Tag: metal chips

EXAIR Chip Vac Removes Swarf and Keeps the Machining Center Running

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

The word of the day is “swarf”. Swarf is fine chips or filings of stone, metal or other material produced by a machining operation.

A company had four automatic profile cutting machines to cut aluminum stock.  They contacted me for help to improve their operation.  Each machine had a cleated belt conveyor to remove the swarf (or chips) from the cutting process.  Because the swarf was small in size, the chips could get around the edge of the belt and affect the conveying system.  Two of the four conveyors failed, and they wanted to find a better option to remove the swarf and keep the machines running.  They sent me a photo of the type and size of the swarf that was thwarting their conveying system.

Swarf - fine metal chips from machining
Swarf – fine metal chips from machining

EXAIR receives many calls about applications similar to this. I suggested the model 6193 Chip Vac System.  This assembly will fit onto a standard open-top 55 gallon drum which has a much smaller footprint than the conveying system.  The 0.1 micron filter allows for the air to escape and keep the fine particles inside the drum.  For this customer, once the drum was filled with aluminum chips, it was easy to rotate in an empty drum, sending the full drum of material to recycling.  The vacuum generator has no moving parts which makes it quiet, maintenance free, and long lasting.  It also creates a high vacuum level which was very useful when they attached it near the chip collection area.  The Chip Vac System was easy to install and it was very beneficial in keeping the machining area clean and running.

EXAIR Chip Vac
EXAIR Chip Vac

If you find that your chip conveying system is affecting your operations, you should contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR to see if we have a better and more reliable solution to remove your swarf.

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

Back At Ya!

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

This may not be big news as it happens almost every month.  EXAIR is continuing to grow our product line and this time it is something we have never done before.  This new EXAIR Engineered Solution doesn’t blow debris away, instead, it all comes back towards you.   Why would you want this you ask?  What does this new-fangled contraption look like?  Both of those questions will be answered below.

To answer the first question, why would you ever want debris to come back at you?  Well, this isn’t for just blowing any part or area out, this nozzle has been designed for a special purpose – to blow out pipes, tubes, extrusions, and even some blind holes or pockets.   This is ideal when working on a piping system that you may need to clean out and don’t want to push debris further into the system.   It is a quick and easy way to clean out chips from a saw cut operation for tubing or extrusion.  The nozzle could even be used to clean out cylinders or crank shaft openings on engine blocks.

So what is the name of this new nozzle and what does it look like?

What does it look like already!
What does it look like already!

 

The EXAIR Model 1006SS - Back Blow Nozzle
The EXAIR Model 1006SS – Back Blow Nozzle

This is it, the EXAIR model 1006SS Back Blow Nozzle.   The nozzle features a 1/4″ FNPT air inlet, a 3/4″ O.D. to fit into piping, extrusion, or holes, and two flats which allow for the use of a 5/8″ wrench to install the nozzle.   The nozzle is constructed of 316 Stainless Steel, utilizes  22 SCFM when operated at 80 psig, gives off 80 dBA and is designed for use with 7/8″ to 4″ I.D. pipe, tube, or holes.

The unit will also be available on our Safety Air Guns with Chip Shields to offer cleaning excellence and protection for the operators.  Like all of the stock EXAIR products, this is available with our 30 day guarantee.   So if you are not sure whether this nozzle will work on your application, give us a call, get one in, and put it through the paces.   If the Back Blow nozzle doesn’t meet your needs, simply let us know within 30 days from the date of purchase and we will take it back and provide you full credit.

If you want to discuss this nozzle or any other compressed air application, don’t hesitate to contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

 

Finger Face – Tsahl Levent-Levl , Creative Commons License, Some Rights Reserved

 

 

 

Super Blast Safety Air Gun Blasts Chips Out of Bundles of Pipe

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

This application was a nice and easy one that came in from our Greek Distributor (Technissis Ltd) in Athens.

The end customer produces a variety of copper pipes mainly for export. The diameters range from 6 mm to 105 mm and can be up to 6 meters in length. When cut, chips from the cutting process end up inside the pipes as they are processed into bundles.

Currently, the end customer is using a 2 ft. long piece of ¾” pipe with a valve to blow the chips out from one end to the other. This method proves to be dangerous from health and safety point. The noise produced is quite obnoxious and when in use, the compressed air used is obviously excessive. The pipe is connected to a 25 mm diameter hose. There was no method available to determine how much compressed air was used each time, but the estimate was a rate of about 100 SCFM.

copper pipe blow off

After our distributor made their visit to see the application, they noted that significant improvement in safety, force, flow and noise could be achieved by simply changing out the ¾” pipe with EXAIR model 1213-4 Super Blast Safety Air Gun. The noise dropped to 82 dBA from a previous measurement of 100+ dBA.  The flow required dropped from the estimated 100 SCFM to a known 56 SCFM and the force was regulated to a reasonable 3.2 lbs. of force generated at the target.

1213-4

Part of what the end customer was fighting was an extreme pressure drop over their existing hose. The Super Blast Safety Air Gun was able to resolve this issue to allow for more consistency in the blow off operation.

One last interesting aside was that the 4 individual nozzles of the Super Blast Safety Air Gun would line up nicely with the pipes so 4 pipes at a time could be blown out.

Neal Raker, Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com