through a filter bag inside the drum which contains solid materials and tramp oil while allowing the clean coolant to pass into the drum. Switching the knob on the Reversible Drum Vac and the directional flow valve to empty will allow the clean coolant to be pumped back out of the drum and reused in your machines. The system will come with (2) 5-micron filter bags in the standard unit. EXAIR does offer other micron ranges to fit your application, ranging from 1-micron up to 200-micron filtration. Using a simple detergent, the filter bags can be washed out, cleaned, and reused multiple times. Here are some points that show the advantages of using the Chip Trapper System from our perspective:
• The complete coolant change-out went from every 4 months to once a year.
• Reduced the number of barrels of coolant concentrate from 10 barrels to 4 barrels per year. Roughly $5,000 in annual savings
• Bacterial growth is dramatically reduced as the Chip Trapper aerates the coolant.
• Filter bags will remove the chip fines and tramp oils, keeping the coolant fresh.
• Speed to get the CNC machines back up operating and making parts went from 2 hours to ½ hour.
For dry materials, they are also a common issue generated in a variety of industrial processes. Electrically powered vacuums or shop vacs are not designed to be operated in a rugged industrial environment. Filters clog, motors wear out, and you find yourself frequently replacing them. EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Dry Vac and Chip Vac does not have any moving parts to wear out, doesn’t require maintenance, and needs nothing but a source of compressed air to operate. A static resistant hose also prevents painful shocks when working with dry, dusty materials (HD Dry Vac and Premium Chip Vac Only). The Heavy Duty Dry Vac is constructed of hardened steel designed to provide superior abrasion resistance. It’s also a bit more powerful than the Chip Vac, with a vacuum level of -60” H2O (-15 Kpa) at 80 PSIG (5.5 bar). So, it can be used with sandblasting material and steel shot. The Chip Vac is constructed of aluminum and is an ideal solution for general duty applications where there is no risk of abrasion.
For higher filtration levels in dusty environments, EXAIR offers the Heavy Duty HEPA Vac System. These units use a HEPA filter inside which has an efficiency of 99.97% at 0.3 micron. So, small material will remain in the drum and not migrate back into the ambient air. The vacuum generator is made from a hardened steel construction like the Heavy Duty Dry Vac, which is very resistant to wear. The EXAIR design can generate a high vacuum level to draw dust material at an extremely high rate, and it only has a noise level of 82 dBA. With clean compressed air, this vacuum would last for years, not months.
Starting in March, EXAIR will be giving a complimentary gift for qualified orders when purchasing any of EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping Systems. You will receive a model 6492 Vac-U-Gun Kit for free. The Vac-U-Gun can easily be converted from a blow-off gun into a vacuum gun by simply switching the generator inside. For U.S. and Canadian customers, EXAIR offers a 30-day unconditional guarantee to try these out. You will not be disappointed. If you need more details, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR. We will be happy to hear from you.
John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb















