EXAIR has been manufacturing Intelligent Compressed Air® products since 1983. In the beginning, the Standard Air Knives and Full Flow Air Knives were very effective at that time. But as leaders in this market, EXAIR did not want to stop there. We were able to engineer a more efficient, more powerful, and safer air knife, the Super Air Knife. In this blog, I will discuss the features and benefits that the Super Air Knives can offer.
Bernoulli’s principle explains how a high velocity fluid can generate a low pressure. The Super Air Knife creates that high velocity air stream to produce a low pressure above and below the opening to entrain ambient air. What does this mean for you? The low pressure entrains the surrounding ambient air, adding it into the total airflow, and uses less compressed air. The mass of the free ambient air is added into the air stream to give a strong blowing force. The Super Air Knife has an amplification ratio of 40:1. For every 1 part of compressed air, 40 parts of ambient air is drawn into the blowing air stream. Ambient air is free, and compressed air is definitely not. EXAIR was able to engineer a design, using Bernoulli’s principle, to make the most efficient air knives in the marketplace.
Another benefit is they blow a laminar air stream which reduces noise levels and create a consistent force along the entire length. An even force will give you tighter control for blowing applications which will cut compressed air usage unlike the inconsistent and turbulent air flows caused by drilled pipes, manifolds of nozzles or blower-type systems. Some other interesting features for the Super Air Knives are that they have a compact design to fit into tight places for blowing and cooling. The footprint is very small as compared to blower-air knife systems. They do not have any moving parts to wear or maintenance to do. They only need clean compressed air to work.
What else makes the Super Air Knives unchallenged? We manufacture and stock the widest range in lengths and materials. To start, Super Air Knives range from 3” to 108” (76mm to 2,743mm) in three different materials; aluminum, 303 stainless steel, and 316/316L stainless steel. There is no-one else in this industry that can manufacture to those lengths. EXAIR also offers Super Air Knives in PVDF material with Hastelloy hardware for chemical resistant applications from 3” to 54” (76mm to 1,372mm). Depending on the temperature requirement, chemical resistance, OSHA and FDA regulations, or application details, we are confident there is one on the shelf for your application. IF you order by 2pm, EXAIR will ship same day.
If EXAIR does not stock it, we make special air knives in different lengths and materials to best fit your application. In some confined areas, the Super Air Knives may have to fit inside a specific width or footprint. Well, EXAIR can make it to that specific width in a short period. We have also made special designed Air Knives that were very thin, curved, double-sided, and with distinct mounting holes to easily attach to specific machines or operations. And if you need a special material, like the PVC Super Air Knife below, we can do that. EXAIR has a team of Application Engineers that can help you with the design, configuration, and details for special types of Super Air Knives.
We also offer the Super Air Knives in kits as a more complete system. The kit includes a filter, regulator and a Shim Set. The filter removes the debris and water from the compressed air line to optimize the performance of the air knife as well as keeping your product clean. The regulator is used to make the “fine” adjustment to the blowing force while the shim set is used as the “coarse” adjustment. EXAIR sells this kit as one model number for simple ordering, and the accessories are properly sized to not hinder the performance of the Super Air Knife.
With the today’s cost to make compressed air, it is important to do it as efficiently as possible. The EXAIR Super Air Knives are the most efficient as well as safe and effective. And if you need a specific design for your application, you can contact an Application Engineer at EXAIR. We will be glad to help you.
Jordan Shouse
Application Engineer
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