EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping Wet Vacs: The Reliable Alternative to Electric Vacuums

Exair manufactures a variety of Industrial Housekeeping pneumatic vacuum systems for a range of applications with dry or wet materials. We have systems suitable for use with dry materials only, wet materials only, as well as one capable of handling both wet and dry. For the purposes of this blog, I’m going to focus on EXAIR’s systems designed for use with liquids.

The Reversible Drum Vac is a compressed air operated vacuum system designed to quickly attach to any closed head 30, 55, or 110 gallon steel drum. The high-powered vacuum allows you to fill a 55 gallon drum in less than two minutes. With the simple turn of a knob, the stainless steel pump quickly empties the drum as well.

For thicker more viscous liquids (up to 1400 cP) or for when the application requires lifting the liquid from below-grade sumps, our High Lift Reversible Drum Vac is the best option. Operating in the same manner as the Standard Reversible Drum Vac, the High Lift RDV provides the extra power you need to move liquids from below grade work areas, sumps, or tanks up to 15’ deep. Both the Reversible Drum Vac and High Lift Reversible Drum Vac are offered in a variety of different systems both with and without the drum included.

Another system designed to be used with liquids is the EXAIR Chip Trapper. The Chip Trapper solves one of the most dreaded tasks in any machine shop: cleaning out the CNC coolant sumps. Over time, chips and shavings can make their way up into the coolant lines resulting in a clog. The coolant flow slows down or stops entirely, resulting in premature wear of expensive cutting tools, imperfections in the parts, or unacceptable product finish. When this occurs, if it is even noticed right away, the machine has to be stopped and valuable production time must be spent identifying the location of the clog and removing it. Another problem, one anyone working around CNC machines can attest to, is the rancid coolant smell that is a result of bacteria building up in the stagnant cutting fluid. Regularly cleaning this oil can reduce this smell, prevent premature tool wear or costly shutdowns, as well as extend the overall life of your coolant.

Using either a standard or High Lift Reversible Drum Vac to provide the vacuum source, the Chip Trapper and High Lift Chip Trapper are capable of filling or emptying a 55 gallon drum in less than two minutes. It is able to pick up both the liquid coolant as well as any chips or shavings that are suspended in the coolant. The liquid is forced through a filter bag inside of the drum which contains any solid materials while allowing the coolant to filter out into the drum. Switching the knob on the Reversible Drum Vac and the directional flow valve to empty will allow the clean coolant to be pumped back out of the drum and reused.

The Chip Trapper is available in either 30, 55, or 110 gallon systems. It’ll also come with (2) 5 micron filter bags, other filter bags are also available ranging from 1 micron up to 200 micron filtration. Using a simple detergent, the filter bags can be washed out, cleaned, and reused multiple times. With no motors or impellers to clog or wear out, as well as no electricity requirement or shock hazard.

If you’re looking for a system that can handle both wet and dry materials, look no further than the EasySwitch Wet-Dry Vac. The EasySwitch is designed to handle the toughest of industrial cleanup jobs with ease. Available with a standard or HEPA certified filter for dry material, the system quickly and easily converts from vacuum mode to dry mode. Simply lift the latch and remove the filter element when vacuuming liquids. When you’re done, just place the filter insert into the lid and you’re ready to vacuum your dry materials.

Using only compressed air, EXAIR’s Industrial Housekeeping vacuums require no electricity. Without electricity and moving parts to wear out, there is no concern for failed parts, motor failure, or personnel safety associated with the use of electric vacuums in wet environments.

If you’re tired of replacing electric shop vacuums, Exair has the solution you need. Feel free to contact us and we’ll be happy to help you select the best system for your application.

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

Why Is Ambient Air Entrainment Needed For Pneumatic Conveyance?

When attempting to convey material pneumatically it can sometimes not work as one may hope. This could be due to the lack of ambient air entrainment to generate the vacuum flow which lifts the material away and moves the material. The video above gives a brief example of this.

If you would like to discuss pneumatic conveying products or processes, please contact us in below address. EXAIR’s Line Vac air operated conveyors are a great solution for manual “bucket and ladder” applications, hopper loading, scrap conveyance, media recovery and more!

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

EXAIR Cold Gun Prevents Melting of Chocolate During Filling

Here we discuss about a company that manufactures chocolate products. They came out with a new line of small candies and were encountering an issue during packaging. In their process, the chocolates are formed, cooled, and packaged for resale. During the packaging process they were experiencing a problem that caused the chocolates to melt. The bags are heat-sealed along the sides and bottom. This heat was transferring from the bag to the chocolates and causing them to melt. Rather than having a finished package of individual candies, they were melting together to form one large lump. Not exactly what they are hoping to deliver to their consumers.

