Maximizing Efficiency in Material Handling: EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Line Vac and the NEW Ultra Duty Line Vac

In industries where moving abrasive materials is a daily necessity, reliable and heavy-duty equipment can make or break operational efficiency. EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Line Vac has long been a trusted solution to such challenges, and with the introduction of the Ultra Duty Line Vac, the bar has been raised even higher.

In this blog, we’ll explore the capabilities of the Heavy Duty Line Vac, and introduce the cutting-edge Ultra Duty Line Vac.

The Ultra Duty Line vac Conveying Glass Media

The Heavy Duty Line Vac is a compressed air-powered conveyor designed to tackle demanding material handling tasks. Engineered to move abrasive materials over extended vertical and horizontal distances, it outperforms standard Line Vacs with significantly boosted throughput—over 50% higher in many cases. Its hardened alloy construction resists premature wear, making it ideal for transporting materials like steel shot, garnet, metal chips, or sand, which would quickly degrade ordinary aluminum or stainless steel conveyors. Available in sizes ranging from 3/4″ to 3″, threaded or unthreaded, the Heavy Duty Line Vac seamlessly integrates with standard hoses or NPT threaded pipes, offering versatility for various applications. The Heavy Duty Line Vac is maintenance-free, with no moving parts or electrical components, ensuring safety and reliability in harsh industrial environments. Its ability to handle tough materials while maintaining low noise levels and eliminating electrical hazards makes it a go-to choice for industries ranging from manufacturing to agriculture.

2″ Heavy Duty Line Vac (left;) the new 3″ model (right.)

Building on the success of the Heavy Duty Line Vac, EXAIR introduced the Ultra Duty Line Vac this month, a game-changer for applications involving highly abrasive materials. This conveyor is optimized for wear resistance, offering unmatched durability and performance. Like its predecessor, it’s constructed from a hardened alloy, but its design is fine-tuned to handle even the most demanding jobs for extended periods by adding in a highly wear-resistant ceramic media wear plate. The Ultra Duty Line Vac moves high volumes of material with the same ease as the Heavy Duty model but with enhanced resistance to abrasion, ensuring a longer service life.

If you think a Heavy Duty or Ultra Duty might be a fit for your application, please let us know. Reach out to an Application Engineer, and we can help get you the right product.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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Sanitary Flange Line Vac for Hygienic Material Transfers

The Sanitary Flange Line Vac was developed out of repeated requests from customers in the food, pharmaceutical, and dairy industries. For years, we built custom versions when applications called for hygienic connections, but the demand grew to the point where it made sense to make them a standard, stocked product.

This style of Line Vac uses ISO 2852 sanitary flange connections on both the intake and the outlet. These connections are common in clean-in-place (CIP) environments where systems need to be taken apart quickly for washing and sterilization. The design uses a sealing gasket between the flanges, which is compressed by a clamp to create an airtight seal. This allows the system to be disassembled, sanitized, and reassembled with minimal downtime—critical in industries where cleanliness is non-negotiable.

Constructed from 316 stainless steel, the Sanitary Flange Line Vac provides excellent corrosion resistance while maintaining the same performance as our smooth or threaded Line Vacs. For applications requiring even more power, the internal generator holes can be drilled to match the performance of our Heavy Duty Line Vacs.

Machine builders and end-users benefit from having a conveying solution that integrates directly with their existing sanitary piping. Whether you’re conveying powders, granules, or bulk ingredients, the Sanitary Flange Line Vac installs seamlessly into a system designed to meet stringent hygiene standards. It eliminates the need for adapters or makeshift connections, saving both time and hassle during installation and maintenance.

As with all Line Vacs, these units are powered by compressed air. There are no motors, no moving parts, and no maintenance. The result is a reliable, durable conveying solution that’s built for environments where cleanliness and compliance are top priorities.

A recent example involved a food manufacturer that needed a hygienic way to reclaim spilled rice from their process floor. By installing a Sanitary Flange Line Vac, they were able to automate recovery, keep the area clean, and maintain compliance with their wash-down requirements.

The Sanitary Flange Line Vac is a specialized tool, but one that solves real problems for food, pharmaceutical, and dairy applications. By offering it from stock, EXAIR makes it easy to upgrade conveying systems with a product designed for efficiency, safety, and the strict hygiene requirements of your industry.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

New Product: Ultra Duty Line Vacs™

To continue growth, EXAIR manufactures new products to either expand an existing line or to capture new markets. In this blog, I will cover the new Ultra Duty Line Vacs. When it comes to moving bulk materials with compressed air, EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Line Vac has long been the go-to choice for demanding applications. Its hardened alloy construction resists wear and delivers impressive conveying performance. But in some industries, the materials being moved are so abrasive that even the Heavy Duty version eventually shows signs of wear.

The Ultra Duty Line Vacs are designed to handle the conveyance of the most abrasive materials.  The bodies are made from the same material as our Heavy Duty Line Vacs, but we added a ceramic insert.  The ceramic material offers even more resistance to wear.  The overall length is a bit longer to accommodate this insert, but the flow rate, distance, and conveyance rates are the same. 

