Tag: pharmaceutical

Gen4 Ion Air Jet Solves Labeling Issue For Pharmaceutical Manufacturer

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

We’re watching football again on the weekends (and on Monday, and Tuesday, and apparently Friday this year?) which means cooler fall temperatures are quickly approaching.

Static electricity is something that we talk about often here at EXAIR, particularly during the colder winter months. When an atom gains or loses an electron from its outer shell, it becomes electrically imbalanced. A material’s propensity to either gain or lose an electron is “ranked” on a list known as the Triboelectric Series. Static Electricity is generated in a few different ways: contact static build up, detachment static buildup, and frictional static build up.

Detachment static build up occurs when a material is in contact with another and these two surfaces separate from one another. During the separation, not all of the electrons are able to get back to their original molecule. This results in an instantaneous static charge as the electrons are transferred from one object to another in accordance with the Triboelectric Series. Due to the large surface area in most detachment static buildup scenarios, the amount of static generated is typically far greater than contact static buildup.

One of the most common types of detachment static buildup occurs as material separates from a roll. This typically occurs at a high rate of speed and the large surface area across the width of the roll presents an ideal situation for static buildup. This charge can cause the material to stick to itself and not come off the roll properly, creating issues down the line. This was exactly the case for a recent customer pharmaceutical company, manufacturing medicine used in the pet industry.

In many labeling processes, detachment static can build up to the point where it causes issues with label application. The label may not adhere to the container properly or the labels can stick to rollers or itself and cause operators to shut down the machine to fix. This leads to increased downtime, lost production, and excess waste in the process.

The solution was to install one of EXAIR’s Gen4 Ion Air Jets to saturate the labels with static neutralizing positive and negative ions. This quickly eliminates the charge (can neutralize 5kV in as little as 0.3 seconds) and stops the issues they were noticing with production. With much colder temperatures right around the corner, this was a welcome addition as the problem was going to quickly get worse as humidity decreases during winter.

Don’t wait until the problems associated with static return to seek out a solution. Contact an EXAIR Application Engineer for help discussing your process and how we could be of benefit to you.

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD

316SS Sanitary Flange Line Vacs™

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

The Sanitary Flange Line Vacs™ are an excellent way to convert pipe systems into conveying systems for moving “sensitive” materials.  This would include materials in the medical, food, and pharmaceutical industries that require frequent and mandatory washing.  The Sanitary Flange Line Vacs allow for easy disassembly and reassembly for hygienic and bacterial-free cleaning, as well as being made from 316L stainless steel for aggressive cleansers.  As a part of EXAIR history, this product line came from a frequent special that we produced specifically for a variety of customers.  And as a manufacturer, we decided to help other customers in this market by adding it to our product line in a variety of sizes.

Model 161200-316 – 316 Stainless Steel Sanitary Flange Line Vac

The Sanitary Flange Line Vac uses ISO 2852-compatible flanges on both the intake and outlet of the Line Vac.  EXAIR offers them in four different sizes, from 1 ½” (38mm) up to 3” (76mm) in stock.  The performance is the same as our standard Line Vacs, which move product without any moving parts or motors.  This provides a compact and easy-to-use design that will last for a long time.  We can upgrade the generator to a high-power version for increased conveyance rates as well as allowing for moving material over longer distances. 

I wrote a blog about a Line Vac application to remove bones from the surface of salmon fillets: “Let’s go fishing with EXAIR Sanitary Flange Line Vac”.  They had pipes and hoses fitted with sanitary flanges already installed.  Since this application was before EXAIR started manufacturing the Sanitary Flanged Line Vacs, this customer actually welded the flanges on to a 316SS Line Vac and attached it to their system.  With requests for opportunities similar to this, EXAIR was able to develop this new product line. 

If you need to move product where cleanliness is a requirement, the Sanitary Flange Line Vacs may work for your application.  They work great for transferring bulk materials within the food, medical, and pharmaceutical industries.  For U.S. and Canadian customers, EXAIR has a 30-day unconditional guarantee to try these out.  If you have any questions, a Application Engineer will be happy to assist you.   

