Tag: PTFE

Custom Pneumatic Conveyors for Unique Applications

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EXAIR’s Air Operated Conveyors, or Line Vacs™, provide an efficient method of converting ordinary pipe, hose, or tubes into powerful in-line conveyors.  To accommodate the wide variety of unique problems, EXAIR has the ability to customize and tailor-make Line Vacs with different specifications.  Certain processes may require customizations like unique sizes, shapes, and materials in order for the product to be a perfect fit for their system.  EXAIR will work in collaboration with our customer to fabricate the best possible Line Vac solution for easy and efficient conveyance.

I worked with a customer to design a special Line Vac.  They needed 3” ANSI 150# flanges on a 3” PVDF Line Vac.  So, we had a special material with special ends to fit their specific needs.  The PVDF with Hastelloy hardware was for chemical resistance, and the flanges would mount into their piping system.  As with many of our Line Vacs, we can turn a normal piping system into a conveyance system for waste, parts, evacuation, or bulk materials.  For this customer, they needed a backup system for a fume hood.  With electrical vacuums and blowers, loss of power or motor failures can cause a momentary lapse in fume removal.  Since the chemical material that was used in the hood was dangerous, they needed a reliable source to extract the fumes.  The Line Vac does not have any moving parts or require electricity.  Line Vacs only use compressed air or gas to make them operate.  For this customer, they attached nitrogen to the special Line Vac to operate when there was a power failure to protect the workers in the area. 

With the EXAIR design, we can alternate connection types.  For example, we can add a threaded end to connect to pipes on one side while having a slip-on end for hose connection.  In situations where the Line Vac requires a specific flange mounting option, EXAIR can accommodate.  EXAIR stocks 316SS Sanitary Flange Line Vacs, but we have done ANSI or DIN flanges as well.  For applications where stock aluminum, 303, or 316 stainless steel won’t work, alternate materials like PVDF, PVC, or PTFE can be utilized.  Even in extreme environments, EXAIR can produce both heavy duty and high-temperature iterations to handle even the toughest materials or conditions.  Other details, like particular hose sizes or pipe threading, can be specified to us.

Stock Line Vac models include standard, heavy duty, light duty, and sanitary flange.  All versions can be customized to meet customers specific needs.  All Line Vacs are CE-compliant and OSHA-safe.  For help solving any specific conveyance problems that you may have, please contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR.  We look forward to your challenge.    

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

Super Air Knives Are Ideal For Super Aggressive Environments

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

Hydrochloric Acid. Sodium Hydroxide. Nitric Acid. Hydrogen Peroxide. Whether you know it or not, these are all commonly used around the house as tile/grout cleaners, drain openers, lawn fertilizers, and disinfectant for cut & scrapes, respectively.

They’re also used in a variety of industrial applications, such as the making of plastics, glass, pharmaceuticals, and wastewater treatment, respectively…all of which also have applications for which EXAIR Corporation’s Intelligent Compressed Air Products provide safe, efficient, and quiet solutions for.

Stainless Steel Super Air Knife Kits include the Air Knife itself, a Shim Set, an Automatic Drain Filter Separator, and a Pressure Regulator. The Air Knife & Shim Set are all Stainless Steel (grade 303 or 316, depending on which is specified) construction.

Consider the Super Air Knife: If you need one that’ll stand up to contact with hydrochloric acid, you’re looking for PVDF construction. Nitric acid is a different story – our 303SS, 316SS construction Super Air Knives are well suited for those applications.

On the other end of the (pH) spectrum, any of those materials are suitable for exposure to Sodium Hydroxide. PVDF is still the best choice, as the Stainless Steels will be subject to discoloration or slight corrosion, depending on the concentration.

PVDF Super Air Knife Kits include the Air Knife itself (PVDF body, Hastelloy C-276 hardware, and PTFE Shims,) a PTFE Shim Set, an Automatic Drain Filter Separator, and Pressure Regulator.

Acids and bases aside, oxidizers are also very corrosive, especially in higher concentrations.  Hydrogen peroxide is a commonly used oxidizer in industries as diverse as pulp & paper, soap & detergent, and water sterilization.  Like other chemicals, compatibility depends on the concentration, but like nitric acid & sodium hydroxide, our PVDF Super Air Knives are still the best, but the Stainless Steel models are still acceptable.

These are just a few, very basic, examples of chemical compatibility.  If you have an application that calls for installing one of our compressed air products in an area where you’re concerned about corrosion, give me a call.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Custom Air Amplifiers for Special Applications from EXAIR

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The EXAIR Super Air Amplifiers and Adjustable Air Amplifiers are used in 100’s if not 1000’s of applications and locations across the world.  For cooling, drying, and cleaning of parts as well as venting and exhausting of smokes and fumes, or dust collection – the Air Amplifiers are sure to get the job done.

