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October 27, 2022

Hydraulics Pneumatics or Electrical?

Hydraulics Pneumatics or Electrical?  Great question. Let’s look at Pneumatics first. Pneumatics is more cost-effective than Hydraulics as air is free and can useable generally n flammable environments. Pneumatics offers more power in a smaller and lighter unit
April 18, 2022

ENCLOSURE COOLING METHODS TO PREVENT FACTORY SHUT-DOWN

In modern industrial plants, electronic equipment is used for motor control, and most of not all machines are controlled by PLC’s. The high heat dissipation from electronic equipment exposes control systems to elevated temperatures that make them susceptible
March 3, 2022

Applications Where Cabinet Enclosure Coolers Are Needed for Variable Frequency Drives

Thyristors and other solid state devices in variable frequency drives generate a large amount of heat up to as much as 6% in some cases, the average for most about 4.5% of rated horsepower. The amount of heat
November 5, 2021

Nex Flow® X-Stream® Air Blade® Air Knife is chosen for a Special project in Solar Cell Industry

As mentioned in other blogs and articles, one of the key indicators of a well-made and properly designed compressed air operated air knife is relatively even flow across its length. When you realize that you are dealing with
November 2, 2021

Importance of Compliance for Cooling Electrical Enclosures Especially as they Apply to Vortex Coolers.

Air conditioners of various types utilized in the USA or Canada are required to meet certain safety standards with similar requirements in most other parts of the world. This is extremely important for industrial applications where they are used
September 28, 2021

Is the supply chain broken?

Is the supply chain broken? Today we see a lot of stories about the supply chain being broken. And there may even be a truth to that. But the issue is not new. In the last ten years,
September 9, 2021

Common Errors by First Time Buyers of Specialty Pneumatics

Common Errors by First Time Buyers of Specialty Pneumatics No matter what the technology, the buyer should always be aware that they get what they pay for. As a simple example, recently I purchased a low cost cable
July 27, 2021

Importance of a Reliable Cooling System for Electrical and Electronic Enclosures and Panels

When costly electrical and electronic equipment that maintains the operation of a factory go down, production stops. Critical servers and security systems that drive production is of primary importance in a manufacturing operation not only for production but
July 13, 2021

Seven Ways to make your Compressed Air Blow off and Cooling More Efficient

Seven Ways to make your Compressed Air Blow off and Cooling More Efficient The majority of compressed air is used for blow off and cooling despite the push for alternate technologies like blowers simply because it is still
July 1, 2021

Using Compressed Air Amplifiers for Cooling in Industrial Applications

Using Compressed Air Amplifiers for Cooling in Industrial Applications Air Amplifiers, as explained in this article below from 2018, are the most popular products used for cooling for the reasons explained. One note to an ad is that
June 1, 2021

Leak Reduction in Compressed Air Systems

With the tightening of labor availability and the increased mandatory safety measures an often neglected area in compressed air systems is to check for leaks. Compressed air auditors rightfully focus on improving air compressor efficiency usage and on
May 21, 2021

How Coanda Compressed Air Flow Amplifiers Work and their Efficiency

Coanda Compressed Air Flow Amplifiers Explained This is an update of an older Blog from 2017 expanding on the use of Air Flow Amplifiers. Air Flow Amplifiers are used for blow off, cooling, and drying but also used
May 11, 2021

Clearing up the confusion of using compressed air with static eliminators for cleaning charged parts.

With the recent expansion of the manufacture of medical products where static issues can negatively affect production, it may be useful to clarify the practical limits in static charge removal on packaging machines in particular, Production speed desired
April 5, 2021

Why Does No One Pay Attention to Engineered Air Nozzles – Mostly!

Why Does No One Pay Attention to Engineered Air Nozzles – Mostly!: We are biased on this but it does seem that engineered compressed air nozzles are not top of mind in many compressed air blow off applications.
August 17, 2020

Increased Security with Reduced Maintenance Using Pneumatics

Pneumatics maintenance These costs have been rising for years in an environment of decreasing availability of qualified personnel who are in increasing demand and with increasingly complex in house procedures for personnel safety. Maintaining and improving productivity is
July 13, 2020

Air Amplification – What does it really mean?

Since getting involved with air nozzles, air knives and other compressed air operated blow off products, one term that keeps getting used and abused is the term air amplification. There is sometimes a false impression created that the
June 23, 2020

How can you be sure you are Purchasing Quality and Safety?