Fortunately, EXAIR offers a range of different products that are suitable for cooling. For this application, they utilized a Model 5330 High Power Dual Outlet Cold Gun. With the fan-type nozzle installed, they were able to cool both sides of the package immediately after sealing and just before filling the bags with chocolates.
Using only a source of compressed air, the Cold Gun and High-Power Cold Gun produces a stream of clean, cold air 50° (28°C) below your compressed air supply temperature. The Cold Gun is very quiet at only 70dBA and has no moving parts to wear out. Just supply it with clean, dry compressed air and its maintenance free! It’s available as both a standard and High-Power option, providing 2x the cooling power. Each style is available with either a single or dual cold outlet flow.

The Cold Gun is pre-set to an 80% Cold Fraction. In other words, 80% of the compressed air supplied to it will exhaust from the cold end of the tube, 20% from the hot end. This prevents the Cold Gun from freezing up during use and optimizes the gun’s cooling capacity. The Cold Gun is an ideal alternative to messy and expensive coolant mist systems. It eliminates the cost of purchase and disposal of cutting fluids as well as worker related health problems from breathing airborne coolant or slipping on wet floors. Replacing a coolant-based system also eliminates the need for secondary cleaning operations after milling or drilling.

Please contact us for more details.

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

Video Blog: Selecting the Right Air Knife

 The below video explains the differences between the three styles of Air Knives offered by EXAIR – The Super, Standard and Full-Flow. 

Please contact us for more details.

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

  

Heavy Duty Line Vacs Within a Machining Facility

 An overseas automotive company was using six machines that milled, stamped, and punched aluminum parts.  The machining center used two machines for stamping, and the piece of aluminum was 10mm X 10mm.  The second operation used two machines to punch out a 2mm diameter by 40mm rod. The last operation was milling the edges of the surface to a specific dimension.  The curly swarf that was being produced was around 5mm in diameter by 40mm in length.

Currently they had mechanical conveyors that would dump the scrap material into bins.  The operators would move the full bins to a central dumping area for recycling about 20 meters (66 feet) away.  They used shovels to move the scrap from the bins to a larger container.  This part of the operation took time and was ergonomically unsafe with lifting and twisting.   They were making about 300grams per minute, and with a 24-hour operation, that was a lot of material.  They contacted EXAIR to see if we could help them.

To move the aluminum scrap from the machines to the recycle container, they had to travel 20 meters (66 feet) horizontally, and 3 meters (10 feet) vertically above the floor.  For this distance and the size of the aluminum pieces, I recommended the EXAIR model 152200; 2” Heavy Duty Line Vac Kit.  The through opening for the 2” Line Vac was 44mm (1.75”) in order to move the material through.  This Line Vac is made from a hardened steel construction which is very resistant to wear.  It is also designed for higher vacuum levels to convey materials at a faster rate and longer distances.

The Line Vac is operated with only compressed air to generate a Venturi vacuum, and they are very compact and easy-to-use.  The vacuum generator does not have any motors or moving parts to wear, and the inline design makes it simple to attach a hose to the vacuum and exhaust side.  The kit includes a Filter Separator, Regulator and a bracket for cleaning, controlling and mounting.  They did have to add a hopper to each mechanical conveyor to collect the scrap.  Now, the Line Vac is connected to the hopper with a hose, and the scrap material would travel to the recycle container 20 meters (66 feet) away.

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

Rotational molding: EXAIR Super Air Amplifiers compared to fans

 A customer contacted EXAIR to find a better way to cool a die in a rotational molding facility.  Rotational molding, or Rotomolding, involves a heated hollow mold which is filled with plastic material. It is then slowly rotated (usually around two perpendicular axes), causing the softened material to disperse and cling to the walls of the mold. In order to maintain an even thickness throughout the part, the mold has to continue to rotate during the heating phase. After the desired timing sequence, the heating is turned off to allow the material to harden. 

This particular company was making plastic containers.  To try and improve the cycle rate between each container, they were using two fans (reference photo below) for cooling.  Time is money in this industry, and they wanted to target the fans to improve cooling.  They mentioned that water jackets for cooling would affect the life of the molds due to thermal shock.  So, they needed to cool with air; and EXAIR had a solution for them; the Super Air Amplifiers.

