Because they might be needed in some pretty aggressive environments, EXAIR offers many of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products in a variety of materials. One particular material of construction, however, has two distinct benefits. PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone, for those of us who ruined the grading curve in CHEM102) plastic offers not only superior chemical corrosion resistance; it’s also non-marring. Since EXAIR introduced the first PEEK Super Air Nozzle in 2005, they’ve been specified all over the world; sometimes for their corrosion resistance; other times so they won’t mar or scratch sensitive surfaces…and every once in a while, for both.
I recently had the pleasure of discussing blow off applications with the production manager of a large anodizing & plating company. The chemicals used in these processes are extremely corrosive, and the equipment used in those areas has to be made of something that’ll handle it. PEEK plastic is just such a material. Also, once they’ve treated their customers’ parts, they need to handle them with care…they’re getting paid a premium to provide nice, shiny parts with a perfect finish. When they’re blowing them off, they need to use something that won’t scratch up the surface if the operator makes incidental contact with the blow off tip. Again, PEEK plastic is just such a material. Since their existing blow offs were fitted to 1/8 NPT connections, they chose the Model 1102-PEEK Mini Super Air Nozzle.
EXAIR’s PEEK Super Air Nozzles can be mounted in place or on a Safety Air Gun, depending on your needs.
Just the other day, not far from here, a demolition crew at a shuttered factory and a local homeowner got this message, loud & clear, when the crew inadvertently cut into a still-pressurized compressed air cylinder. It launched, like a missile (an apt description, given the fact that real missiles operate on this exact same principle) some 1,500 feet, across the neighborhood, and into the bedroom of a house, three blocks away. Here’s what the local news reported on it:
Now, before you go turn your air compressor off and vent your system, let’s look at just a couple of other incredible dangers we place ourselves in close proximity to every day:
Driving a car: I came to work this morning in a 3,500lb mass of metal, plastic, and glass, hurtling at speeds of up to 65 miles per hour (that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.) This would be an insane thing to do, were it not for:
*The engineering, design, and maintenance that makes the vehicle safe to operate,
*The training, experience, and periodic re-licensing required to maintain driving privileges,
*The upkeep of roadways, bridges, traffic signals, etc., and
*The monitoring and enforcement of traffic safety measures by our law enforcement officers.
Operating electrically powered devices: if you’re reading this on a computer screen, you’re likely surrounded by objects that are connected directly to 120 volts of alternating current electricity. That stuff will stop your heart. Thank goodness all that current is contained, isolated, and grounded to keep it out of our bodies, even when we have to touch the controls to turn those devices on & off.
Food: Don’t even get me started on the hazards of ingesting plant & animal product that used to live outside and was processed for transport hundreds, or sometimes thousands, of miles away. It’s a wonder any of us have made it this long. Well, except for the development and rigorous implementation of food safety and sanitation practices & policy.
Working with compressed air is no different. A typical plant compressed air system will operate at about 100psig. That literally means that there is ONE HUNDRED POUNDS OF FORCE being exerted on EACH AND EVERY SQUARE INCH of the inside of the pipes, hoses, tanks, etc., in the system. If you don’t keep it under control, you can have some serious problems. Fortunately, there are simple, straightforward, and easily accessible ways to do that.
This is not going to be a comprehensive guide, but let’s start with:
Design: Your piping and components have to be the proper pressure rating. We’ve got some good piping information on our website. Also, keep your vehicle well maintained, periodically check your electric devices for frayed cables, and look at your meat packages’ labels for a USDA stamp and “use by” date.
Our Compressed Air Piping web page is a valuable resource for safety AND efficiency (left.) Don’t rely on smell or color; package labels are your best indication of food safety (right.)
Controls: Make sure you’re using your compressed air safely. OSHA Regulation 1910.242(b) governs the use of compressed air when used for cleaning purposes…it limits you to no more than 30psi of downstream, static pressure at the discharge of your blow off device. EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products comply with this regulation, by design. Also, watch your speed on the highway, don’t plug too many strands of Christmas tree lights in to one outlet, and always cook chicken to an internal temperature of at least 165F (73.9C)
EXAIR Super Air Nozzles are fully OSHA Compliant – certificate available upon request (left.) Your power strip and Christmas tree light strands should both be labeled with their amperage ratings. Check these to make sure you don’t overload the circuit (right.)
Personal Protective Equipment: Any time you’re working with compressed air, you should be wearing eye protection and using appropriate chip guards to keep flying debris from coming back at you. Certain applications may require more safeguards…check with your compliance coordinator or supervisor to make sure. Also, don’t shift out of ‘park’ without your seat belt fastened, take care to unplug any appliance before servicing it, and don’t skimp on a decent pair of oven mitts if you plan on making a lot of baked goods.
