Tag: Line Vac

EXAIR Videos: Where to get them, and how they help

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and when it comes to explaining how our products work, a video may be worth even more. EXAIR has an extensive video library ranging from quick product overviews, to in-depth, step-by-step guides on how to perform maintenance. If there is an application you’re working through, we likely have a video on it!

I find myself using these videos on a daily basis to help explain or demonstrate a particular aspect of an EXAIR product to a customer. It is an invaluable resource for me in my day to day life, and the best part is it is free and available for you 24/7.

You will find many of our videos under the ‘Resources’ tab at the top of our website www.EXAIR.com. From here you can select a product category. If you need to know how to change the shim in a Super Air Knife, or how to increase the conveyance of a Line Vac, you will find all these videos and many more organized here.

Videos on our Industrial Housekeeping products are particularly useful, as preventive maintenance is an important part of keeping them operating like new. Our video on “How to Troubleshoot Leaks with the Chip Trapper Vac” walks you through all the necessary steps to find and fix any leaks, as well as providing part numbers if replacement parts may be needed.

Another great resource is our YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@exaircorporation. As well as product overviews and demonstrations, you will also find non-product related videos, like “How to Use EXAIR’s Cabinet Cooler® System Calculator”, or “Six Steps: How to Optimize Your Compressed Air System”.

We also include video demonstrations in our blogs. If there is a topic you are interested in, you can search our blog. We may well have a video there as well!

Ultimately, we want to make it as simple and easy as possible to use and maintain our products. If you would like to discuss your application, feel free to contact us. 

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Twitter: @EXAIR_AW

A Sketch Can Go a Long Way!

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

There’s an old adage we say quite often, “A photo is worth a thousand words”. This is something we really believe in. We can have an hour-long conversation about your application, and we may think we understand it. But when you send a photo, we see something that wasn’t mentioned, will cause a problem or make implementing our solution easier. Or, we simply don’t get the chance to talk about it.

So sending a photo, troubleshooting or specifying a part of an application can be a bigger help than a conversation! And that works in reverse too! Our team of application engineers are well versed in how our products work and the best installation to get the most out of them! But sometimes it is hard to get across in a conversation! So fairly often I open up MS Paint and quickly put together a rudimentary sketch of the installation of the product! I have two examples below!

Model 9055 EFC controls a Model SF9010SS No Drip Siphon Fed Flat Fan Pattern Atomizing Spray Nozzle

A customer wanted to spray a fine coat of oil on the surface of a part to keep the surface from corroding. The liquid was in a bucket, and they didn’t want to invest in a pump, so we chose a Siphon Fed nozzle. There was one issue. After picking the nozzle, we learned the parts were not equally spaced on the conveyor belt. The problem was if they ran the nozzle constantly they would create a large mess and waste a lot of expensive oil. So, opting to select the No Drip version of the nozzle and implementing an EFC was the best option to get him up and running! The nozzle would close the liquid valve when the compressed air went under 20 PSIG. And that was the job of the EFC. It sensed the parts with the photoelectric sensor and told the integrated solenoid valve to open, turning the nozzle on and spraying the part. Then the logic inside would close the valve, turning the nozzle off after a set timed delay!

This customer wanted to see how everything would go together, so I inserted some images in MS Paint and sent a sketch over! While it’s not the prettiest of sketches, it got the point across. They bought the system and got it up and running with great success!

Model 6084 2″ Alum. Line Vac

This one is more of a troubleshooting sketch. The customer bought a 2″ line vac to attach to the bottom of a hopper and convey plastic pellets to a screw injector hopper. They installed the line vac right to the bottom of the hopper, turned the air on and…. it didn’t work. So they gave us a call and asked for an Application Engineer! During the normal “How is it set up” conversation, we started talking about how the material is presented to the inlet of the Line Vac. Which is when he said it was just coming straight off the bottom of a hopper. If you know how our line vacs work, you know right away what the problem was! The line vacs need to pull in ambient air with the product to provide a good conveyance. So, typically they work the best when the inlet can be vented somewhat to allow for dynamic airflow. However, that doesn’t mean it can be used on a hopper bottom. Another option is that you can make a “Snorkel” of sorts. I threw the photo above together real fast to show my customer how they could use a simple tee fitting to allow the line vac to pull ambient air and the product through the conveyance hose! As a result, the customer made some simple changes using parts they had lying around the shop, and it’s working great now!

As you can see, it’s definitely beneficial to see the application, even in a crude drawing! So, if you have an application where you need a little help visualizing how an EXAIR product can be set up and used, please reach out! We have a full office of Application Engineers waiting to take your phone call, email or online chat to help you get the most out of our products!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
Email: Jordanshouse@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_JS

EXAIR's Threaded Line Vac Family

Advantages of EXAIR’s Threaded Line Vacs

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

EXAIR Line Vacs use a small amount of compressed air to generate a powerful vacuum by a Venturi effect.  The unique design of the generator creates a high velocity of air to create a low pressure on one side and a powerful thrust on the other. The Line Vac can pick up and move solid material from light and fluffy batting to dense, heavy and abrasive material and parts.  They can transfer product horizontally up to 100 feet (30 meters) away and vertically up to 20 feet (6 meters) high.  You can watch a video on the operation of a Line Vac HERE.  Compared to other vacuum or conveying systems, the EXAIR Line Vacs are very quiet, rugged, and powerful. They are exceptionally simple to install and solve many “bucket and ladder”, loading and scrap removal applications. EXAIR manufactures a variety of Line Vacs in different sizes, styles, and materials to best fit your application.

