Tag: spray coating

June 2025 Press Release: BETE HydroClaw

Published on by Jordan T ShouseLeave a comment

As EXAIR and BETE continue to build on a strong partnership, EXAIR has recently added a selection of BETE products to the site, including the innovative BETE HydroClaw (HC) tank and vessel cleaning nozzle. This clog-resistant design makes it an ideal solution for industries that demand powerful, maintenance-free tank cleaning, such as breweries, wineries, chemical processing plants, or food processing facilities that use small- to medium-sized tanks.

The HydroClaw is an efficient, hygienic cleaning nozzle engineered to allow particles up to 1/4″ in diameter, three times the free passage of comparable spray balls. Large-diameter orifices create heavy straight jets that are dispersed using specially designed deflection cups, and with no moving parts, they deliver consistent cleaning performance while reducing maintenance and downtime. Its low-pressure/high-flow operation quickly cleans tank walls while simultaneously decreasing water consumption. Available at a 360° spray angle in food-grade 316L stainless steel and a variety of standard connection types and sizes. Below is a video showing the HydroClaw in action.

The HydroClaw and many other BETE nozzles are available for immediate purchase. Learn how these and an extensive selection of different liquid and air-atomizing nozzles can enhance the efficiency and reliability of your industrial spray applications by visiting EXAIR.com.

If you have any questions about an EXAIR or BETE product, give an application engineer a call. We are happy to help specify a product or, for more extreme liquid nozzle applications, get a BETE application engineer involved for support.

Jordan Shouse, CCASS

Application Engineer

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EXAIR Atomizing Spray Nozzles For Food Tray Mold Release Agent

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is one of the most common plastics that we see on a day-to-day basis. It’s what they make water and soda (or ‘soft drink’ or ‘pop’, depending on where you live) bottles out of, along with a lot of other products you find on the shelves and in the refrigerated cases of your local grocery store. A couple of times a week, we cook up a nice piece of fish from the seafood counter at our corner grocery: salmon if my wife stops in; whatever white fish is on sale if I do. Whichever becomes that night’s dinner, in any case, is packaged in a PET tray and sealed with plastic film.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with a caller whose company makes those trays. Turns out, they begin life as great big sheets, before they’re cut into smaller rectangles and formed in a mold press. Most anything that’s formed into a shape like that, with force and heat, needs to have some sort of lubricant – called a release agent – applied to the surface to make sure it exits the mold quickly and easily. In ANY molded product application, it’s advantageous to use as little as possible, for two reasons: specialty chemicals like these release agents can get expensive – especially the ones for food, beverage, or pharmaceutical use – and also because any remaining agent will get sealed up with whatever’s getting packaged.

Anyway, my caller’s molding machine came with spray nozzles that, no matter how low the flow was regulated, still sprayed too much. That meant the trays had no problem at all with falling right out of the mold, but the excess release agent was oftentimes causing HIS customer’s plastic film to not seal properly onto the finished food product, and he’d recently gotten an earful about it. He wished there was something he could use that didn’t spray much more than a light fog, because his supplier for the premium food grade release agent he used was always bragging that a light fog was all that was needed. In fact, the supplier actually recommended an EXAIR Model AF2010SS No-Drip Internal Mix, Flat Fan Atomizing Spray Nozzle.

With a flow rate as low as 1.2 gallons per hour, a one-second ‘spritz’ means 0.04 fluid ounces (that’s about a quarter of a teaspoon) gets spread out over the 16″ width of the mold. Which is just enough to let the freshly molded tray fall right out, with almost no residue left over.

When not-much-more-than-a-light-fog is called for, look no further than EXAIR Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles!

Whether your liquid spraying application involves pricey fluids that you don’t want to waste, or if you just don’t want to have to deal with the mess of over spraying, EXAIR has a wide selection of Air Atomizing Spray Nozzles to choose from. If you’d like to find out more, give me a call.

