Tag: problem solving

Another Piece To The Puzzle

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

With having three young children, puzzles are a very popular item in my house.   Whether it is a wooden puzzle where you are matching different color fishes into their corresponding recess on a board, or maybe a classic Rubik’s Cube that I will get half way through solving when one of my daughters wants to help mess it up.  (Which I absolutely love to help them do because I watch their face as they turn each side and it is simply a look of pure joy and amazement. No matter the case, the puzzles always get solved and then they are guaranteed to be done again.

Cabinet Cooler

Here at EXAIR, I look at nearly every application I come across as a puzzle.   Sometimes, we have the exact piece that has a precise place and fit.  This could be a Cabinet Cooler System to cool and overheating electrical panel.  More often than not, it’s not that easy.  We spend a good margin of our time creating a picture in our head of what the customer’s application is and we try to find that missing piece to the puzzle that will complete their needs.

This is one of the great things about the Application Engineering Department here at EXAIR, each one of us has a very diverse professional background and very different life experiences which permits us to cover just about any scenario you can throw at us.  If one of us hasn’t experienced it, there is a good chance we have someone outside of our department who has and we will bring them in on the problem solving.  It’s not too uncommon for certain applications to even make it into the eyes and ears of the President of EXAIR due to his extensive background with many industries.

The point is, if we can’t figure it out, we know who to ask, if they don’t know, we’re going to try our hardest to get you the right product to fit your needs and exceed your expectations the first time. If not, we honor a 30 day guarantee on stock products and will take the product back so you know that we have exhausted all options.   We’ve even been known to call former customers back when we come out with new products that will fit their needs we weren’t able to meet.

30 Day Guarantee
30 Day Guarantee

If you think you have a hard to solve compressed air application, contact us.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer Manager
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Line Vac Solution For Fiberglass Application

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment

150200

Recently, I worked through a project with an end user in the UAE in need of a more viable material transfer system. As a manufacturer of fiberglass liners, they developed a need to convey a mixture with properties similar to cement approximately 10’ vertically. At the end of this conveying distance is a hopper, situated atop a machine used to mix the compound needed for production.

Presently the material is transferred from a small storage silo to the hopper by hand, but such a setup has proven to be insufficient and time consuming. After working with the end user to determine the bulk density of the material and the required conveyance rate, it became apparent that a single Line Vac would not have sufficient transfer capabilities to keep up with the demand. However, if two Line Vacs could be run in parallel, our solution became much more feasible.

By installing two 150200 Line Vacs to move the material, the end user is expecting to meet the needs of production, and to transfer the material into the hopper at a more productive and efficient rate. In this application the need is for non-continuous material transfer at a high rate, so the parallel Heavy Duty Line Vacs provided a perfect solution.

EXAIR products and staff are in place to provide solutions. If you have an application problem, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXARI_LE

Is My Static Eliminator Working?

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Winter is settling in on us, slowly but surely, here in Cincinnati. As I write, it’s 39F and overcast outside…not nearly as harsh as it’s going to get, come mid-January. With the dropping temperatures comes a decrease in humidity levels, especially inside, where our heaters inconveniently rob our air of its moisture content. This leads to chapped lips and dry skin for us, and a higher propensity for static charge to build up on non-conductive surfaces. It’s then that we find ourselves at the onset of “Static Season,” when the volume of calls regarding our Static Eliminator product line (and, hopefully, sales of said products) increases.

A good number of those calls come from existing users, too, which is great, because we’re genuinely interested in problem-solving, and making sure that folks get the most out of our products. A popular question is, “How do I know if my Static Eliminator is working properly?” There are a few ways to determine this:

The easiest, quickest, and most sure-fire way is to measure the actual level of static charge, “before and after,” with EXAIR’s Digital Static Meter. It’s a convenient, hand-held, battery-operated instrument that indicates the surface voltage and polarity when held 1” away from the object.

Another easy and quick method to check for proper operation of a Static Eliminator is to sniff for the presence of ozone near the device’s emitter point(s). With the compressed air source turned off (for safety, of course, but for no small measure of comfort as well), you’ll be able to smell the distinct odor of ozone – it’s been described as pungent, sweet, or metallic. It’s the same smell around your copy machine after a load of copies.

If you’re handy with a multi-meter, you can also check for proper voltage at the emitter point(s). We have a step-by-step guide to show how it’s done; contact an Application Engineer to get a copy.

If any of the above trials point to a problem with your Static Eliminator, the step-by-step guide also walks you through the procedure for a thorough cleaning of your device. Additionally, we’ve made some handy videos that we hope will help too:

Ionizing Bar Cleaning & Maintenance

Ion Air Gun Cleaning & Maintenance

Even with a properly functioning Static Eliminator, there may be installation or operational issues that are limiting its effectiveness. If this is the case, give us a call…like I said before, we’ve got a genuine interest in problem-solving, and we’re eager to help.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
(513)671-3322 local
(800)923-9247 toll free
(513)671-3363 fax
Web: http://www.exair.com
Blog: http://blog.exair.com/
Twitter: twitter.com/exair_rb
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/exair

Adjustable E-vac and Vacuum Cup Solve Lifting Problem

Published on by Neal RakerLeave a comment

Sometimes small problems can present a significant challenge for those in industry who are charged with carrying out the business of their enterprise. Following is one such small example provided by our Australian distributor.

The customer works for a materials testing lab. One of their daily tasks is to perform compression strength tests on a variety of materials. The material is normally in the form of a cylinder and can weigh anywhere from a few kilos to 20 kilograms or more. The problem lies in how to handle them as the material is smooth in nature and is obviously heavy.

In their search for a solution, the customer came to our distributor with the idea of using a vacuum generator and a vacuum cup arrangement to pick up on the cylinder’s flat surface. Following are some photos of the rig that the customer set up in their lab.

Rig assembly

Sandstone Lifting Rig2

The customer was happy to report that the Adjustable E-vac and a 6″ diameter vacuum cup will certainly benefit their manual handling procedures in the lab. Having the right tool for a job sure does make the job easier to complete and less stressful for those who have to perform the tasks.

If you have a small problem or even a big one for which you think EXAIR products can help you, please let us know. Call us, e-mail us or perhaps even hop on the Live Chat to discuss your application with us in real time over the Internet. Or you can contact one of our world wide distributors yourself. Send me an e-mail to find out the distributor in your area.

Neal Raker
Application Engineer
nealraker@exair.com