Tag: Line Vac

NEW Product Spotlight: Ultra Duty Line Vac For Abrasive Conveying

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

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.

Enter EXAIR’s Ultra Duty Line Vac.

By incorporating a ceramic insert and a modified generator design, the Ultra Duty Line Vac dramatically extends service life when conveying extremely abrasive materials. The performance matches our Heavy Duty Line Vac, but its wear resistance is considerably greater. This makes it THE ideal solution for the toughest conveying challenges.

Why Ceramic?

Ceramic is known for its exceptional hardness and abrasion resistance, far greater than even hardened metals. By placing a ceramic insert at the critical wear points inside the Line Vac, we’ve created a conveying solution that can stand up to continuous service in applications that would rapidly erode other materials.

The Ultra Duty Line Vac shines in situations where the conveyed material is harsh on equipment. Examples include:

  • Mineral & mining products – Silica sand, alumina, crushed glass, garnet
  • Foundry & metalworking – Steel shot, grit blast media, cast iron chips
  • Ceramic & stone processing – Ceramic powders, crushed stone, tile dust
  • Recycling & waste processing – Shredded electronics, glass cullet, ground rubber with embedded fibers
  • Plastics manufacturing – Filled compounds containing glass fiber or mineral additives

In agriculture, conveying bulk solids can also mean dealing with abrasive materials. For example, certain soil samples, especially those with high quartz or sand content, can be unexpectedly harsh on equipment. The Ultra Duty Line Vac is an ideal solution for laboratories and field operations that need to move these samples quickly and reliably, without accelerated wear.

The Ultra Duty Line Vac is available in (3) sizes: Model 170125 (1-1/4”), Model 170150 (1-1/2”), and Model 170200 (2”). Each is also available in a kit configuration, which includes a mounting bracket, air filter, and pressure regulator for a complete, ready-to-install solution.

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.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer/Intl Trade

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

Sanitary Flange Line Vac Improves Rice Recovery Process for Food Manufacturer

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

In food manufacturing, process efficiency and cleanliness are absolutely critical. I recently worked with a customer in the food industry who processes and packages rice for large-scale distribution. Like many processors, they had an area of the facility dedicated to reclaiming excess or spilled product during transfer, but the method they were using was far from ideal.

For years, their team had been manually collecting the spilled rice from a transfer chute and returning it to a hopper using scoops and buckets. Not only was this time-consuming and labor-intensive, but it also posed potential contamination risks. Any time you’re dealing with open product and manual handling in a food facility, the door is open for quality issues.

The customer came to us looking for a more streamlined solution that could eliminate manual handling and improve process control. After evaluating the layout and requirements, we recommended our 2” Sanitary Flange Line Vac (Model 161200-316). Designed with Type 316 stainless steel sanitary flange connections, it was a perfect fit for their wash-down environment and met the necessary hygienic standards.

Once installed, the Line Vac was mounted to a short section of flexible tubing that connected directly to their recovery bin. It now continuously pulls excess rice from the catch tray beneath the transfer line and sends it directly back to the hopper.

The result? A safer, cleaner, and far more efficient process. What used to take one or two operators several hours throughout the shift is now handled automatically. It reduced labor costs, improved their ability to maintain a clean facility, and made the entire operation more consistent.

Whether you’re moving powders, granules, or in this case, rice, EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vac provides a reliable, easy-to-integrate conveying solution for food-grade applications. If you’re still using buckets and scoops to move product from Point A to Point B, it might be time to see what a little compressed air can do for your process.

EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange (and all other styles of Line Vac) are available to ship same-day from stock with an order received by 2:00 ET. They are backed by our unconditional 30-day guarantee. If your processes involve manual transfer of bulk materials, I would wholeheartedly encourage you to give one a try.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

The 30-Day Guarantee Gives You Confidence.

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

When you make a purchase, you want to have confidence that the solution that you’ve spent money on is going to work. With many of the applications that we discuss with customers, the solutions are tried and tested. If your electrical panel is getting too hot, then an EXAIR Cabinet Cooler is exactly what you need. If there’s static on your assembly line, a Gen4 Static Elimination product is the way to go. And if you need to blow off excess water from an extruded pipe, a Super Air Wipe is the perfect fix.

There are plenty of situations where the solution isn’t clear-cut. We believe our products can make a difference, but with so many variables, it’s impossible to just plug everything into a formula and predict the exact outcome. The only way to know for sure is to test. That’s where EXAIR’s 30-day unconditional guarantee comes into play. Every one of our cataloged products is covered by this guarantee. Once you buy one of these items, you have a month to really test it out; change the angle, tweak the operating pressure, or swap out shims. If you manage to find the right setup to fix your issue, awesome! If not, we’ll gladly take it back and give you a full refund! The only thing you need to cover is the shipping to return it to us.

