Tag: ring blower

Super Air Wipes™: Product Overview

Published on by John BallLeave a comment

EXAIR manufactures two types of Air Wipes; the Standard Air Wipe™ and the Super Air Wipe™.  They are designed to blow an airstream in a concentric pattern around the outside of pipes, cables, extruded shapes, hoses and much more.  In this blog, I will focus on the features and benefits of the Super Air Wipes.

The Super Air Wipes are used in applications to blow-off, cool, clean and dry products.  The air is blown in a conical 360o pattern completely around the outside of parts.  EXAIR engineered a Coanda profile to entrain large amounts of ambient air.  This will increase efficiency by using less compressed air and still generate a large force to perform the task.  The Coanda profile is set at a 30o angle to increase the contact area and keep debris away from the portion of the product that has already been cleaned.

The construction of the Super Air Wipes is also unique.  It has a split design to allow for an opening which installs around the material; so, you will not have to break or re-thread the material.  They also use stainless-steel screws and stainless-steel shims.  For diameters up to 4” (102mm), they will come with a braided stainless-steel hose to supply compressed air to both halves.  The stainless-steel components give the units better corrosion resistance, higher temperature ratings, and more durability.

EXAIR manufactures Super Air Wipes with two different body materials; aluminum and 303 stainless steel.  EXAIR stocks aluminum models with inner diameters from 3/8” (10 mm) for wire and cables up to 11” (279 mm) for large pipes and hoses.  The aluminum models have a temperature range of 400oF (204oC).  We also stock stainless-steel models from ½” (13 mm) to 4” (102 mm) inner diameters, and they have a temperature range up to 800oF (427oC).  If you require different diameters or different types of body materials, don’t be afraid to ask.  EXAIR can also make specials.

What can improve the function of the Super Air Wipes?  We offer kits to help get the most out of the Air Wipes.  A kit will include the Super Air Wipe, a filter, a regulator and a shim set.  The filter will remove bulk liquids and debris from the compressed air to keep optimal performance.  The Regulator is used to control the force.  This helps to not overuse the amount of compressed air required for the job.  With a regulator, you can make fine adjustments to get the proper amount of air.  For coarse adjustments, you can add shims to increase the air flow and force.  They are easy to install on the Super Air Wipes to permit applications to have more cooling, faster drying, and better removal of tough debris. 

Super Air Wipe Kit

Here are some additional advantages to using the EXAIR Super Air Wipes that I did not cover.  They are OSHA safe from dead-end pressure and noise exposure.  So, they are quiet.  We placed pre-tapped holes in each half of the body for easy mounting with brackets or attachments.  They do not have any moving parts or require any electricity to operate.  The non-contact wiping actions that the Super Air Wipe can provide help to support cleaning items without affecting the surface finish.  Also, you won’t have to worry about replacing cloth or brushes that will be worn over time and slow down production.

With the creation of the EXAIR Super Air Wipes, uniform cleaning, cooling, and blowing around the outside of parts is a simple task.  You don’t have to worry about a variety of nozzles to target the circumference or make a fabricated blow-off device that will waste air and take a lot of time out of your day.  A simple purchase of the Super Air Wipe is all you need.  You can order them from our website at www.EXAIR.com or call us at 800-903-9247.  If you need help in selecting the proper product for your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR for help.

John Ball                                                                                     

Application Engineer

Email: johnball@exair.com

Twitter: @EXAIR_jb

Buy 1, Get 40 Free

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Buy one, get one free is a phrase many of us are familiar with. Most of the time it is a good thing; we all like free stuff. What would you say to buy one, get 30 free? Or even 40 free? That’s not far off how our Air Knives perform. They entrain large volumes of ambient air, so for every 1 SCFM of compressed air you are paying for, you are getting 30–40 SCFM of additional free ambient entrained air.

So how are our Air Knives able to do this? We explain this phenomenon in more detail in this blog here, but in summary, a Super Air Knife takes advantage of the Venturi Effect. Named after Giovanni Venturi, who found out that when you increase the speed of a fluid through an orifice, the surrounding fluid will move along with it. This creates a region of low pressure, and the faster the speed, the lower the pressure. With low pressure, the air around rushes in to fill that gap and join the airstream. The quantity of ambient air that gets ‘pulled’ into the airstream is entrained air, or free air.

The engineered surface of the Super Air Knife is designed to minimize as much loss in air speed as possible, which maximizes the amount of free air that is being entrained. The ratio between free air and compressed air used is called the amplification ratio. Super Air Knives have an amplification ratio of 40:1, with our Standard Air Knives having an amplification ratio of 30:1. For comparison, a pipe with holes drilled will have an amplification ratio of between 2:1 and 5:1. As you can see, with a Super Air Knife you are getting a much better deal on your compressed air usage.

This additional free air adds more mass, which allows the Super Air Knife to do more work. You will get a harder hitting force than a comparable product while using less compressed air. This makes Super Air Knives especially good for cooling and drying applications, where moving large volumes of air is ideal.

EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air Products such as (left to right) the Air Wipe, Super Air Knife, Super Air Nozzle, and Air Amplifier are engineered to entrain enormous amounts of air from the surrounding environment.