The Super Air Amplifiers are made of aluminum and are sized from 3/4″ to 8″ to cover a wide range of applications. Compact and lightweight, no electricity, no moving parts, and instant on/off are just a few of the features.

The Adjustable Air Amplifiers are made of aluminum or type 303 stainless steel and are sized from 3/4″ to 4″, and with adjustable output, provide a wide spectrum of performance.  They have the same great features of the Super Air Amplifier with the added benefit of varying force and flow.

2″ Super Air Amplifier and 2″ Stainless Steel Adjustable Air Amplifier

Even with the wide variety of types, sizes, and materials of construction, a customer may have a special need and there are numerous ways that EXAIR can customize the Air Amplifiers.  I’ll touch on several from the basics to the most complex.

  • The Super Air Amplifiers come with a stock shim that sets the performance seen in the catalog. There are other shim thicknesses available if more or less flow is preferred, and they can be installed at the factory if desired.
  • The Adjustable Air Amplifiers are designed for varying output by turning the plug further in to or out of the body. If there is a performance setting that is preferred, we can test, adjust and set it to meet that performance, allowing to be installed and ready for optimum results.
  • If the use of a special material will increase the benefit of the Air Amplifier, we can explore several options with you. One customer needed an Adjustable Air Amplifier with a PTFE plug to help draw a sticky material through a process and prevent the material from adhering to the surface of the Air Amplifier.
  • For those applications where the Air Amplifier is to be installed into a piping system, custom design with flanged ends can be done. Recent designs include stainless steel Adjustable Air Amplifiers with class 150 raised face flanges, and another with sanitary Tri-Clamp style.

Adjustable Air Amplifier with PTFE Plug, Class 150 Raised Face and Sanitary Tri-Clamp Flanges

  • A special High Temperature version was developed for moving hot air to surfaces requiring uniform heating while in a furnace or oven. This special design is rated for environments up to 700°F and its surface is protected from heat stress by a mil-spec coating process.  This special High Temperature Air Air Amplifier was so popular, it became a standard offering and is in stock!

high temp air amplifier1-1/4″ High Temperature Air Amplifier

For over 35 years, EXAIR has been designing and manufacturing the best performing and highest quality products in the marketplace. If you have a special requirement and in need of a custom solution, we’ve got the experience and history to solve most problems.

If you have questions about Air Amplifiers, custom Air Amplifiers, or any of the 15 different EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product lines, feel free to contact EXAIR and myself or any of our Application Engineers can help you determine the best solution.

Brian Bergmann
Application Engineer
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PVDF Super Air Knives Resist Chemical Exposure

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

When my sons were little boys, I would find myself looking forward to their teenage years, so they’d be more mature and I’d be able to relate to them better. Those of you with older kids may begin laughing now. My thinking was, I distinctly remember being thirteen. What I failed to recall was just exactly how peculiar I appeared to my parents (and they to me), and now, I’ve got the view from the other side.

In the interest of time and good taste, I’ll limit this discussion to the subject of food. I always liked (and still do like) ketchup almost as much as the french fries. Same for the “fixin’s” on a sandwich. In fact, as an adult, I’ve discovered a universal truth, that bacon or peanut butter can be used to improve the quality of ANY sandwich.

My sons, however, don’t feel this way at all. My fifteen year old won’t put anything but cheese (American cheese, at that) on a hamburger, and his thirteen year old brother won’t even do that. Curiously, the older one prefers cheese pizza, and the younger one will eat anything that used to be an animal on his. And neither one will put any sort of condiment or sauce on ANYTHING they eat. If it’s on their plate, it better not “have stuff on it.”

I was reminded of that phrase this morning during a conversation with a caller about an Air Knife application. It will be operated in the fairly aggressive chemical environment of a plating line. We discussed the chemical compatibilities of our different material offerings, and found that the Model 110006-PVDF 6” Super Air Knife was the one he was looking for. The body & cap are PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride,) the shim is PTFE, and the fasteners are Hastelloy© C-276 alloy. It’s impervious to a long list of acids, caustics, and other harsh chemicals that even the higher grade stainless steels don’t stand a chance with.

PVDF Super Air Knives provide superior corrosion resistance.
PVDF Super Air Knives provide superior corrosion resistance.

Our PVDF Super Air Knives provide the same highly efficient and quiet performance as their aluminum, 303SS, and 316SS counterparts – plus you can get a lot more “stuff” on them without damaging them.

Regardless of where you need to install it, or what kind of stuff you might get on it, EXAIR has a Super Air Knife that will hold up in your application. Give us a call, and we’ll find the right one for you.

Russ Bowman
Application Engineer
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