Tag: industrial conveyor

Undersized Plumbing Creates a Performance Problem

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

Sometimes we get calls or emails from our customers experiencing a problem with their application already using EXAIR products.  These calls can range from difficulties associated with installation angle, installation, or, in many cases, the compressed air plumbing to the product itself.

That was the case in the application of the photos above.  The end user had been using our model 6084 Line Vac to move plastic pellets from the floor to the top of a machine hopper, and they needed to increase the flow.  The problem, was that they weren’t getting the performance from the 6084 that they thought they should.

Chip Vacuum 1
                                                                 EXAIR model 6084 Line Vac used for conveying plastic pellets

 

Chip Vacuum 2
Model 6084 Line Vac used to convey plastic pellets from the floor to the top of a machine hopper

 

Given the bulk density of the plastic pellets in this application, the end user should’ve been able to move more than enough material in the time they desired for the application needs.  But, instead, the Line Vac was moving little-to-no material and even “stalling” – a condition in which the conveyed material could enter into the Line Vac and then cease to convey.

What we found, after exchanging contact information and discussing the photos above, is that the compressed air line feeding the Line Vac is too small, creating a pressure drop and leading to an inadequate compressed air flow.  This, in turn, leads to lower air velocity at the exhaust of the Line Vac, which simultaneously means lower vacuum and material flow at the inlet.

The end result is the condition described by the end user – a low flow, or no-flow, of the material being conveyed.

After our discussion the end user set out to make the required change to the supply line, providing proper flow to the Line Vac at the proper pressure, and moving the material as required.

It’s always rewarding to help an end user solve their problems.  If you have an application problem and think EXAIR might be able to help, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

A Special Application Receives A Special Solution

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
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Outlets of a dual-point hose kit, stacked together

Earlier today I accessed the EXAIR Application Database and our blog to search for a similar Line Vac application to the one described to me over the phone.  It’s always nice to have something to reference when working with a customer.

But sometimes the application is just too one-off to be able to reference something done before.  I recently worked through just such an application in which an end user of our Argentinian distributor wanted to agitate beans travelling down a conveyor line with one, very specific condition – the airflow being directed at the beans HAD TO exit through a flat nozzle (ok, no problem there) made of plastic.  Hmm…

We have a variety of PEEK plastic Super Air Nozzles, all of which feature a conical airflow pattern.  Thinking on the possible solution, our distributor looked to our single and dual-point hose kits which accompany our Cold Guns and Spot Coolers.  They wondered whether we could feed the exhaust end of a Line Vac through the single or dual-point hose kit to provide the customer with airflow through a flat plastic exhaust.

The answer, I confessed, was that I didn’t know.  But, wanted to know and so did the end user.  So, I put together a threaded 3/8 Line Vac coupled with a dual-point hose kit, donned my PPE, and set out to see if this off-the-wall solution had any legs.

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A bit abnormal but it worked!

As it turns out, it worked!

The performance was nowhere near that of our engineered nozzles (ok, no surprise there), but the output was sufficient enough for the distributor to recommend a live test.

I’ll update on the status of this solution if we hear back on it, but above any beyond this particular application, the process involved goes to show how far we’ll go to help our customers find a solution.  And, if we can’t use anything off the shelf, we’re more than happy to explore special builds.

If you have a special application in need of a special solution, contact at EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

2” Heavy Duty Line Vac Improves Utility Pole Inspection Productivity

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment
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Typical Wood Utility Pole

In North America, wood utility poles are pretty much everywhere. And once installed, they have a definite lifespan which can be shortened through rot and insect infestations. For that reason, most utilities will employ an inspection routine to evaluate the strength left within the pole to determine if or when one should be replaced.

The inspection process can vary, but for the purposes of this blog, we will concentrate on the excavation method where a trench of 18” to 24” is dug around the pole base to expose the wood that has been underground. Once the wood has been exposed, the technician can perform a variety of tests to determine the remaining strength left within and recommend repairs or replacement if needed.

The part where EXAIR product comes into play is in the excavation process. Traditionally, the technicians will use a shovel to loosen the dirt around the pole and set it aside for re-packing around the pole once the inspection has completed. Needless to say, the excavation process is somewhat long and tedious as it must be done by hand to keep from damaging the pole and/or utilities that may be nearby. One customer decided to use a 2” Heavy Duty Line Vac to help speed up the excavation process. Instead of pushing on a shovel and continually swinging the dirt around to a tarp about 10 feet away, the technician can make less of an excavation effort by using hand tools to loosen the dirt and the Heavy Duty Line Vac to pull the dirt out of the hole and over to the awaiting tarp. This gives them ample room for inspection processes without overdoing the excavation which is the part that takes the most time anyway.

Companies who deal with utility pole inspections are judged not only on the quality of the inspection but also the quantity of poles that can be inspected in a given time. For this reason, time is of the essence because once you have demonstrated you can successfully inspect X number of poles, then your company is in line to gain more business through increased number of poles to inspect in the next round.

Heavy Duty Line Vacs have been set up to convey more dense materials as well as abrasive materials over longer distances where other forms of conveying simply can’t hold up or simply are too clunky to give just the right effect as is the case in this application.

Are you trying to move dense or abrasive material over distances of 100 feet or more? Give us a shout about your application. Let us show you what the EXAIR Line Vacs can do for you.

Neal Raker, International Sales Manager
nealraker@exair.com
EXAIR_NR

 

Utility pole image (no changes made) courtesy of Christopher Sessums  Creative Commons License

Heavy Duty Line Vac Moves Glass Bead and Does Not Wear

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment
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Crushed glass test media

The question came in the other day about whether our Line Vac product has ever been used to transport glass beads before. Our Line Vacs have been used in a variety of applications from Cleaning up a CNC Sawing Application to Transferring Alumina Desiccant and keeping tension on a Trim Scrap Removal Application. So we are quite familiar with the creative ways in which a Line Vac can be used to make industrial conveying and tensioning applications more effective.

The real question that the customer was asking though is, “Will your Line Vac product hold up to abrasive material moving through it?” The answer is yes, it will. We have engineered a material and hardening process for our Heavy Duty series of Line Vac product, which gives superior resistance to abrasion from the kinds of materials that are intentionally used to “blast away” surface rust, debris, or paint from surfaces, usually to prepare them for some sort of coating. In fact, during the testing phase of development, we tested a variety of very harsh, abrasive materials through the Heavy Duty Line Vac  continuously, long term, until we arrived at just the right combination of material and hardening process that provided us with little to no wear effect from the abrasive material.

150100 Heavy Duty Line Vac
150100 Heavy Duty Line Vac

So, whether you have a job to clean up after a bead blast operation or need to transfer an abrasive material from one tank to another, the Heavy Duty Line Vac product is definitely something you will want to consider for the job.

Contact us to discuss your application today!

Neal Raker, International Sales Manager
nealraker@exair.com
EXAIR_NR