@EXAIR For Technical Assistance, Call An EXAIR Application Engineer 1-800-903-9247 Toll Free FAX (866) 329-3924 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.exair.com 26 Air Knives Aluminum The aluminum Super Air Knife is suited to a wide variety of environments where corrosion or contamination is not a factor. The aircraft grade aluminum construction with plastic shim is very durable for general purpose applications. Stainless steel screws are used to eliminate corrosion in damp locations. It can withstand temperatures up to 180°F (82°C). Type 303 Stainless Steel This is the most common grade of stainless steel. It offers good strength and is best suited to mildly corrosive environments. It can withstand temperatures up to 800°F (427°C). Type 316 Stainless Steel Some applications require better corrosion resistance than offered by Type 303 stainless steel. Type 316 stainless steel offers excellent corrosion resistance, better strength properties and resists pitting. These factors are important to manufacturers of food, pharmaceutical and surgical products that need to minimize contamination by the metal. It can withstand temperatures up to 800°F (427°C). PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) EXAIR’s Super Air Knife is also available from stock in PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride). PVDF offers superior strength and is resistant to UV light, inorganic chemicals, solvents, ozone, weather, fungi, chlorinated hydrocarbons, highly corrosive acids, weak bases and salts. The PVDF Super Air Knife uses PTFE shims, Type 316 Stainless Steel pipe plugs, and Hastelloy® C-276 alloy screws to withstand harsh environments. The PVDF Super Air Knife is suitable for manufacturing processes that involve electroplating, solar cells, lithium ion batteries, transfer of acids and caustic chemicals, brine, solvent recovery, semiconductors, and medical devices. It can withstand temperatures up to 275°F (135°C). Many Lengths Available From Stock in Four Materials EXAIR’s Super Air Knives are available from stock in many lengths and your choice of four materials. The force, flow and air pattern stay the same for each construction. HASTELLOY is a registered trademark of Haynes International, Inc. PVDF Super Air Knives provide superior corrosion resistance. Super Air Knife Replaces Fan Cooling The Problem: A manufacturer of automotive electronics had a problem cooling computers as they exited a wave solder machine. In order to be handled and tested, the computers had to first be cooled to 81°F (27°C). Initially, they had tried banks of 6" (152mm) diameter axial fans across the 8' (2.5m) length of the cooling conveyor. It consisted of 16 fans blowing down from the top and 16 fans blowing up from the bottom at 7" (178mm) away from the surface. After traveling the full length of the conveyor with the fans running at full force (a five minute duration), the computers were still 108°F (42°C). Quality control personnel sat with an unacceptable backlog of computers waiting to be tested. The Solution: The company removed the top and bottom fan banks and replaced them with (3) Model 110012 12" (305mm) Super Air Knives that were evenly spaced across the cooling section. Each Super Air Knife was angled so the computer and heat sink received the constant rush of airflow. With the conveyor at the same speed 1.6 FPM (0.5m/min), and Super Air Knives at only 40 PSIG (2.8 BAR), the computers were cooled to 81°F (27°C) in 90 seconds! Comment: The laminar airflow of the Super Air Knives was the key to success in this application. Fan cooling could only provide random spikes of air at moderate velocities. The uniform sheet of air from the Super Air Knife quietly swept the heat away within the first 2' (610mm) of the conveyor. Low air consumption and the compact size of the Super Air Knife were an added bonus. Super Air Knife
