Super Air Knife

Quiet, Hard-hitting Curtain of Air for Blowoff, Cleaning, Drying & Cooling

EXAIR's Super Air Knife provides a quiet, hard-hitting curtain of air for blowoff, cleaning, drying and cooling. This engineered air knife dramatically reduces compressed air usage and noise when compared to other blowoffs.

APPLICATIONS

DRY The Super Air Knife produces laminar airflow, which wraps around any object the Super Air Knife is pointed at. This is perfect for removing moisture prior to packaging, painting, labeling, bar coding and assembly. The air velocity can be easily adjusted with a pressure regulator.

BLOWOFF The Super Air Knife is ideal for blowing off chips, dirt or water from parts, webs or conveyors. It delivers a uniform sheet of air that has the same force across the entire length. There are no interruptions or "dead spots" which means all surfaces are dried or cleaned evenly.

COOL Great volumes of airflow can be generated in very tight spaces due to the compact size of the Super Air Knife. Flow and force are easily controlled with a pressure regulator, allowing fast or gradual cooling. Shims can be installed if additional hard-hitting velocity is required.

HOW THE SUPER AIR KNIFE WORKS

① Compressed air flows through an inlet into the plenum chamber of the Super Air Knife. The flow is directed to a precise, slotted orifice. ② As the primary airflow exits the thin slotted nozzle, it follows a flat surface that directs the airflow in a perfectly straight line. This creates a uniform sheet of air across the entire length of the Super Air Knife. ③ Velocity loss is minimized and force is maximized as the room air is entrained into the primary airstream at a ratio of 40:1. The result is a well defined sheet of laminar airflow with hard-hitting force and minimal wind shear.

BLOWOFF COMPARISON

(2) Model 110012 12" (305mm) Super Air Knives blow water off bottles prior to labeling.

There are a variety of ways to blow the water from the bottles shown in the photo to the right, but which method is best? The following comparison of drilled pipe, flat air nozzles, a blower and the Super Air Knife proves that EXAIR has the best choice for your blowoff, cooling or drying application.

Our goal for each of the blowoff choices was to use the least amount of air possible to get the job done (lowest energy and noise level). Compressed air pressure required for each was 60 PSIG (4.1 BAR) which provided adequate velocity to blow the water off. The table below summarizes the overall performance. Since your actual part may have an odd configuration, holes or sharp edges, we took sound level measurements in free air (no impinging surface).

DRILLED PIPE

TEST ARTICLE: 2 Drilled Pipes with 25 holes at 1/16" (1.6mm) diameter on 1/2" (13mm) centers.

INITIAL COST: GOOD - inexpensive and easy to make.

BLOWOFF QUALITY: POOR - velocity across the entire length was very inconsistent with spikes and numerous dead spots.

OPERATING EXPENSE: POOR - high energy required to produce sufficient blowoff velocity.

SAFETY: POOR - drilled holes are easily dead-ended and noise level is excessive.

FLAT AIR NOZZLES

TEST ARTICLE: 6 evenly spaced 2" Plastic Flat Air Nozzles.

INITIAL COST: GOOD - low purchase price from a variety of manufacturers.

BLOWOFF QUALITY: POOR - inconsistent velocity with spikes and dead spots.

OPERATING EXPENSE: POOR - very high energy required to produce sufficient blowoff velocity.

SAFETY: POOR - high noise levels and some models can be dead ended.

BLOWER AIR KNIFE

TEST ARTICLE: 24" fan powered blower with two 3" (76mm) diameter hose inlets.

INITIAL COST: POOR - purchase and installation costs are high.

BLOWOFF QUALITY: GOOD - consistent velocity across blower length.

OPERATING EXPENSE: POOR - high bearing and filter maintenance costs. No option for on-demand cycling.

SAFETY: POOR - produces excessive noise.

EXAIR SUPER AIR KNIFE

TEST ARTICLE: (2) 24" Aluminum Super Air Knives.

INITIAL COST: GOOD - low purchase price and easy installation.

BLOWOFF QUALITY: GREAT - consistent velocity across entire Super Air Knife. Laminar flow creates more complete blowoff.

OPERATING EXPENSE: GOOD - low maintenance costs. Slightly higher energy consumption than blower but can be improved with on-demand cycling.

SAFETY: GOOD - quietest product tested. Can't be dead-ended.