A great example of where testing is key is our Line Vacs. There are several factors to consider: the bulk density of the material, its size, whether it’s abrasive, the desired conveyance rate, and the distance for conveyance – both vertical and horizontal. By using the data we’ve gathered from our controlled in-house tests, we’re going to be able to give you a solid recommendation on which model will suit you best. However, to truly understand how our Line Vac will perform with your specific material and operational conditions, it needs to be put through its paces at your facility. When you buy from us, you get 30 days to try it out risk-free.

At EXAIR, we want to ensure you are getting the best possible solution. Our 30-day unconditional guarantee is one way that we make that a reality. If you would like to discuss how our products can help with your application, give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Using EXAIR Products for “The Old One-Two Punch”

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

In boxing, there are five basic punches, and they’re commonly called out by numbers so that trainers can instruct boxers rapidly during the development of fundamentals. It’s also useful for them in real live bouts, where overly complicated plans can lead to defeat….former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson famously said, “everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” Those five basic punches are:

  • #1: The jab. Just like it sounds, this is a punch thrown directly forward with the lead hand. In many combinations, it’s the first punch thrown (that’s why it’s #1).
  • #2: The cross. This is a more powerful punch thrown with the back, or dominant, hand, and gets its power from the torque & rotation of the boxer’s body, when thrown correctly.
  • #3: The lead hook. This is an even more powerful punch than the cross. Its power comes not only from rotating the torso (like the cross) but also by pivoting on the lead foot to get the hip & shoulder involved. Because of the unbalanced and relatively unguarded position it leaves the boxer in, it’s riskier than a jab or cross, and oftentimes reserved for situations where the boxer sees an opportunity to score a knockout blow. If that plan doesn’t work, Mike Tyson’s famous quote above may very well come to fruition.
  • #4: The right uppercut. This is another devastating punch, thrown by the boxer’s dominant hand (assuming they’re right-handed) in an upward motion to contact the opponent’s head or body. If it connects to the chin or solar plexus, there’s a good chance the opponent will end up on the mat. It has to be thrown while the boxer is in close with the opponent, which gives the opponent the option to deal a devastating blow as well.
  • #5: The left uppercut. Same as above, but thrown with the boxer’s lead, or less dominant hand (again, assuming they’re right-handed.)

Because it generally leaves the boxer in a better defense position, the “one-two” combination is by far one of the most used moves in the ring. The term has even found its way into the popular vernacular, meaning two things that happen in rapid succession that lead to the desired outcome.

For the purposes of today’s blog (as the title suggests), I’m going to use it to describe an application where a customer uses two EXAIR products: a Model 1006SS Back Blow Air Nozzle, and a Model 6082 1″ Aluminum Line Vac in conjunction with each other.

This particular customer uses the Back Blow Air Nozzle to blow out the injector bore of an engine cylinder head assembly.

EXAIR manufactures three sizes of Back Blow Nozzles: our Model 1008SS Atto Back Blow Air Nozzle (left) is 0.2″ in diameter and can be used in 1/4″ to 1″ inside diameter holes, channels, etc. Model 11006SS 1/4 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (center) is good for 7/8″ to 4″ inside diameters, and Model 1008SS 1 NPT Back Blow Air Nozzle (right) is used for 2″ to 16″ inside diameters.

Thing is, they don’t want the debris flying all over the place. We considered a Chip Shield on the 1/4″ pipe extension that the Back Blow Air Nozzle was threaded onto, but since they insert it vertically from above, that could allow for debris to fall back down onto the assembly, and possibly right back into the injector bore, or one of the other openings on top. Instead, they opted for a Line Vac to vacuum the debris away as the Back Blow Air Nozzle blew it out of the hole.

While Line Vacs are primarily used to convey bulk material from one place to another (left), or to remove scrap trim (center), they’re also well suited for this application. Compressed air (1) enters the annular plenum (2) and is ejected at a high velocity through a ring of jets (3). This draws a vacuum on the inlet (4), creating a conveyance flow of air to carry whatever’s entrained in that flow through the outlet (5).

Engineered compressed air products have a multitude of advantages in applications like this. They’re durable & reliable. They have no moving parts to wear, or electrical components to burn out. They can operate continuously if needed, or they can be cycled on & off rapidly with no ill effects. If you’d like to find out how EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products can help your operation, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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