Tag: vacuum

I Pick Things Up & I Put Them Down

Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

This past weekend in Columbus, OH was a sporting event hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger.  This event has many aspects of it and this past weekend was the first year where spectators were not permitted due to the COVID-19 risks and scares.  The caterer for the event had already prepped all of the food to prepare for thousands of people so instead of donating locally, they connected with head chefs in Nashville, TN to create a “tailgate extravaganza” to try and lift the community up after the recent tornado and storms ravaged the area and demolished homes as well as communities.  The Arnold still happened, with participants only, they were all, “Picking Things Up and Putting Them Down.”

Arnold Sport’s World Record Lift

Seeing these giant athletes perform deadlifts always reminds me of the EXAIR Adjustable E-Vacs and how they are used frequently to pick things up and put them down.  When determining the correct Adjustable E-Vac I always like to start with the shape, weight, and surface of the part.  This is how I determine which vacuum cup can be utilized.  The good news is as a customer, the choice doesn’t have to be made alone, that is why the Application Engineering team is here, we’ll help you determine which vacuum cup will suit the given application.

These are all examples of how an E-Vac pick-and-place system is just a solenoid valve away from automation.

Some of the factors we use to determine the suction cup is listed out below.

Is the lift going to be a vertical cup lift or a horizontal cup lift?  This means is the face of the cup vertical, picking up a box from the ground by the sides, or is it going to be horizontal where the face of the cup sits horizontally over the part.

For a vertical cup face, if lifting the part up vertically then a bellows cup will not be suitable and something with a cleat will be needed due to the rigidity of the cup to help keep the cup and part stable.  The bellows may collapse due to the weight of the product, where the cleats will interface with the part and create a solid connection to aid in the lift.

For a horizontal cup face, if lifting the part up vertically then a bellows cup would work ideal in the event the surface is uneven.  Maybe one end is slightly taller, in this scenario, a bellows cup would help the cups to all seal to the surface and still be able to pick up the item.  These cups are also thinner to help adapt to an irregular surface on the part or to help keep suction if the part deforms upon being picked up. The bellows is not recommended for rather heavy objects as the bellows may collapse under extensive load and cause the cup to lose suction.

Talking about the weight of the item, this also becomes a major factor as each cup has a maximum lifting weight and that is determined by the surface area of the cup as well as whether it has cleats, bellows, or just a plain cup.  Our goal when sizing the cups to the parts is to ensure they are going to engage the surface in a solid secure manner that makes the lifting rig safe and stable to use.

For example, take a look at this solar lens manufacturer who utilizes many EXAIR products in this pick and place operation.

If you would like to discuss your Adjustable E-Vac, Vacuum Cup, or heavy lifting, please contact me.

Brian Farno
Application Engineer
@EXAIR_BF
BrianFarno@EXAIR.com

 

The 2020 ASF Media Room – Arnold Sports Festival, 2020 – https://www.arnoldsportsfestival.com/visitor-info/media/

 

Heavy Duty Pneumatic Vacuums: EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Dry Vac

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

Are you tired of not being able to pick up your heavier material with your current vacuum? Is your material abrasive, does it have a high bulk density? Are you tired of your electric vacuum constantly burning up its motor? EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Dry Vac system is engineered with the power to vacuum heavy materials, materials with high bulk densities. It’s material resists abrasion from the harshest of debris, like garnet, glass, tumbling media and steel shot. This system has no moving parts which means no motors or bearings that can fail on you.

The Heavy Duty Dry Vac requires only 68 SCFM at 80 psig of compressed air to operate. Using a hardened alloy construction for the vacuum generator gives the system an increased resistance to abrasive material including sand and blasting material. Depending on your application and the volume of material you need to vacuum we provide 3 different sizes, 30-gal, 55-gal, and 110-gal.  

Heavy Duty Dry Vac in operation

The design of the Heavy Duty Dry Vac allows the system to be mounted on your own drum and has a 0.1-micron filter bag installed on the center of the drum to allow air to escape and keep the material inside the drum. The enlarged size of the filter bag allows it to last longer before needing to be cleaned and/or changed out. Under the lid EXAIR has design features to aid in lowering the sound level down to only 82 dBA.

The Heavy Duty Dry Vac system comes in three different kits; these kits are the Standard, Deluxe, and Premium systems. The basic kit come with the Vacuum generator, the lid, and a lock ring to seal the lid onto your drum. The kit also includes the filter bag, 10’ Static resistant hose, and the aluminum chip wand. The basic system is everything that you need to get started with your own drum.
The Deluxe system Includes everything that the basic Heavy Duty Dry Vac system comes with but adds a few items: A magnetic tool holder, a 2-piece double bend wand, 12” floor tool, 11” crevice tool, 24” crevice tool, a skimmer tool with a detachable brush, and a 3-1/2” diameter bust brush with conductive bristles. All of the tools that come in the Deluxe system are of Aluminum construction. This system also adds the drum dolly to make it easier for you to move the system around.

If you do not have your own drum the Premium system includes everything Deluxe system does except adds a drum. Each Drum vac system comes in one of the 3 sizes listed.
For more information on EXAIR’s Heavy Duty Drum Vacs or any EXAIR‘s 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.

