Tag: label

EXAIR Super Air Knives Help to Dry Labels In Bottling Factory

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

I spoke with a customer from a bottling facility that was using blower-type air knives.  They were trying to cool and remove condensation from the labels.  Their production rate was slow, and they were seeing issues in the labeling process.  Their operation consisted of an applicator that would place the label around the bottle prior to going into a steam oven to shrink the labels.  After this, a blow-off station was used to cool and set the label around the bottle and remove any condensation.  They determined that the bottles were not getting dry enough and the shrink rate was too long.  They were using a blower system, and they were having difficulty when they tried to reach the required bottle rate. 

With blower systems, they blow warm air which affects the cooling results.  Besides the maintenance and loud noises, the turbulent air causes erratic drying patterns.  EXAIR products use the power of the compressed air system to give a wide range of blowing forces for drying, cooling, or moving products.  With our Super Air Knives, we have a 40:1 amplification ratio, which means for every 1 part of compressed air, we bring in 40 parts of ambient air.  This adds mass to the airstream to make our Super Air Knives very efficient and effective.  With a laminar air flow, it creates a consistent force while moving the air in one direction.  This was important to push the condensation to the bottom of the bottles.  

Super Air Knife Kits include a Shim Set, Filter Separator, and Pressure Regulator.

So, I recommended two units of the model 110224SS Super Air Knife kits.  The kit includes the Super Air Knife, a filter, a regulator, and a shim set.  They mounted one knife on each side of the bottles to blow off and remove the liquid after the steam cycle.  Even at the increased bottle speeds, the EXAIR Super Air Knives had no issues with keeping the bottles dry and providing enough cooling to set the label.  With the regulator and shim set, it was easy for them to dial in the correct amount of force without using too much compressed air.  The labels remained attached, and the bottling process ran smoothly. 

In using compressed air, the EXAIR Super Air Knives are engineered to be very efficient and effective.  Now, they were able to dry the bottles to allow for a strong adhesion of the labels.  If you wish to speak to an Application Engineer about your cleaning, drying, blowing or cooling applications, we will be happy to hear from you. 

John Ball
Application Engineer
Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Solving a Static Electricity Problem when Applying Labels

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

Gen4 Static Eliminators

A company was applying labels to their plastic containers.  The labels were 4” (10cm) wide by 9” (23cm) long in size with a protective backing.  The backing material had to be removed prior to applying the label to a 9” (23cm) tall container.  With their label applicator, the label would wrap around the container.  They started to see misalignment and wrinkles in the labels when they were applied.  For the nonconforming parts, they had to remove the label and clean the surface to reapply another label.  This was time-consuming and a pain in the neck.  Since winter is here in the Northern Hemisphere, the drier air makes static very easy to create and will cause issues.  They contacted EXAIR to ask about our Gen4 Static Eliminators.

 With non-conductive materials like plastic and paper, static is easily generated; especially during cooler weather.  Static can be in a negative state or a positive state depending on the type of material.  With opposite charges, things are attracted to each other and will “stick” like magnets.  For similar charges, they will repel each other.  The higher the static charge, the stronger the force.  Static is generated from rubbing, hitting, and peeling which can cause electrons to be stripped from a surface.  For the customer above, the peeling away of the backing from the label caused the negative electrons to build on one surface.  And with the containers shifting, bumping and moving along the conveyor; static was also being generated.  Since like charges repel each other, the labels were not able to stay aligned and were creating bubbles on the surface.

When it comes to removing static, EXAIR is a leader in this market.  We have a large product line of different types of Static Eliminators.  Our design generates both positive and negative ions to remove any type of static charge up to 20 feet (6m) away.  In this application, I wanted to target two areas where static is present; the labels and the containers.  Since we could get close proximity to the label and the containers, I recommended using the Gen4 Ionizing Bars.  With a quick static decay rate, we can remove the static right before applying the label.  For this application, I recommended the model 8006 6” Gen4 Ionizing Bar and two model 8009 9” Gen4 Ionizing Bars.

EXAIR’s power supplies are what gives the Gen4 Ionizing Bars energy to create ions.  EXAIR offers two models of Gen4 Power Supplies; model 7960 which can power up to two Static Eliminator products and model 7961,  which can power up to four Static Eliminator products.  Since the Gen4 Ionizing Bars were mounted in the same area, the model 7961 Gen4 Power Supply was used to run three Ion Bars at once.  This helps to save money as they did not need to buy multiple power supplies.

Together, it was very easy to mount and start using.  The model 8006 was mounted right after the backing was removed from the label.  One model 8009 was positioned in the front of the container; and the second model 8009 was positioned in the back of the container.  Now they were able to remove all the static before the label was placed on the container.

EXAIR stocks lengths from 3” (76mm) up to 108” (2743mm), and we can ship a solution the same day.  When you are losing time and working hours due to static buildup like the company above, the Gen4 Static Eliminators can resolve it quickly and easily.

If you are having problems with static in alignment, jamming, contamination, or shocking staff; you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  The Gen4 Static Eliminators can remove the static and keep your process running smoothly.

John Ball
Application Engineer

Email: johnball@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Ionizing Bar

EXAIR Gen4 Ionizing Bar Removes Static From Corona Treated Plastic

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you want to print on plastic, it’s challenging – most plastics are chemically inert and non-porous.  That means you can apply all the ink you want; it’s not going to stick.  In the 1950’s, a Danish engineer named Verner Eisby experimented with various techniques to overcome these challenges.  He found that exposing the surface to be printed on to gas flame or sparks modified the surface to improve adhesion with the ink.  It did so, though, in a crude & uneven manner, leaving imperfections & inconsistencies in the printed product.  He then tried applying a high frequency corona discharge in a linear array.  The plasma (gas in an ionized state) generated left a homogeneously treated surface on which to print, smoothly & evenly.

This has become the “industry standard” for many of the labels we see on commercial products, from shampoo & wine bottles on the grocery store shelf, to pennants & banners at public events.  It also leaves the surface even more prone to picking up a static charge from rolling or unrolling, stacking, sliding, etc.

One of our customers makes a great many labels for all kinds of these commercial products, and uses an EXAIR Gen4 Ionizing Bar immediately prior to the printing operation:

Model 8024 24″ Gen4 Ionizing Bar removes static from Corona treated plastic label film.

EXAIR Corporation has a variety of Static Eliminator Products to fit most any industrial or commercial application.  If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Universal Air Knife Mounting System Saves You Time & Money

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Using EXAIRS Universal Air Knife Mounting System greatly ease’s the installation of all Air Knives (Except PVDF).  It will save you the time and expense of designing and fabricating your own mounting system which will maximize your uptime and keep your staff focused on key plant tasks!

Please note the table below that highlights the recommended number of the Universal Air Knife Mounting System to use for the various length of Air Knives.

Length Of Air Knife Number of UAKMS
3″ – 18″ 1
24″ – 54″ 2
60″ 3
72″ – 95″ 4
96″ – 108″ 5

If you would like to discuss Universal Air Knife Mounting System, Air Knives or any EXAIR compressed air product, I would enjoy hearing from you…give me a call.

Steve Harrison
Application Engineer

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