The Super Air Amplifiers as compared to fans are compact, easy to use, and very effective in cooling.  The capacity to cool is determined by the mass of air and the temperature difference. Since the mold is heated to 650oF (343oC) and the ambient air is 80oF (27oC), we have a good temperature difference for cooling.  For this application, I recommended to replace their fans with our model 120024 4” Super Air Amplifiers.  Each one can move 2,190 SCFM (6,1977 SLPM) of air while only needing 29.2 SCFM (826 SLPM) of compressed air at 80 PSIG (5.5 Bar). 

I also recommended to add one piece of a model 120022 2” Super Air Amplifier for cooling the inside of the mold.  Because the opening in the center of the mold is relatively small, a fan would take up most of the area.  Thus, not allowing the hot air to escape.  Since the 2” Super Air Amplifier is much smaller, they were able to place the air stream in the center allowing the hot air to escape around the edge of the hole.  With this combination, we were able to cool the mold 25% faster than the fans.    

To expand on the comparison, EXAIR Super Air Amplifiers and electrical fans are designed to move air.  Fans use motors and blades to push the air toward the target.  There are mainly two types, centrifugal fans and axial fans.  The customer above was using axial fans.  The air enters from directly behind the fan, and the blades “slap” the air forward to the target. This creates a turbulent and loud air noise.  The EXAIR Super Air Amplifiers does not use any blades or motors to push the air.  They use a Coanda profile with a patented shim to create a low pressure to draw the air.So, they create laminar air flow which is much quieter.

In physics, it is easier to pull than it is to push.  The same goes for moving air.  Fans are designed to “push” the air and the Super Air Amplifiers are designed to “pull” the air.  This method of pulling makes it simple to create a laminar flow in a small package which is more efficient, effective, and quiet.  With the patented shims inside the Super Air Amplifiers, they maximize the amplification by “pulling” in large amounts of ambient air while using less compressed air.  More air means better cooling.  If you want to move away from blower systems or axial fan systems to get better cooling, drying, cleaning, and conveying; you can contact an Application Engineer for more details about our Super Air Amplifiers. 

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net

EXAIR’s Deep Hole Vac-U-Gun

 The Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun is a special iteration of the Vac-u-Gun, designed to provide a solution to the troublesome process of cleaning cavities and drilled holes.

The Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun is a low cost solution to quickly remove chips and debris from grooves and drilled holes where blow gun could create potentially hazardous flying debris. The Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun is simply positioned over the hole, and the trigger squeezed and then a small blow tube delivers a a stream of air to dislodge and lift the chips while the large suction tube vacuum them away. The operator is protected form flying debris since all chips and debris is contained within the clear suction tube. The device is capable of cleaning holes up to 1-1/4″ (32mm) diameter and 18″ (457mm) deep!
How does the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun work?

Compressed air, normally 80-100 PSIG (5.5 – 6.9 bar), flows through the inlet (1) into an annular plenum chamber (2) when the trigger is pressed. A small amount of air is injected into the blow tube (3) to provide agitation and lift to the chips or debris. The larger airflow is injected into the the throat of the gun through directed nozzles (4). The jets of air create the vacuum at the intake (5) which draws the material in and accelerates it through the unit. The chips, debris or other particulates can then be exhausted into a filter bag or hose attached to the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun System.

We have found many applications where the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun is beneficial- including removing chips and debris in:

Holes in fixtures, drilled plastics, T-slot groove cleaning , coolant evacuation from parts, woodworking, tapped holes, cavity evacuation, and many more!

There are many advantages to the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun, and some are:

Low cost, no moving parts/maintenance free, durable die cast construction, eliminates shock hazard – no electricity, meets OSHA pressure requirements, safe operation – no flying chips, lightweight and portable, and quiet.

The Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun uses less compressed air than ordinary blow guns, and the amplified output flow is 12 times the air consumption rate.

Note that the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun should not be operated without a filter bag or vacuum hose attached to the exhaust.

There are three (3) Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun System options-

The Model 6094 is the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun only.

The Model 6194 comes with a reusable bag and clamp for debris collection.

The Model 6394 comes with the reusable bag and a 10′ (3m) section of vacuum hose for transferring the debris to a collection point.

If you have questions about the Deep Hole Vac-u-Gun or any of the 16 different EXAIR Intelligent Compressed Air® Product lines, feel free to contact us.

	Vivek Engineers #22, 1st Floor, 1st Cross, Adj. to IIMB Compound, Bilekahalli Indl. Area,  Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore - 560 076  Ph : 080 -  2648 1309, 4170 1145. Mob : 097404 39220
	Email: sales@vivekengineers.net ,          durga@vivekengineers.net