Tag: stock

Fasteners: SAE, Metric, Titanium, Stainless. Yes, We Can Accommodate.

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

In a previous life I worked in the metal cutting industry on machines that were all imported to the USA. Every machine we brought in had to have the air inlets changed out to match the NPT ports that most of our domestic customers had within their facilities. This simply made sense, why force someone to change an air fitting or something as simple as that to match the rest of their facility. The option we did not offer was to change all the hardware on the machine to match the rest of the SAE sized hardware and limit the number of tools their staff needed. That didn’t make sense. Well, here at EXAIR we like to do things differently.

There are several companies that I deal with here who always prefer their air inlets be different, whether it be a metric BSP thread or a larger NPT thread, maybe a global thread, or even a special fitting like a taper lock fitting. No matter the needs, as long as it will physically fit on the product, chances are we can offer the fitting that will simplify installation. Even past the installation we like to look forward to the complete ownership of our products. Once a machine is located in a facility, what other types of fasteners are used, what is the rest of the machine tooled with. When working on a machine as a maintenance person or adjusting the operation, not having to struggle with determining which Allen wrench or hex size a bolt is and risk damaging the bolt can be extremely helpful.

Most EXAIR products come from stock with standard fractional hardware. We do offer a number of products with a BSPT air inlet and they are often available with the same expediency as our other stock products, same day on orders received by 2 PM ET that are shipping within the U.S. As mentioned above, we can customize a product with the fasteners of your choice, as long as they pass our design criteria. Some of the most common fastener changes I have seen are converting a Super Air Knife to an M6-1.0 threaded bolt rather than the stock 1/4-20 fastener. There are a multitude of other requests that I recall throughout the years. Some of the most intricate are listed and explained below.


Specialty Hardware

From left to right: M6-1.0 stainless steel bolt, a titanium hex-head bolt, a Hastelloy hex-head bolt, brass hex-head bolt, Kolsterized hex-head bolt, special acorn head fastener, Allen key flat-head bolt. Each of these fasteners has been used within a custom configuration to meet a specific need, whether it be simply to match the metric or SAE hardware in the rest of the machine or to meet the demands of the environment they are going into. The bottom row are, integral star washer nut, serrated safety washer, and spring washer. Each of these has, again, been requested by a customer to meet the design and safety standards they have a requirement for. These are just a sampling of the custom hardware we have used over the years to support our customer base and fill their need with product that meets their standards.

If you would like to discuss custom hardware in a stock product or even a full on custom point of use compressed air product, the Application Engineer team here is ready to help. Contact us and we will do our best to understand what your need requires and offer a solution to fit.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_BF

Sanitizing Applications Using Atomizing Spray Nozzles

Published on by Kirk Edwards2 Comments

As our journeys through the COVID-19 pandemic began, EXAIR was deemed an essential business due to our relationships with critical businesses who are also helping to fight the pandemic and keep our lives as normal as possible. Within our customer base, we are proud to include medical, food, pharmaceutical, and nearly every industry listed by the Department of Homeland Security as critical industries.

EXAIR has seen an increase in assisting end-user customers who have in house sanitizing needs and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) who are producing sanitizing systems or “showers” for their processes and products as demanded by our pandemic circumstances.

Our Atomizing Spray Nozzles, designed to atomize fluids in a wide range of different spray patterns, utilize a small amount of compressed air that mixes with the liquid supply to create a fine mist of atomized liquid. This makes them very effective in applications that utilize expensive paints, oils, or other liquids. Rather than wasting the expensive materials, the nozzle can be set to precisely dispense only what is necessary to achieve a successful application. They are made from type 303 stainless steel.

No Drip Atomizing Nozzle

Atomizing spray nozzles have been critical for customer’s decontamination and sanitizing needs. Most recently we learned they are being used to build an N95 mask sanitizing systems, when the customer needed to replenish their rapidly dwindling supply of atomizing spray nozzles. Don’t forget, we have them in STOCK and ready to ship!

Internal Mix Atomizing Spray Nozzles

Another customer utilizes the Model EF1010SS to perform a dry fogging process inside of residential and commercial rooms to eliminate mold, odors, and pathogens. For them this is a common process, but due to the concerns related to COVID-19 they’ve seen a dramatic increase in business related to pathogen removal. Using a two-step dry fogging process, the solution fills the entire volume of the space to remove any contaminants and prevent against microbial growth in the future. The nozzle provides a fine atomized mist that fills the entire space in a short amount of time. After a physical wipe down of all surfaces, a second solution is applied that prevents future microbial growth.

And yet another customer manufactures decontamination booths for personnel. They’re also noticing an increase in inquiries as companies look to decontaminate their employees upon entering the building. Utilizing (3) of EXAIR’s SF2020SS Atomizing Spray Nozzles, they’re able to spray a decontaminating solution to aid removal of pathogens from their clothing before it has an opportunity to spread around the office.

We are here to help. Let us know if we may help you.