Russ Bowman, CCASS

Application Engineer
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BETE Misting Nozzles

Published on by jasonkirbyLeave a comment

The BETE MicroWhirl nozzles deliver exceptional fine mist or fog, featuring a robust, pinless design that guarantees drip-free operation. Each nozzle is equipped with a 70-micron polypropylene filter, while a 200-mesh 316 stainless-steel filter is also available as an alternative option. A safety wire hole is also available for added security.

The nozzle functions effectively at a minimum pressure of 100 PSI (7 BAR), offering a range of spray options that include mist at lower pressures and fog at higher pressures. The droplets produced are generally small enough for buoyancy to play a significant role, making them appear to float rather than fall. In reality, these particles descend very slowly when there is no upward airflow present.

In 2002, BETE engineers secured a patent for the MicroWhirl fine misting nozzle, which represents a significant advancement in misting technology. Traditional misting and fogging nozzles typically rely on either impingement or air-atomizing designs to generate small droplets. In contrast, the innovative design of misting nozzles employs a swirl chamber to transform fluid head pressure into kinetic energy. This process allows the discharged fluid to break into droplets through centrifugal force. The MicroWhirl nozzles enhance this concept by utilizing a vortex to produce a fine mist, thereby improving both reliability and performance over conventional methods.

Customers trust the MicroWhirl misting nozzles for the finest hydraulic atomization, especially under critical conditions. They are ideal for cooling, humidification and complete evaporation. If you have questions about the MicroWhirl nozzle, or anything regarding EXAIR and BETE products, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Jason Kirby
Application Engineer
Email: jasonkirby@exair.com
Twitter: @EXAIR_jk

Siphon Fed Nozzles for Spraying Without a Pressurized Liquid Source

Published on by Al WooffittLeave a comment

At EXAIR we are primarily known for our compressed air products. However, we do have an extensive line of liquid spray nozzles.  These liquid nozzles fall into two main categories – Air Atomizing and Liquid Only Nozzles. We can further divide the Air Atomizing Nozzles into three more categories: Siphon Fed, External Mix, and Internal Mix. The Siphon Fed Nozzles are going to be the focus of this blog.

It is very common in spraying applications for the liquid to be pressurized. When that isn’t possible, our Siphon-fed nozzles are a great option. This type of nozzle pulls the liquid into the nozzle by creating a vacuum. This vacuum is created thanks to the special design of the air cap. As air flows through the air cap, it creates low pressure on the liquid side due to a venturi effect. These Atomizing Nozzles are capable of drawing liquid from a suction height of 36″ (91 cm) or can be fed by gravity from heights of 18″ (46 cm) or more.

Siphon Fed model

Manufactured out of 303-type stainless steel for durability and corrosion resistance, the Siphon Fed Nozzle comes in three different body sizes: 1/8 NPT, 1/4 NPT, and 1/2 NPT. This will allow for a wide range of possible application flow rates. The maximum liquid flow rate for each body size is managed by the air and liquid cap. These caps can be swapped out easily for each body size, allowing you to change the spray patterns, manage the fluid delivery rate, and minimize downtime when cleaning is needed. You can easily tweak the amount of liquid applied by adjusting the siphon height / or gravity feed height, inlet pressure, and the liquid adjusting valve stem. This way, you can fine-tune the exact fluid amount needed for your process, helping to avoid any waste.

EXAIR Siphon Fed Nozzles work with non-pressurized liquids, either siphoned (left) or gravity fed (right.)

If you would like to reduce waste even further, we also have our No-Drip option. EXAIR’s patented design helps prevent the liquid from leaking out of the Atomizing Nozzles when the compressed air supply is shut off; hence the name No-Drip! When the compressed air is switched off, a valve within the body seals off the liquid side. This is especially useful for sensitive applications, where the No-Drip feature will stop drips that might spoil the finish of your product when not activated.

If you’re looking for a solution to your liquid spray application, but want to avoid liquid pumps or pressure pots, the Siphon Fed Atomizing Nozzle may be right for you. If you would like to discuss your liquid spraying application, I’d be happy to discuss the application with you and make a reasonable recommendation backed up by our 30-Day guarantee.

Al Wooffitt
Application Engineer

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