It’s not just our Air Knives that take advantage of the Venturi effect to produce large amplification ratios. Many of our products are designed with efficiency in mind, including our Air Amplifiers, Air Wipes, and Air Nozzles and Jets, to name a few. If you would like to discuss how an EXAIR engineered compressed air product can amplify your process, then give us a call!

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Twitter: @EXAIR_AW

Accessories for Your Compressed Air Products

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

Here at EXAIR we are very proud of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products. We have spent a lot of time discussing their many benefits, including their efficiency, the fact that many have no moving parts, little to no maintenance, meeting or exceeding OSHA safety standards for noise or dead end pressure. One thing we don’t talk as much about is the accessories that go along with and complement our products. Several of these accessory items are the reason why our compressed air products can boast about having little to no maintenance, or reduced noise levels. In this blog I want to cover some of these unsung heroes.

From left to right, a few value-added accessories for your Vortex Tube: Hot Muffler, Cold Muffler, Automatic Drain Filter Separator, Oil Removal Filter, and Solenoid Valve/Thermostat Kit.

Some of the most popular accessories we offer are our compressed air Filters and Regulators. We suggest using these with all our products (or even with ones that aren’t ours).

The Filter Separator is designed to remove moisture, dirt, and rust from your compressed air system. The 5-micron filter element ensures that contaminants don’t clog or harm your compressed air equipment.

An Oil Removal Filter (which should always be installed after our Filter Separator) provides even more precise filtration by getting rid of oil and solid particles with a 0.03-micron element.

Our Pressure Regulators let you choose the operating pressure. At EXAIR, we always advise running at the lowest pressure necessary to complete the task. Pressure Regulators help you achieve that, reducing unnecessary air usage and fine-tuning the performance of EXAIR products for your specific application.

We have some accessories designed specifically for certain products. For our Line Vacs, there’s the Line Vac Hose. You can also find Thermostats and Solenoid Valves that work great with our Cabinet Coolers, and if you’re using Vortex Tubes, we suggest checking out our Mufflers.

When it comes to our Air Knives, we offer a variety of fantastic options:

If you’re looking for a simple and dependable way to mount your Air Knife, our Universal Air Knife Mounting System is just what you need.

If your project needs something longer than our stock Air Knives, or if you want to manage different sections of the air flow separately, our Coupling Bracket Kits are ideal.

And if you want to simplify the plumbing for your Air Knife, don’t miss our Air Knife Plumbing Kits. They’re suitable for all Air Knives that are longer than 24 inches.

If you’re looking for plumbing options, we’ve got a range of compressed air hoses and fittings that will simplify things for you.

Our Coiled Hoses work great with our Safety Air Guns, giving you more freedom of movement while you work.

Our Compressed Air Hoses are often used alongside our Industrial Housekeeping products to provide the necessary reach for the drum and dolly.

Finally, if you’re looking for a way to mount or position your Air Nozzles, check out our Magnetic Bases, Stay Set Hoses, and Swivel Fittings that can help create a complete setup.

No matter what your application requires or the product you need, we’ve got a variety of complementary accessory products that will simplify installation and adjustments. If you have any questions about these or any other EXAIR products, don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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Protecting Precision: Air Wipe Ensures Accurate Measurements

Published on by Tyler DanielLeave a comment

Imagine investing in a high-end laser measurement system, capable of gauging product dimensions down to fractions of a micron, only to have the readings thrown off by something as small as a speck of dust or a thin film of residue. For one of our customers, who specialize in repairing and calibrating laser gauges, this wasn’t just a “what if.” It was a real challenge that needed a reliable solution.

The answer came in the form of EXAIR’s Air Wipe.

In their setup, cylindrical products pass through a laser gauge that verifies their diameter. Any contamination on the surface risks altering the accuracy of that measurement. By installing an Air Wipe just upstream of the gauge, they created a 360° wall of compressed air that strips away residual coolant, debris, or dust. The result is a clean, consistent surface before every scan — ensuring the gauge is reading the product, not the contaminants.

Split ring design eliminates the need for product “threading” through the Air Wipe.

The beauty of the Air Wipe lies in its design. A hinged, split-body housing makes it easy to install around existing lines, while the engineered air gap creates a uniform, high-velocity sheet of air that fully encircles the product. Unlike multiple nozzles aimed at different angles, the Air Wipe eliminates guesswork and guarantees complete coverage without gaps.

This customer chose it for metrology, but the same principle applies across industries:

  • Extrusion lines use Air Wipes to remove cooling water from plastic or rubber profiles.
  • Wire and cable manufacturers rely on them to dry and clean before printing or spooling.
  • Pipe and tubing producers install them before coating or inspection processes.
  • Medical and electronics manufacturers trust them when cleanliness and precision are non-negotiable.

For this customer, the Air Wipe turned a potential weak point in their process into a strength. Instead of worrying about contaminants interfering with measurement, they can now focus on providing precise, reliable results for their clients.

It’s a simple solution that makes a big difference: when the measurement has to be right, start by making sure the surface is clean. EXAIR offers a wide variety of products that utilize a laminar flow of compressed air for cleaning, cooling, and drying operations. Give us a call today to discuss your application!

Tyler Daniel, CCASS

Application Engineer

E-mail: TylerDaniel@EXAIR.com

X: @EXAIR_TD