Stay safe,
The EXAIR Team

Not All Suppliers Are The Same

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

Just last week I received a package on my front porch.  This was a replacement part for a tool which I purchased used, knowing it needed the part.  The trick is, I needed it a few months ago.  I ordered the part from the manufacturer directly on July 2, 2015.  This part was said to be in stock and would ship to my home from their location which was also in the United States.  I heard good things about the company and I bought the tool with confidence I could have the part and the tool fixed quickly. I thought, no big deal I will get it within a week, fix it, and then use it.

After not receiving a shipping notification and nothing showing up at my door for two weeks I decided to call the company.  I finally got hold of a customer service representative after I had to wade through the automated phone attendant.  The person explained that they had in fact received my order and they would try to ship it out the next day so watch my email.   Well, the next day came and when it was nearing the end of the day I decided to call in again since I had still yet to receive a shipping confirmation.  This time I got in touch with a different customer service rep who explained there had been a fire in their warehouse and that nothing was shipping that day or even that week.   The fire didn’t happen that day, it had happened over 2 weeks prior to that.   Instead of notifying me when I placed my order, or even when I called in the first time I was simply told incorrect information.   I gave them the benefit of the doubt and after discussing the issue the customer rep. told me they are doing their best to get items lined up and out as quickly as they can.  It should only be a few more weeks.

I accepted the explanation and began the waiting period.  a few weeks came and I received a back-order notification in the mail, still no notification of any sort stating they are not shipping any products out.  Few more weeks and another post card.   After the third post card I had almost forgotten about it.  Finally I received an e mail, my item had shipped.  Two days later it was on my porch and packed like any other shipment.  No explanation for the delay, no apologies, and as if it was just normal business for them.

I ordered the part on July 2nd,   I received the part on October 13th.  Needless to say, the quality is good but the customer service communication is fairly lacking.

I began to think about what we do at EXAIR, and came to the realization that if something like this had happened here we would have sent out an E-News, a simple e-mail, tell customers who call in, and other forms of communication to every last customer that had an order in and we would be notifying every customer that was placing new orders.  We would be up front with the information and we would not hesitate to apologize for the inconvenience.   We have had disruptive incidents in the past which we handled this way, this is just good business etiquette.  This goes hand in hand with the fact you speak to a human when you call in to our office, all stock products (and we stock it ALL) ship same day on orders received by 3 PM ET when shipping in the US, and we will give you updates via e-mail or phone however you prefer.   Then to top it all off, we will give you a 30 day guarantee and a 5 year built to last warranty on pneumatic parts.

30 Day Guarantee
30 Day Guarantee

So if you want to be informed, treated right, get the products you need in a timely manner, and get your problem solved, you have zero reason to go with anyone else.

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

 

Excellence Is Not An Act, But A Habit

Published on by Dave WoernerLeave a comment

“We Are What We Repeatedly Do. Excellence, then, is not an Act, But a Habit”

In my twitter feed I often see the aforementioned quote that is attributed to Aristotle. As this blog points out, the quote should really be attributed to Will Durant author of The Story of Philosophy, because it is his interpretation of what Aristotle would have said if he spoke English. While writing this blog I found out Aristotle didn’t really write the quote. In retrospect, clearly he didn’t write, if he did it might look something like this “Είμαστε Τι επανειλημμένα Do. Αριστείας, τότε, δεν είναι μια πράξη, αλλά μια συνήθεια”, but I digress.

Working with customers, resellers and catalog houses, I’m amazed at the different company cultures. Some customers will come to me six months before a project comes up to talk about the applications. They ask us for drawings, specifications, and certifications for the products that we recommend for their applications. They want to analyze all possible scenarios and plan for every eventuality.  These customers greatly appreciate our fully loaded knowledge base and availability of technical information.

Other customers call me for a quote and confirmation. They spent some time online, downloaded a CAD model and created a working plan, but before they pull the trigger, they want to run it by someone else. These customer greatly appreciate the fact that the phones are answered by human beings and we have a fully staffed Application Engineering department with engineers who are always eager to discuss applications and possibilities.

Finally, we have the customers, who I never spoke to before that need a product NOW and are willing to do anything to get. Shipping companies love these customers, because we have our products on the shelves ready to ship, but it will cost you air freight and a flux capacitor to get it there yesterday.

 

At EXAIR, our culture expects excellence. And no matter the kind of customer who contacts us, we know you are all trying to achieve it too – we are just trying to help. When our customer calls in to ask for something yesterday, we will already have it on the shelf ready to go. Unless it is a custom product, our production staff has already machined, built, and tested our product to our excellent standard.  I’m constantly amazed at the effort and continued excellence put out by customer service, engineering, marketing, and production. When the customer calls in to ask for product yesterday, 99.98% of the time I’m able to say that the shipment will be at the dock waiting for the shipping truck by 3:00 PM EST. We can typically do that without an extraordinary effort, because we practice excellent customer service everyday. It’s a habit we are not trying to quit.

Dave Woerner
Application Engineer
DaveWoerner@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_DW