Tag: lens blow off

Vac-u-Gun With an Application.

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

The Vac-U-Gun is capable of both vacuuming materials and operating as a blow gun.  It has a unique design that has a reversible generator to allow modes to change simply and easily.  In this blog, I will go over the Vac-u-Gun and an application to show how versatile this product is. 

EXAIR’s Vac-U-Gun is a low-cost solution to a wide variety of smaller industrial housekeeping problems. The Vac-U-Gun is made from a durable die-cast construction and has no moving parts to replace or wear out. In addition to being easy to use, the Vac-U-Gun is also more efficient than the commonly found blow guns. By injecting a small amount of compressed air, a vacuum is then produced by a Venturi on one end and a high output flow on the other.  Switching from vacuum mode to blow-off mode can be achieved in just a matter of seconds. To change the direction of flow, simply remove the threaded cap at the end and change the orientation of the generator inside.

The Vac-U-Gun is available by itself, or as a system in one of three different kits. The model 6192 Collection System has the Vac-u-Gun, a reusable bag, a crevice tool, a brush tool, a skimmer tool, and two extension wands.  The model 6292 Transfer System has the items in model 6192 plus a 10-foot (3 meter) vacuum hose.  Model 6392 All Purpose System has all the items in both systems. 

The extension wands are 19” (48 cm) long and can be used to help to reach the floor or into tough areas.  The tools and extensions are made from plastic to help clean electrical panels safely.  The vacuum hose can reach refuse containers to collect recyclable debris.  As a blow-off tool, the Vac-u-Gun uses very little compressed air and has an amplified output of 12 times that of the compressed air usage.  So, a large volume of air can help clean quickly.

To share an application, an optical company that made lenses had 14 workstations for quality checks.  They had a model 6392 All Purpose System at each station.  Prior to the start, they would use the Vac-u-Gun to clean the surfaces.  They would do this periodically to keep the surface clean.  They also use it at the end of the workday to clean their clothes to not have any fine glass that may be attached.  The photos below show a couple of workstations.  They used the vacuum bag to capture the glass material that was being vacuumed.  The high volume of surrounding air that the Vac-u-Gun could pull, helped to clean all surfaces quickly and quietly. 

If you’re looking for a versatile gun that can help boost productivity in a number of applications within your facility, like the lens manufacturer above, look no further than the Vac-U-Gun.  In the U.S. and Canada, EXAIR offers a 30-day unconditional guarantee to try.  You can see for yourself how effective the Vac-u-Gun systems are.  If you have any questions, an Application Engineer will be able to assist you. 

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

Photo: eyeglasses-fashion-glasses-1846595.  Pixabay license. 

I Love A Good Commercial

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

I watch an awful lot of television. I always have. I grew up in the 1970’s, and I can STILL remember the sixth sense that my friends and I seemed to possess, regarding the imminent air time of our favorite shows. We could be engaged in the most epic Friday evening whiffle ball game EVER, but a few minutes before 8pm, we all became acutely aware that The Incredible Hulk was about to come on, followed by The Dukes Of Hazzard. Throughout the week, our games might be called on account of weather or darkness, but on Fridays, they’d be called on account of Lou Ferrigno (The Hulk) and Catherine Bach (Daisy Duke.) It’s entirely likely that this was triggered by the subtle reinforcement of having viewed a short advertisement earlier in the week, shown multiple times, just to make sure it stuck:

For the record, we didn’t watch Dallas an awful lot.  We got sent to bed right about then.  In retrospect, I’m glad.

In the present age of Digital TV and programmable DVR’s, I honestly don’t watch too many shows when they’re actually being aired. And with the fast forward function, I don’t catch too many commercials, except when (much to my wife and sons’ chagrin) I back up to see if I might be interested in. And yes, it’s usually food or vehicle-related. I’m usually in the mood for a cheeseburger, and…don’t tell her…but I may be purchasing a pickup truck very soon.

But I digress. I got to thinking about the effectiveness of commercials when I had the pleasure of discussing a blow off application with a caller recently. He was looking for a way to keep the lens of laser sensors clean…there are three sensors located inside his machine, and they are used to check & control the exact positioning of precision machined parts. As good as they are at doing so, just a little bit of coolant spray on the lens will have a pretty bad effect on their operation. When he started describing the sensor to me, I knew exactly what he was looking for, because I’d seen something just like it in a “commercial”…

These Press Releases can all be found in our Media Center.
These Press Releases can all be found in our Media Center.

OK, a Press Release, actually. Now, this is the Model HP1126SS 1” High Power 316SS Flat Super Air Nozzle, which was needed for the aggressive, high temperature environment in which this photo was taken. He didn’t need all that, so he went with the Model 1126 1” Zinc Aluminum Flat Super Air Nozzle, which has more than enough force & flow to blow off a little coolant mist, and is perfectly suitable for use around water-based solutions.

When I showed it to him, he agreed that it was exactly what he was looking for. I feel bad that I neglected to tell our Marketing folks how easy they made it for me to solve this application until now…but they totally rocked it. Thanks!

Our Application Engineers work with them to publish Press Releases, Newsletters, Case Studies, Application Database entries, and more, on a regular basis. I encourage you to check out our Media Center and Knowledge Base (registration required, but it’s free and easy) to get an idea of the full range of our abilities to solve your compressed air product applications. We can start there, and if you ever have any questions, give us a call. We’re eager to help.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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2” Flat Super Air Nozzle Keeps Lens Clean

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

camera lens1Camera lens with 1122

Many times we will be contacted by clients who provide vision inspection systems for a variety of industries. These companies are involved in applications to inspect everything from part conformance to product counting to processes to filling applications.

In the first photo above a customer had their vision inspection system set to inspect the filling of a powder material into its container. The problem is that the fine, dusty nature of the product would cause a small cloud to form near the filling point which would end up settling onto the lens area. Over time, so much build up would occur that the vision inspection system was rendered useless.

The customer had a small air jet set up as shown in the photo on the left, above. The problem with their air jet was that it did not provide full coverage across the width of the lens and allowed dust to still settle there. You can see it in the photo. After the customer contacted us and described the situation and the size of their lens, we recommended model 1122 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle with the thinnest shim available which is .005” thick.  The 2″ Flat Super Air Nozzle was able to provide an airflow that covered the full diameter of the lens and blast any debris away. In the end, they removed the homemade small air jet assembly and simply blew air across the lens with EXAIR’s nozzle. See photo on the right above.

Vision inspection cameras, lasers, and sensors are found in a variety of dusty and messy environments. Inspection systems on filling lines, sawing applications, weighing machines and grinding applications are just some of the notoriously problematic processes. If you are involved in a process that has trouble keeping the vision inspection lenses clean, the 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle is a great way to mount an engineered solution that won’t run you out of house and home on your compressed air usage. And best of all, it actually does a good job. If your application is slightly bigger, smaller, dirtier etc., EXAIR’s unmatched selection of nozzle and blowoff products can likely provide a solution.

Neal Raker, Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com