Tag: wire blowoff

Super Air Wipe Vs. Block Type Air Wipe

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When you need to cool, blow off or dry extruded objects there are several options available, however only the EXAIR Super Air Wipe delivers the performance, efficiency and versatility that most applications require!  In today’s blog we will contrast some of the differences between the EXAIR Super Air Wipe and block type air wipes.

The split-ring design of EXAIR’s Super Air Wipe offers easy clamping around the surface of the material moving through it and eliminates the need for time-consuming, cumbersome threading.  While Block Type Air Wipes are also of split design the diameter of the material drawn through it can typically only vary by approximately 1/16″!  In contrast the EXAIR Super Air Wipe is effective on materials that can range in size from approximately half the throat diameter up to within a fraction of an inch on the internal diameter.  This range can be as large as five to six inches in our largest Super Air Wipes.  The key is to ensure the material does not contact the Super Air Wipe.

Mounting the EXAIR Super Air Wipe is a snap, it can be accomplished by using either the 1/4 – 20 tapped holes on the downstream side or by utilizing a hard pipe compressed air supply line.  The access to these bolt holes makes it easy to change out in the event the production line runs several different sizes. If needed the included stainless steel 1/4-20 bolts can also be removed and longer bolts could be installed to mount from either side.

Connecting the EXAIR Super Air Wipe to your compressed air supply is straightforward.  For sizes up for 4″ throat diameter a stainless steel braided connecting hose is supplied pre-installed from the factory and a single 1/4″ FNPT inlet is used to supply the entire wipe.  For the 5″ up to 7″ throat diameter there is a single 1/4″ FNPT inlet on each half of the wipe which would need to be connected with compressed air.  Lastly, the 9″ and 11″ sizes from stock each have two 1/4″ FNPT inlet on each half of the wipe which would need to be connected to provide the appropriate flow for optimal performance.

split design1
EXAIR Super Air Wipe features hinged design for trouble-free threading

Another very important consideration is the temperature of the material you are running.  EXAIR Aluminum Super Air Wipes are rated for temperatures up to 400°F (204°C) with the Stainless Steel models rated up to 800°F (427°C).    Typically, block air wipes are made from delrin or polypropylene with a replaceable wear liner,  unfortunately these materials do not tolerate higher temperatures like the EXAIR Super Air Wipes.

Super Air Wipe extrusion save
EXAIR Super Air Wipe cooling an extrusion, high temperatures are not a problem!

To explain how the EXAIR Super Air Wipes work, reference the animation below: Compressed air flows through the inlet (1) of the Air Wipe into the annular chamber (2).  It is then throttled through a small ring nozzle (3) at high velocity.  This primary air stream adheres to the Coanda profile (4), which directs down the angled surface of the Air Wipe.  A low pressure is created at the center (5) inducing a high volume flow of surrounding air into the primary airstream.  As the airflow exits the slot, it creates a conical 360° ring of air that will attach to the surface of the material running through it (6) uniformly wiping the entire surface with the high velocity airflow.

sawworksani
How The Super Air Wipe Works

While block style air wipes have a  fixed performance because they operate off a series of non-adjustable drilled holes, the EXAIR Super Air Wipe operates off an adjustable shim design.  As shown in the figure above the shim sets the gap opening of the ring nozzle (3).  The stock thickness of the stainless steel shim is .002″ (.05mm), shims can be stacked to provide a coarse adjustment in volumetric air flow.  Custom shim thicknesses are also available to tailor the performance to your needs.   The shim thickness coupled with a pressure regulator gives the Super Air Wipes adjustability from a gentle breeze to remove light debris or provide cooling all the way up to a forceful blast to remove more viscous fluids or provide quick cooling.

The EXAIR Super Air Wipe is 1.13″ (29mm) thick on all (11) Aluminum models that range in size from 3/8″ (10mm) to 11″ (279mm) throat diameter and all (5) Stainless Steel models that range in size from 1/2″ (50mm) to 4″ (102mm).

Super Air Wipe Family Photo

The Aluminum Super Air Wipe is available in 11 sizes 3/8″, 1/2″, 1″, 2″, 3″, 4″, 5″, 6″, 7″, 9″ & 11″; the Stainless Steel Super Air Wipe comes in 5 sizes, 1/2″, 1″, 2″, 3″ & 4″…all from stock!

So when you need to cool, blow off or dry extruded material or need expert advice on safe, quiet and efficient point of use compressed air products, give us a call.  We would enjoy hearing from you!

Steve Harrison
Application Engineer
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Super Air Wipe Vs. Block Type Air Wipe

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Air Wipes, which provide 360 degree blowoff, are typically used to remove heat, liquid, debris or static from wire, cable, pipe, tube, or extrusions.

We had a customer that was using a block type Air Wipe from a competitor to remove water from an extrusion.  These air wipes are built using a plastic material, typically with some additional ceramic insert to resist abrasion of the wire, the halves are hinged with air holes drilled into each half which carries air through the block and on to the wire. They were using these block air wipes on several lines. The interesting point of this blog is that it required 5 block type air wipes to equal the results of 1 EXAIR Super Air Wipe.

Since EXAIR’s Super Air Wipe equaled the performance of 5 of the competitors it consumed less air was less expensive and produced less noise.  Also in space sensitive applications the EXAIR Super Air Wipe is much thinner than the block type.  To highlight this the Super Air Wipe is 1.13″ thick on all 11 models that range from 3/8″ to 11″ throat diameter.   The performance of the block air wipe can only be changed by altering the inlet air pressure while the EXAIR Super Air Wipe can also be changed by adusting the inlet air pressure OR by adding an additional shim the force can be nearly doubled!