We currently offer them in 1 ¼”, 1 ½”, and 2” for hose connections individually or in kits.  We can offer the vacuum end with a threaded connection if required by adding the letter “E” as a suffix.  The kit versions will include a bracket for the Line Vac, a filter, a regulator, and a coupling kit for the filter and regulator. 

Here are the model numbers and versions that are currently in stock:

Model:                 Description:

170125                  1 ¼” Ultra Duty Line Vac only

170150                  1 ½” Ultra Duty Line Vac only

170200                  2” Ultra Duty Line Vac only

172125                  1 ¼” Ultra Duty Line Vac Kit

172150                  1 ½” Ultra Duty Line Vac Kit

172200                  2” Ultra Duty Line Vac Kit

If you’re dealing with abrasive, difficult materials in your processes, look no further than the EXAIR Ultra Duty Line Vac. They’re available to ship same-day from stock and backed by our unconditional 30-day guarantee.  Now through October 31st, you’ll receive a FREE 1122 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle as a promotion with the purchase of any EXAIR Line Vac with qualified orders.  If you need help with your application or to determine which product would be the best solution, EXAIR has Application Engineers to help you out. 

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

Air Operated Conveyors: Promotional gift!

If you’re performing any type of manual transfer of raw material in your processes, it might be time to take a closer look at EXAIR Air Operated Conveyors, or Line Vacs. The Line Vacs are designed as an ideal solution for the transfer of bulk materials from one point to another. They have no moving parts to wear, are very compact and easy to install, remove safety concerns, and do not require maintenance.  I will cover the many selections that EXAIR currently offers. 

Air Operated Conveyor

The Line Vac can move large volumes of material over long distances with just a small amount of compressed air. The compressed air is injected through directed holes that produce a vacuum on one end and high-volume output flows on the other. The Line Vacs are manufactured in several different materials and sizes, and with a few different options for connection style.  Adjusting the flow of material is extremely simple and can be controlled by regulating the air pressure upstream of the Line Vac.

Lightweight and durable aluminum is the most popular choice, but we make them in stainless steel (Types 303 and 316) for heat and corrosion resistance. For extreme heat, the High Temperature option affords protection to 900F (482C) in either 303SS or 316SS.

Standard Line Vacs are offered with a smooth inlet/outlet designed to be used with any smooth-bore conveyance hose. These Line Vacs are offered in aluminum sizes from 3/8” (10 mm) up to 5” (127 mm), and in 303 and 316 stainless steel from 3/8” (10 mm) up to 3” (76 mm).  Clear PVC conveyance hoses are available for 3/8” (10 mm) up to 3” (76 mm) I.D. from stock in 10’ (3 m) increments up to 50’ (15 m).

If you’d rather use rigid pipe, Threaded Line Vacs are also available directly from stock. With identical performance to the standard Line Vac, the Threaded Line Vacs are offered with NPT threads on both the inlet/outlet in sizes ranging from 3/8” NPT to 3” NPT in aluminum, 303, or 316 stainless steel.

For higher conveyance rates and abrasive materials, EXAIR offers Heavy Duty Line Vacs in the same manner as our standard or threaded units but are constructed from a hardened alloy steel. The Heavy Duty Line Vacs are offered with both smooth and threaded connection styles from ¾” (19 mm) up to 3” (76 mm).  The Heavy Duty Line Vacs are ideal for media that is abrasive in nature or for applications requiring higher conveyance rates over longer distances.

The Ultra Duty Line Vacs are designed to handle the conveyance of extremely abrasive materials.  The bodies are made from the same material as our Heavy Duty Line Vacs, but we added a ceramic insert.  The overall length is a bit longer to accommodate this insert, but the flow rate, distance, and conveyance rates are exactly the same.  This ceramic insert is placed where the conveying material hits the surface on the exhaust side, making it more durable and longer lasting.  We currently offer them in 1 ¼”, 1 ½”, and 2” for hose connections.

For applications where you only need to convey small volumes over short distances or particularly lightweight materials, our Light Duty Line Vacs would be an ideal solution. The Light Duty Line Vac is available in sizes ranging from ¾” (19 mm) to 6” (152mm) and consumes a bit less compressed air than the standard and heavy-duty versions. This style of Line Vac is only offered in aluminum construction and for use with smooth-bore hose.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Sanitary Flange Line Vac. The Sanitary Flange Line Vac is the best method for conveying materials in systems that require frequent or mandatory cleaning.  Utilizing ISO 2852-compatible clamp-style sanitary flanges, they can be easily removed from the system for periodic sanitization. These are offered in sizes ranging from 1-1/2”(38mm) up to 3” (76mm) in 316SS construction from stock.  They are ideal for applications in the food and pharmaceutical industries.

If none of these stock Line Vacs suit your process, we still have more options!! Custom units are available with varying styles of flange connections; Hybrid NPT threaded/smooth units can be done with stock components, we’ll even manufacture in special materials. At EXAIR, we take pride in offering custom solutions for customers that may require something just a little different from what is readily available on the shelf.

If there’s a process in your facility that could benefit from a product like the EXAIR Line Vac, act fast! Now through October 31st, you’ll receive a FREE 1122 2” Flat Super Air Nozzle as a promotion with the purchase of any EXAIR Line Vac with qualified orders.  If you need help with your application, EXAIR has Application Engineers to help you out. 

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