The standard Line Vac is the most versatile product in this family.  EXAIR stocks a wide range of sizes, materials, and styles to target the best solution for moving material.  We have two types of connections, slip-on, hose barb type ends for hose connections and male NPT threaded ends for pipe connection.  EXAIR can swap the connections with a slip-on hose on one end with a threaded connection on the other.  They range in diameters from 3/8” (10mm) up to 5” (127mm).  We manufacture the Line Vacs in aluminum, 303SS, and 316SS; but don’t let that deter you if your need them manufactured in any other type of material.  We have high temperature models that can withstand temperatures up to 900 deg. F (482 deg. C).  These Line Vacs work great in applications for loading plastic pellets in hoppers, discarding scrap pieces, trim removal, and transferring material.  If an operator has to carry a container of dry material and climb stairs, a Line Vac could be a much better alternative.

EXAIR Corporation 3 NPT Heavy Duty Line Vac™ Conveys Plastic Cap Nails.

The Heavy Duty Line Vacs are made from a hardened alloy steel for abrasion resistance.  The generators inside these Line Vacs are more powerful than the standard models; so, that they can also convey heavier materials at higher conveyance rates.  They can reach rates as high as 40 lbs./min. (18.2Kg/min) of material.  With the hardened alloy construction, they are great for sand blasting applications, ceramic, glass and steel shot.  They are manufactured with inlet and outlet connections for ship-on hoses or threaded pipes.  EXAIR stocks the Heavy Duty Line Vacs in the range from ¾” (19mm) to 3” (76mm) for both hose and NPT connections.  These Line Vacs are our most powerful design with great wear resistance.

Both the Standard and Heavy Duty Line vacs can be offered as Threaded Line Vacs which converts the smooth OD for hose slip over to a Male NPT to connect common plumbing fittings to they are both available in a range of different materials: Aluminum, Type 303 Stainless Steel, Type 316 Stainless Steel, and as a Heavy Duty conveyor constructed of a proprietary hardened alloy steel for use in abrasive applications.

Each style of Threaded Line Vac is also available as a High Temperature option. By replacing the traditional o-rings with graphite seals, we’re able to provide a solution capable of withstanding temperatures up to 900 °F!!!

EXAIR Line Vacs are also sold in kit format.  A kit will include a filter, regulator and a bracket.  (A bracket is not sold with the Light Duty Line Vac kits.)  The filter will help keep the compressed air passages inside the Line Vac clean as well as the product that it is conveying.  The regulator is a great tool to increase and decrease pressure as needed to vary the conveyance rates for better control.  The mounting bracket allows the user to securely mount the Line Vac to a sturdy base for support. 

If you have any questions on how our Line Vacs can help save you money give us a call! One of our application engineers will be happy to assist!

Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer

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EXAIR Heavy Duty Line Vacs™ for Conveying Tough Medium

Published on by John BallLeave a comment
Male NPT Threads make permanent and rigid installation into a piping system a breeze.

As an Application Engineer, I get the pleasure of speaking to many companies about trying to find a simple, long-lasting, powerful, but quiet type of transfer system.  They have operators that climb steps to dump bags of material into hoppers above.  Or they need a compact way to remove scrap from their process.  Or, they have budgetary constraints to convey material from point A to point B.  If your company has to tackle any of these issues, EXAIR can help.  The Line Vacs attach easily to standard hoses, pipes, or sanitary flanges.   These inexpensive conveyors are designed to make the process of material conveyance safer and ergonomically better for your personnel.

The Line Vacs use compressed air to generate a vacuum by the Venturi effect.  This unique design generates a high velocity airflow to create a powerful vacuum on on the suction side.  Once the material reaches the throat area of the Line Vac, the compressed air will carry the product the rest of the way to the discharge.  We can reach horizontal distances up to 100 feet (30 meters) and vertical heights up to 20 feet (6 meters) which makes them great for “bucket and ladder” applications.  EXAIR manufactures a variety of Line Vacs in different sizes, styles, and materials.  In this blog, I will cover our most powerful and abrasion-resistant type, the Heavy Duty Line Vacs.

Heavy Duty Family

The Heavy Duty Line Vacs are engineered to move abrasive materials with an increased conveyance rate.  They range from ¾” inside diameter hose size up to 3” inside diameter for hose and pipe connections.  The construction is made from a hardened alloy steel to resist wear from abrasive bulk products like steel parts, sand, glass, ceramic, etc.  The Heavy Duty Line Vac can create a high vacuum level to pick up heavier objects as well as conveying a larger volume of material.  Wjen purchased as a kit, the Line Vac will come with a filter, regulator, and mounting bracket.  These additions provide enhanced, overall value to allow for easier mounting, controlling, and protecting the Line Vac within an application for years to come.  There are no moving parts and which make this a great product to use in rugged industrial applications.  You will not have to worry about any motors or bearings prematurely wearing out.

Threaded Heavy Duty Family

If you need to convey heavy materials like steel shot or abrasive products like ground glass using, the Heavy Duty Line Vac could be a blessing for you.  Not only can they transfer material safely and quickly, but they will also ergonomically help save the backs and knees of your personnel.  For our U.S. and Canadian customers, we are running a promotional ad.  You will receive a 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle, an $88.00 value, for free from now until the end of October 2021 with a qualified purchase online.  If you would like to discuss your conveying application further, please contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We may have a solution for you.

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