Cody Biehle
Application Engineer
EXAIR Corporation
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Custom Air Amplifiers: Customization to Fit Your Needs

Published on by codybiehleLeave a comment

EXAIR’s line of Air amplifiers can be found in thousands of applications across the world from everything as simple as blowing parts off to exhausting fumes. The Air Amplifier comes in two different styles either the Super Air Amplifier or the Adjustable Air Amplifier. Super Air Amplifiers come in a stock Aluminum Body with a diameter that ranges from ¾” to 8”. This differs from the Adjustable Air Amplifier which comes in either type 303 Stainless Steel or Aluminum and are Sized from ¾” to 4”.

Super Air Amplifiers are supplied with a .003″ (0.08mm) slotted air gap which is ideal for most applications. Flow and force can be increased by replacing the shim with a thicker .006″ (0.15mm) or .009″ (0.23mm) shim. Model 120028 is supplied with a .009″ (0.23mm) air gap. A .015″ (0.39mm) shim is available for Model 120028.

    Even though there is a wide variety of sizes and materials for the Stock Air Amplifiers they don’t always match a customer’s specific need or application. Over the years EXAIR has produced a slew of different custom Air Amplifiers for a customer’s specific need and the following are just a few of what we have done.

    • Depending on the environment certain specific materials may be required like the food industry which requires specific Stainless Steel for various applications. One customer had a special PTFE plug made for the Adjustable Air Amplifier to help pull a sticky material through the process. The PTFE helped prevent the material from depositing on the inside diameter of the Amplifier.
    • For applications where mounting may be an issue, special attachments have been made to assist. For instances where an Amplifier may need to be mounted to a pipe, we manufactured a custom Stainless-Steel Adjustable Air Amplifier with class a 150 raised face flange.
    • Applications that are in a hot environment may require a special high temperature version which has be developed to operate in areas up to 700°F. The High Temperature Air Amplifier was so widely sought after that we turned it into a stock item.

    No matter what your application is EXAIR is capable to work with you to create custom solutions for your application. Whether you need a different material, size or shim thickness, EXAIR is able to meet your requirements. These Air Amplifiers represent only one of our many product lines that can be custom made to your specifications. 

    For more information on EXAIR’s Air Amplifiers or help with customizing any of EXAIR‘s 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.

    Cody Biehle
    Application Engineer
    EXAIR Corporation
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    When To Use The High Lift Reversible Drum Vac vs. The Reversible Drum Vac

    Published on by Brian FarnoLeave a comment

    One of my favorite TV shows growing up was Home Improvement with Tim Allen. One of the most memorable parts of the show was when Tim’s character would always state that when doing a job you need … MORE POWER!!!

    In real life and within a production environment this is not always true. More often than not more power equals waste and inefficient use of the resources at hand. I know, I sound a lot like Tim Allen’s counterpart in the show, Al Borland. Well, the truth is, Al was usually right.  Here at EXAIR, we offer two different types of Reversible Drum Vac, the standard unit and the High Lift RDV.

    The Reversible Drum Vac System converts a drum and dolly into a mobile pumping system.

    The standard RDV will pull up to 96″ of water column when in suction mode. This is ideal for water-soluble coolants or other water-based rinses. The unit is paired with a 10′ vacuum/discharge hose to ensure optimal performance. The RDV will fill a 55-gallon drum with water in 90 seconds or less when operated at 80 psig inlet pressure. It will then empty the same drum even faster by discharging liquid at up to 166″ of water column displacement. To do both of these operations, fill or empty the drum the RDV will utilize 19 SCFM of compressed air. This is easily supplied within most industrial applications where that amount of compressed air usage can be overlooked.

    EXAIR’s High Lift RDV makes cleaning out pits up to 15′ deep easy and fast.

    If Binford manufactured a compressed air liquid vacuum, it would be the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac. This is the, “More Power” version of the RDV and can pull up to 180″ of water column when in vacuum mode. This can pull water-soluble coolants up to 15 feet below grade for those large machining centers that sit over the top of a coolant pit or those large footprint machines where a 20′ hose is needed to reach into and around the parts of the machine to where the coolant or liquid is housed. Another application would be for oil-based coolants or other petroleum-based oils/higher viscosity fluids. This will still discharge liquids at 166″ of water column when in positive displacement. The unit will outperform its predecessor and that comes with higher utilization of compressed air. While operating at 80 psig inlet pressure the unit will consume 43 SCFM of compressed air. This volume of air is still easily located within most industrial environments and is still less than the amount demanded by competitive units that do not offer the reversible feature of the High Lift Reversible Drum Vacs.

    When it boils down to it, the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac will perform every task of the standard Reversible Drum Vac and will perform the vacuum portion of those tasks all faster due to the higher level of vacuum. When this higher level of vacuum isn’t needed, when the sump is at ground level and the coolant or liquid is around the viscosity of 50 weight motor oil or thinner then the standard RDV will work ideal for the application and would be the most efficient method to get the job done. When the liquid is higher viscosity or below ground level trying to pull it up out of a pit then the High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is the ideal tool to get the job done. Again, Al Borland had it right, more power is not always needed, sometimes it is better to keep it efficient.

    If you would like to discuss your liquid vacuum application or any point of use compressed air application, please contact us. (Heck, I’ll even talk about Home Improvement if you are a fan too.)

    Brian Farno
    Application Engineer
    BrianFarno@EXAIR.com
    @EXAIR_BF

     

    Best of Home Improvement so 1 eo01 More Power – @shary h – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ts9UONUMlCg