EXAIR Safety Air Guns can be fitted with Chip Shields for OSHA Compliance (left.) Oven mitts come in all shapes & sizes – it would be illogical to reach for that lasagna without them (right.)
EXAIR has been making quiet, efficient, and safe compressed air products for 34 years now. If you ever have any questions about the safe use of compressed air, give us a call and ask for an Application Engineer. No; compressed air isn’t safe, in and of itself…but it CAN be used safely…and that’s the important part.
Open air lines and homemade blow offs violate OSHA standard 1910.242(b)because of harmful dead end pressures. In 1972, OSHA established Standard 29 CFR 1910.242(b) requiring that the outlet pressure of an open pipe, nozzle, air gun, etc., when used for cleaning purposes, must remain below 30 PSI with the intent to protect workers from serious injury. They determined that when dead-ended against the skin, if the outlet pressure reached 30 PSI 0r higher, it posed a risk of entering the bloodstream through the skin. This is commonly referred to as an air embolism – a serious condition which can be life threatening. Once air has entered the bloodstream, it can restrict the free movement of blood throughout the body, disrupting normal heart function, leading to abnormal heart rhythm, possible lung or brain damage, cardiac arrest, stroke or possible death.
OSHA explains that you can use compressed air for cleaning purposes, as long as the outlet or source is fitted with some type of relief device that drops the outlet pressure to below 30 PSI if dead ended. There are basically two ways to go about gaining compliance. The first is to regulate the operating supply pressure to less than 30 PSI, assuring that the outlet pressure doesn’t exceed the threshold. While this does comply with the Standard, it can negatively affect the performance by reducing the strength of the outlet flow, limiting the usefulness of the blowoff device.
The other method is to use some type of nozzle which includes a pressure reducer or a relief device which will reduce the air pressure to less than 30 PSI if the nozzle is dead ended.
For example, EXAIR engineered air nozzles are designed so the outlet holes cannot be blocked directly. Any potential obstruction of the outlet air holes results in the air having an alternative exit path to avoid injury to operators and personnel.
With our Super Air Nozzles, the air exits through a series of jets, recessed behind an array fins so the exhausting airflow can never be blocked.
With the design of our Super Air Knife, the cap overlaps the body, leaving a gap on both sides of the knife, allowing the exhausting air to safely vent.
Picture of the Super Air Knife, showing how the cap overlaps the body and cannot be blocked, providing a safe exit path.
ALL of EXAIR‘s engineered products incorporate these principles, providing some type of relief, allowing for the air to safely vent well below the 30 PSI requirement, meeting and in many cases, exceeding the OSHA Standard.
To discuss how EXAIR can help you gain OSHA compliance to improve operator safety, avoid costly fines and improve overall efficiency, contact an application engineer for assistance.
The Stay Set Hose is a popular, and practical, accessory for use with many of our blow-off products. Thread one end onto a compressed air supply connection, thread a Super Air Nozzle (or maybe even a small Air Amplifier or short Air Knife) onto the other end, and you’ve got an easily repositionable blow off…which will reliably hold its position.
That last part was of considerable importance to a caller I had the pleasure of assisting recently. Some of the CNC machines in their shop were fitted with flexible plastic tubing (commonly used for coolant & cutting fluid,) supplied with compressed air to blow off chips & debris from the tooling as the parts were being machined. They use our Super Air Knives in other blow off processes (where they used to use costly & loud open blow off devices,) and wanted to see if engineered products might reduce their compressed air consumption & noise levels in the machine shop too. (spoiler alert: Yes, they can.)
Thing is, they really needed the flexibility of the modular hose, but it’s not rated for the pressure supply required for a Super Air Nozzle. This is what makes our engineered products so efficient; they use the Coanda effect to amplify the compressed airflow..and they use the supply pressure to do that. So they can’t install a Super Air Nozzle on what they have now.
Enter the Stay Set Hoses: They’ll bend to direct the nozzles’ air flow right where you need it, and they’ll keep it there until you bend it again. Which (back to what’s most important to this caller) is exactly what they needed. With our efficient & quiet Super Air Nozzles, they’re saving compressed air and improving the conditions of their work environment. With the Stay Set Hoses, they’re able to quickly & easily rig the air flow before running a job, knowing they won’t have to worry about it until the job’s done.
EXAIR Stay Set Hoses hold their position as long as you need them to. All day, every day.
“Set it and forget about it” is a benefit you can realize from many EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.