Many of these block type air wipes use a series of holes to direct the compressed air supply at an angle over the material that needs to be cleaned off.  EXAIR’s Super Air Wipe being an engineered compressed air product use’s fluid dynamic’s to create more force as demonstrated below. The air from EXAIR’s Super Air Wipes is a continuous 360 degrees, without the gaps a series of holes creates.

sawworksani
How The Air Wipe Works

Compressed air flows through the inlet (1) of the Air Wipe into the annular chamber (2).  It is then throttled through a small ring nozzle (3) at high velocity.  This primary airstream adheres to the Coanda profile (4), which directs down the angled surface of the Air Wipe.  A low pressure is created at the center (5) inducing a high volume flow of surrounding air into the primary airstream.  As the airflow leaves the wipe, it creates a conical 360° ring of air that attaches itself to the surface of the material running through it (6) uniformly wiping the entire surface with the high velocity airflow.

Block type air wipes are generally available in standard sizes up to 7″ in diameter while EXAIR’s Super Air Wipes are available in stock diameters up to 11″ and we also offer custom sizes to suit many other applications.

If you have any items that need to have a 360 degree blowing pattern, I would enjoy hearing from you…give me a call.

Steve Harrison
Application Engineer
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The Case For The EXAIR Super Air Wipe

Published on by Russ BowmanLeave a comment

If you’ve ever used an air gun to blow something off, you’re familiar with the cleaning ability of compressed air.  If you can get the whole object blown off from where you’re standing, there really is no substitute…but what if you need to get to the other side…or sides?

Even if your product is not on fire, you probably wouldn’t want to “limbo” under it with an air gun…

This is where the EXAIR Super Air Wipe comes in…they allow you to blow a continuous, uniform 360° air stream, all around your product.  Consider their benefits:

*Sizes: the Super Air Wipe’s compact ring design means it won’t take up a lot of room; you just need a few inches, in any direction, to install one.  We stock them in eleven sizes, from 11″, all the way down to our brand-new 3/8″ diameter.

*Durability:  All EXAIR Super Air Wipes are assembled with stainless steel shims and hardware.  Models up to 4″ come with a rugged, stainless steel wire braided hose, connecting the two halves for compressed air supply.

The aluminum Super Air Wipe is available in 11 sizes; the stainless steel Super Air Wipe comes in 5 sizes…all from stock.

*Ease of installation:  Smaller sizes can be supported by the compressed air supply line, if a pipe is used and threaded into the connector hose’s 1/4 NPT port.  Larger sizes can likewise be adequately supported with pipe to both halves. All models have a bolt circle of 1/4″-20 tapped holes for more permanent and rigid mounting.  The split ring design is another key feature:

Simply open the two halves, and clamp them around your product…no threading!

*Corrosion resistance: Depending on the environment in which the Super Air Wipe will be installed, we offer them with aluminum (3/8″ – 11″ sizes) or stainless steel (3/8″ – 4″ sizes) bodies.

*Temperature rating: Aluminum Super Air Wipes are good to 400°F (204°C) and stainless steel models are good to 800°F (427°C.)

*Range of operation: We install a 0.002″ thick shim in all stock Super Air Wipes; this is suitable for a wide range of typical industrial/commercial blow off applications…a Pressure Regulator can then be used to “dial in” the air flow precisely to meet specific needs.  If a job calls for higher force & flow, additional 0.002″ shims can be installed.  Shim Sets come with the Super Air Wipe Kits, or individual shims can be ordered separately.

*Performance: Before the Super Air Wipe, a ring of nozzles was commonly used.  In fact, they still are, but we’re trying to fix that, at every opportunity we come across.  Problem with those is, it’s hard to get an even air flow all around, which leads to inconsistent blow off.  They can also be loud & inefficient, as we’ve found in numerous Efficiency Lab tests and Case Studies, like this one…

These wasteful and loud modular plastic tube blow offs…
…were replaced with EXAIR Super Air Wipes. 24 such replacements netted the customer an annual compressed air cost savings of over $13,000.00.

…and this one…

Implementing a Super Air Wipe salvaged a $30,000 job for this customer. Click on the picture to read all about it in our Case Study Library (registration required.)

Do you have a challenging blow off application that you need help with?  Call us to find out how an EXAIR Super Air Wipe (or another one of our Intelligent Compressed Air Products) can be a simple, quick & easy solution.

Super Air Wipe for a Galvanizing Application

Published on by Lee EvansLeave a comment
Wire galvanizing machine
Section of wire galvanizing machine

I saw this machine in the faraway corners of a Thai wire manufacturer’s facility.  The manufacturer galvanizes their wire to protect it from corrosion and physical damage, and after the hot dip process, the wire must be wound.  But, before the wire can be wound, it travels through this machine, which serves as a sort of quality control for the finish of the galvanization.

As the wire passes from bend to bend, it approaches a final stage in which any excess zinc is removed from the OD of the wire, which, prior to my visit looked like the photo below.

Wire galvanizing machine homemade air wipe
This short cylinder with a center hole to accept the wire  is an inefficient, homemade blow off

The performance of this homemade blow off was unrepeatable, and the end user had questions about whether the compressed air was being used efficiently.  To find out, we connected a Digital Flowmeter, and found that this homemade device was consuming twice what a comparable Super Air Wipe requires at the same pressure.

We then connected a Super Air Wipe to find that the blow off was not only stronger, but more uniform from the EXAIR unit.  And, the clamshell design of the Super Air Wipe can allow the installation to occur at any point along the process, without requiring that the wire is “threaded” through the Air Wipe.

If you have a similar application, or one that you think may be candidate for an EXAIR solution, contact an EXAIR Application Engineer.

Lee Evans
Application Engineer
LeeEvans@EXAIR.com
@EXAIR_LE

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