Tag: industrial air blowers

Accessories for Your Compressed Air Products

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Here at EXAIR we are very proud of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products. We have spent a lot of time discussing their many benefits, including their efficiency, the fact that many have no moving parts, little to no maintenance, meeting or exceeding OSHA safety standards for noise or dead end pressure. One thing we don’t talk as much about is the accessories that go along with and complement our products. Several of these accessory items are the reason why our compressed air products can boast about having little to no maintenance, or reduced noise levels. In this blog I want to cover some of these unsung heroes.

From left to right, a few value-added accessories for your Vortex Tube: Hot Muffler, Cold Muffler, Automatic Drain Filter Separator, Oil Removal Filter, and Solenoid Valve/Thermostat Kit.

Some of the most popular accessories we offer are our compressed air Filters and Regulators. We suggest using these with all our products (or even with ones that aren’t ours).

The Filter Separator is designed to remove moisture, dirt, and rust from your compressed air system. The 5-micron filter element ensures that contaminants don’t clog or harm your compressed air equipment.

An Oil Removal Filter (which should always be installed after our Filter Separator) provides even more precise filtration by getting rid of oil and solid particles with a 0.03-micron element.

Our Pressure Regulators let you choose the operating pressure. At EXAIR, we always advise running at the lowest pressure necessary to complete the task. Pressure Regulators help you achieve that, reducing unnecessary air usage and fine-tuning the performance of EXAIR products for your specific application.

We have some accessories designed specifically for certain products. For our Line Vacs, there’s the Line Vac Hose. You can also find Thermostats and Solenoid Valves that work great with our Cabinet Coolers, and if you’re using Vortex Tubes, we suggest checking out our Mufflers.

When it comes to our Air Knives, we offer a variety of fantastic options:

If you’re looking for a simple and dependable way to mount your Air Knife, our Universal Air Knife Mounting System is just what you need.

If your project needs something longer than our stock Air Knives, or if you want to manage different sections of the air flow separately, our Coupling Bracket Kits are ideal.

And if you want to simplify the plumbing for your Air Knife, don’t miss our Air Knife Plumbing Kits. They’re suitable for all Air Knives that are longer than 24 inches.

If you’re looking for plumbing options, we’ve got a range of compressed air hoses and fittings that will simplify things for you.

Our Coiled Hoses work great with our Safety Air Guns, giving you more freedom of movement while you work.

Our Compressed Air Hoses are often used alongside our Industrial Housekeeping products to provide the necessary reach for the drum and dolly.

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to mount or position your Air Nozzles, check out our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings that can help create a complete setup.

No matter what your application requires or the product you need, we’ve got a variety of complementary accessory products that will simplify installation and adjustments. If you have any questions about these or any other EXAIR products, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Have It Your Way: Custom Super Air Knives

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Super Air Knife harnesses compressed air to produce a streamlined sheet of high-velocity air, effectively enhancing various industrial processes. This compressed air interacts with surrounding ambient air, resulting in a significant entrainment ratio of 40:1, which greatly amplifies its efficiency in applications such as drying, cleaning, and cooling. The Super Air Knife is available in lengths from 3 inches to 108 inches and is offered in a range of materials, ensuring that there is a suitable option for nearly any operational requirement. It is particularly advantageous for use in scenarios where products on a conveyor system require cleaning, drying, or cooling, making the Super Air Knife an optimal solution for enhancing productivity and maintaining product quality in diverse manufacturing environments.

EXAIR’s Air Knives are an efficient and highly effective tool for blowoff, cooling, cleaning and drying in a myriad of manufacturing processes. To accommodate the wide variety of unique problems manufacturers face, EXAIR has the ability to customize and tailor Air Knives to different specifications. These Air Knife customizations can range from size, to shape, to material, custom mounting holes and dimensions. They are created to solve distinct manufacturing problems not already solved by the industry’s largest selection of Air Knives. For customers with space limitations, smaller lengths or skinnier profiles can be created. In situations where the knife may need to be installed in a very defined spot, special mounting brackets, or additional/custom sized air inlets can be provided to fit a current system. For applications where stock aluminum, stainless steel or PVDF won’t work, other material options such as CPVC or glass-filled PEEK thermoplastic have been used. Special marking requirements for tying knives to specific machines or critical processes can be accommodated. Unique shapes and profiles, such as double-sided or curved Air Knives, can also be the solution to certain specialized processes. Air Knives are available in Super, Standard and Full-Flow styles, and all versions are customizable to a customer’s specific needs. For help solving any specific blowoff problems, please contact an Application Engineer. All Air Knives are CE compliant, and prices start at $141.