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

New Product: New Clean room Rated Static Eliminator

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

 

           EXAIR’s new Intellistat® Ion Air Nozzle™ is the latest solution for static elimination in sensitive areas. Like the Intellistat® Ion Air Gun™, this new nozzle provides a lightweight solution rated for Class 5 clean rooms and controlled environments per ISO 14644-1. The Ion Air Nozzle comes equipped with a mounting bracket to assist with remote attachments or bench top assembly for hands-free use. It will reduce 1000 volts of static electricity to less than 100 volts in 0.6 seconds and up to 24” (610mm) away.  The Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle is a comprehensive solution for neutralizing static in sensitive processes like scientific and electronic testing, cleaning medical or pharmaceutical products and packaging, or removing debris from sensitive electronics.

            The compact stainless steel adjustable bracket can easily be installed into a customer’s process.  Hands-free operations that require both hands to package, test, or assemble parts are now possible. The Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle is equipped with an LED indicator to assure proper functionality and employs an EXAIR engineered Air Nozzle to maximize efficiency and meet OSHA requirements for sound level and dead-end pressure. The replaceable emitter point generates both positive and negative ions to eliminate either polarity of static electric charge.  They are made from durable, static-dissipative polycarbonate and feature a non-marring nozzle.  The Intellistat Ion Air Nozzle assures its usefulness in applications such as PCB or electronics manufacturing.

            The EXAIR line of Intellistat products is UL listed and CE compliant, along with the rest of EXAIR’s full line of industrial static eliminators. Shop these, as well as our line of Gen4 Static Eliminators, like our Super Ion Air Knives, Ion Air Cannons, Ion Air Guns, and more, on EXAIR.com. If you wish to talk about your static problems, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We will be happy to help.    

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

Sanitary Flange Air Operated Conveyors – The EXAIR Line Vac

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

The ability to control the flow of materials has been a staple in human civilization since 4000 BCE. This includes the creation of pipes which have appeared as early as 2400 BCE from the Egyptians. These piping systems have since then been improved on to be made stronger, lighter, cheaper,  of various styles, and in a variety of materials. One of these styles is the sanitary flange pipe.

Sanitary flange pipe and fittings is one of the larger milestones in piping innovation. Sanitary flange pipes came about due the stringent cleanliness controls in certain industries such as food and pharmaceutical. Both of these use a highly corrosive and caustic soap to sanitize surfaces and, in most cases, entire rooms. Sanitary flange pipes allow for pipe systems to be taken apart easily so that components can be easily cleaned out on a regular sterilization process, and are generally made of 316 Stainless Steel to withstand the corrosive nature of the cleaning compound.

Type 316 Stainless Steel Line Vac

EXAIR Line Vac Air Operated Conveyors have always been well suited for these applications since the internal components are smooth and can be cleaned out easily and sanitized. They have also been made out of 316 Stainless Steel for years which provides superior corrosion resistance and can withstand most caustic cleaners and oxidants. Type-316 Stainless Steel is the preferred material for many food and pharmaceutical applications. Before EXAIR’s Sanitary Flange Line Vac, we noticed our customers would use the standard smooth Line Vac and weld a sanitary flange onto the ends, or installing adaptors on our Threaded Line Vac.

With that thought we decided to make things easier and developed the Sanitary Line Vac which follows the basic design of the Standard Line Vac and operates with the same performance characteristics. Sanitary Flange Line Vacs come in four sizes: 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”, and 3”. These sizes are the most common sizes for Line Vacs and covers the majority of application needs.

Sanitary Flange Line Vacs in increasing sizes: 1-1/2”, 2”, 2-1/2”, and 3”

If you have any questions about compressed air systems or want more information on any of EXAIR’s products, give us a call, we have a team of Application Engineers ready to answer your questions and recommend a solution for your applications.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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