The Super Air Knife is offered in a variety of materials, including aluminum, Type 303 and Type 316 stainless steel, as well as PVDF featuring Hastelloy bolts, making it suitable for highly corrosive environments. While there is a wide selection of off-the-shelf options that can be shipped the same day, not every application can be adequately addressed with standard products. EXAIR, which manages the entire manufacturing process at its facility in Cincinnati, Ohio, maintains significant oversight and flexibility in production. For applications that require more than what is available in stock, we are continuously crafting specialized, customized air knives designed to meet a diverse range of specifications and needs.

Our knives can be custom-manufactured to specific lengths if the standard sizes do not meet your application requirements. We will maintain the same design and size profile while tailoring the knife to the exact length you need, ensuring a perfect fit for your machinery. Additionally, if the dimensional profile of an existing knife is not appropriate for your needs, we have the ability to modify it accordingly. For instance, the Super Air Knife illustrated below features an exceptionally slim design that has been thoroughly optimized to achieve the smallest overall profile possible, demonstrating our commitment to precision and adaptability in our products.

All Super Air Knives are equipped with standard ¼ NPT air inlets and feature ¼-20 tapped holes along the bottom for mounting purposes. However, we recognize that this configuration may not be suitable for every specific application. To address this, we offer customized options that include tailored air inlets and additional mounting holes, allowing for seamless integration with any bespoke bracket. The accompanying image illustrates a modified stainless steel Super Air Knife, showcasing the extra mounting holes that have been precisely machined onto both ends, demonstrating our commitment to meeting diverse customer needs.

We provide a diverse range of knives not only in various shapes and sizes as part of our special offerings but also in stock lengths crafted from a variety of materials. Featured below are two unique knives made from materials that are not typically available on our shelves. On the left, you will find a knife constructed from PVDF, while on the right is a knife made from glass-filled PEEK, complemented by brass hardware and a PTFE shim. This particular application arose when a customer experienced ground interference attributed to the aluminum knife design. In response to their specifications, we successfully machined a knife tailored specifically to meet the requirements of their application, showcasing our commitment to customization and material innovation.

 If you have any questions about the Super Air Knife, or anything regarding EXAIR and our products, please do not hesitate to reach out. We would love to hear from you!

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

Common Steps for Troubleshooting Underperformance

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

One of my favorite things to do is tackle problems and troubleshoot. Problem-solving is a key skill when working with compressed air, and is something we do daily at EXAIR.

Most of our products are simple to set up and install, requiring minimal maintenance. Still, there are times when various factors can affect performance. The ability to pinpoint these issues and carefully work through each one will yield better outcomes and help them last longer.

One of the first and most crucial things to check is the air pressure that you are operating the device. When we ask users what pressure they’re using, we often hear about the pressure coming from the compressor. However, this is usually not the pressure you’ll find at the point of use. A great way to confirm this is by placing a pressure gauge along with a pipe-tee at the inlet. There are several reasons you might notice pressure drops, such as restrictive fittings, undersized lines, or lack of proper maintenance. If the pressure you see at the inlet is lower than the header pressure, that’s a clear indication that the product is not getting enough compressed air.

If you’ve figured out that there’s a problem with your compressed air supply, the next thing to do is find and fix those restrictions. Common culprits are restrictive fittings like quick connects or push-to-connects. Our 24″ Super Air Knife uses 69.6 SCFM at 80 psig. A 1/2″ quick connect might look big enough, but its smaller ID can throttle the airflow down to 50 SCFM, which would starve the Knife and hurt its performance. Switching this out with a straight fitting would fix this.

Once you’ve taken care of any restrictive fittings, the next step is to replace any undersized lines. Sticking with our 24″ Super Air Knife example, the minimum size for the in feed pipe is 1/2″ for runs of 10′ or less. If the run is longer than 10′ but shorter than 50′, you’ll need to upgrade to a 3/4″ pipe, and for runs up to 100′, you should double the initial pipe size to 1″ to achieve the same results.

The final best practice would be to make sure the compressed air is clean and moisture free. Even the cleanest compressed air systems will accumulate contaminants over time, which can build up and clog the precisely machined EXAIR product. Ensuring that you have point of use filtration with a Filter Separator will keep your products running maintenance free for longer.

If you would like to discuss your application, and see if we can identify any problems that may be impacting your product’s performance, then give us a call at 1-800-903-9247. We’d love to help you get the best out of our products. 

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Banner image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay

EXAIR Products in the Semiconductor Industry

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

Manufacturers in semiconductor assembly and PCB production face strict cleanliness, throughput, and thermal-control requirements. EXAIRs compressed-air products, specifically our Air Knives and Vortex Tubes, and air amplifiers are proven, compact, and energy-efficient tools for precise blow-off, controlled cooling and heating for spot thermal conditioning and fume extraction. This Blog explains how EXAIR Super Air Knives and Vortex Tubes and Air Amplifiers address three common production needs: 

  1. Drying and particulate removal during lead frame processing with air knives. 
  1. Localized cooling/heating for functional PCB testing using Vortex Tubes. 
  1. Fume extraction during etching, cleaning and plating processes

I’ll cover technical fit, typical performance characteristics, and measurement/ROI considerations so engineers and plant managers can evaluate and implement these solutions. 

Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle in clean room, cleaning microchip parts before installation.

Super Air Knife and Success in the semiconductor lead frame manufacturing process.  

Typical use cases 

  • Removing rinse water or flux residues after cleaning 
  • Blowing off foreign matter, over spray, or machining debris prior to plating or die bonding. 
  • Drying prior to molding or coating operations. 
  • Static-assisted blow-off when combined with static eliminating product for electrostatically attracted particles. 

Why Super Air Knives? 

  • Uniform Laminar Sheet of air: delivers consistent, even blow-off across the width of a lead frame, reducing localized hot spots or mechanical damage. 
  • Adjustable force and flow: adjusting air pressure and shim size allow you to control force and volume so fragile wires or plated surfaces aren’t damaged. 
  • Entrainment & Efficiency: The knives are engineered so they entrain ambient air, increasing total developed flow and reducing compressed-air consumption compared to open pipes. 

Vortex Tubes for functional PCB testing / burn-in and thermal cycling

During in-line or bench functional testing, specific components or integrated circuits may overheat or require temperature conditioning to verify performance at the full range of the rated temperature specifications. Vortex Tubes give fast, localized cooling (or heating) without coolant loops, chillers, or plumbing intricacy. Subjecting devices to burn-in and thermal cycling stress helps products enter the field with confidence there will not be any preventable failures. Normally, environmental chambers are used for burn-in processes, but vortex tubes can help facilitate localized thermal ramps, corner stressing, or temporary additional cooling/heating when size, cost or availability of a full environmental chamber isn’t feasible.  

Why Vortex Tubes fit testing 

  • Instant cold/hot air from regular compressed air: no refrigeration system or refrigeration cycle; instantaneous on/off.  
  • No moving parts: high reliability and low maintenance for test fixtures. 
  • Local spot conditioning: focus cooling on integrated circuits or other small areas without cooling the entire board or fixture. 
  • Adjustable cold fraction: Vortex tubes can be tuned via the control valve to trade flow vs. temperature drop to meet testing conditions. 
Cooling or Heating with the Vortex Tube

Air Amplifiers for fume extraction and partial heat control during etching, cleaning and plating processes.

In semiconductor lead frame manufacturing, maintaining clean, particle-free environments is essential to ensure consistent product quality and process reliability. Processes such as flux cleaning, plating, molding, and soldering generate vapors, fumes, and fine particulates that can contaminate delicate components or compromise yields. EXAIR’s Super Air Amplifier provides an efficient, quiet, and maintenance-free solution for capturing and removing fumes, vapors, and airborne contaminants from sensitive production areas.

Why the Super Air Amplifier?
High-Volume Airflow Through Amplification

  • It uses a small amount of compressed air to entrain large volumes of ambient air multiplying total flow by up to 25 times.
  • Creates a strong, consistent vacuum draw ideal for capturing fumes and fine particulates at their source.

Energy Efficiency

  • Dramatically reduces compressed-air consumption compared to traditional vacuum or exhaust systems.
  • No electricity, motors, or moving parts, maintenance-free operation and long service life.

Compact and Versatile

  • Easy to integrate above process lines, in tool enclosures, or at conveyor transfer points.
  • Available in aluminum, stainless steel, and high-temperature materials for compatibility with cleanroom or chemical environments.
Model 120024 4″ Super Air Amplifiers are commonly used to exhaust smoke and fumes.

ROI and how to show value quantitatively  

  • Baseline metrics: scrap/rework rate, cycle time, compressed-air consumption, downtime for cleaning, and throughput. 
  • Pilot run: instrument a section of line with flow/force and temperature sensors for a 30 day trial. 
  • Key calculations: 
  • Reduced rework % × cost per part = direct savings. 
  • Throughput increase (parts/hr) × margin = additional revenue. 
  • Compressed-air energy reduction (compared to previous blow-offs) = kW savings (U.S. Department of Energy offers a benchmark of $0.25 per 1,000 SCF). 
  • Tangible benefits: throughput improvement, energy savings, reduced capital cost (vs. chillers/chambers), lower maintenance and smaller footprint. 

Conclusion  

EXAIR Super Air Knives, Vortex Tubes and air amplifiers are compact, reliable, and flexible products that can improve cleanliness, thermal testing, and throughput in semiconductor processes.  

  1. Select a process you think could be helped with an air knife, Vortex Tube or an air amplifier and take advantage of our 30-day money-back guarantee.  
  1. Validate throughput and quality improvements and calculate ROI. 
  1. Rollout with appropriate controls, filtration, and operator training.  

If you think any of our products can help you in your process, please reach out. We have a team of application engineers here M-F to answer your questions!

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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