Understanding quality and safety It’s not only consumer items which have knockoffs but many industrial items as well. One very familiar one is replacement compressor parts. Some might be OK but….. when it’s a copy, you take a
May 20, 2020

Have Priorities Shifted Because Of Covid 19 In Compressed Air Technology?

The corona virus has disrupted virtually everyone’s lives around the globe.  While some people may hope it will return to normal, realistically there will certainly be some things that will not be the same.  We have yet to
May 12, 2020

Restarting your Compressed Air System When Re-Opening the Factory

Restarting your Compressed Air System With many shutdowns in place of manufacturing deemed non-essential due to the corona virus, there will need to be restarts to factory compressed air systems when the factories are started back up. Many
April 10, 2020

Importance of Compressed Air for Medical Use in Hospitals

Compressed Air for Medical Use Medical grade compressed air is used in just about every area of a hospital and is administered to patients who need inhaled medications and anesthesia, while patients are under anesthesia, for treatment of
March 4, 2020

Compressed Air Consultation to take the confusion out of compressed air use.

Nex Flow offers compressed air consultation on the use of compressed air “after” the air compressor room to optimize the use of “what you have” so as to minimize waste and cost while getting the most use out
February 17, 2020

How much does ELECTRICAL CERTIFICATION matter?

There are all sorts of electrical certification available today – ISO certifications for quality standards, environmental standards, various country or regional certifications again, usually related to materials used and quality. Meeting any standard adds cost to a product.
October 11, 2019

Why Noise Awareness is Important

  Our ability to hear is critical for much of our communication yet we don’t realize it until we lose or damage our ability to “hear”. High levels of noise can lead to permanent hearing damage and high
June 19, 2019

Options of Dry Machining

Options of Dry Machining The positive features of metalworking fluids have long been established and include friction reduction, cooling, corrosion protection, welding protection from the tool to the workpiece and the washing away of metal chips. However reducing
June 22, 2018

Saving Money When Using More Compressed Air

As counter-intuitive as this may be, it can be true. For example, if you use a horse drawn carriage to take you from Chicago to New York you will save a tremendous amount of energy – virtually no
June 13, 2018

Are the Materials of a Vortex Cooler Important? They Sure Are!

Vortex Tube operated cabinet enclosure coolers such as the Nex Flow Frigix-X Panel Coolers operate utilizing compressed air wherein one end gets hot, and the other end gets cold. They find applications in particularly dirty environments and hot
June 8, 2018

Does a Vortex Tube Work with Liquids?

This question comes up occasionally and surprisingly the answer is yes, but not like how you may think. One explanation put forward is that this happens because normally a liquid used has a vapor pressure. You reduce the
June 1, 2018

NEMA and IP Classifications Equivalency – A Chart to Guide You.

NEMA and IP Classifications Equivalency l and electronic enclosures while Europe and many other countries utilize IP classifications. This often causes some confusion. We found a great chart from Siemon that do IT infrastructure solutions what has a
May 24, 2018

Determining the Cost of Compressed Air

Determining the Cost of Compressed Air When companies are trying to estimate the cost saved using compressed air saving technology such as air saving nozzles, compressed air amplifiers, etc. it is important to know your real compressed air
May 2, 2018

Using Compressed Air Operated Conveyors for Conveying

Using Compressed Air Operated Conveyors for Conveying In utilizing compressed air operated venturi systems such as Nex Flow’s® Ring-Vac®Air Operated Conveyors, you size the unit based on the size of the parts being conveyed. The general rule is
April 29, 2018

Opportunities for saving energy in a compressed air system

Possible areas to address in a compressed air system to save energy are listed below. Some, or all may apply to your system: Piping Design, redesign: Increase the diameter of the piping; reduce the length of the network;
April 25, 2018

What Is An Engineered Air Nozzle Really!!

It is popular now to use the term “engineered” air nozzle for compressed air nozzles used for blow-off applications. But what is an engineered nozzle? The original close air-operated engineered nozzle is a cone shape that draws in
March 30, 2018

How much Compressed Air is really coming from an Open Pipe or Tube or Hose?

Compressed air is used extensively for blow-off, cooling, and drying applications as blowers are not always powerful enough or have other disadvantages in the specific application. Since compressed air is a costly power source factories should reduce the compressed
March 26, 2018

Cooling Industrial Cameras with Vortex Tubes

Cooling Industrial Cameras Nex Flow Industrial cameras that are in very hot environments can be cooled by several means pure compressed air water peltier coolers vortex tubes Pure compressed air can add up to a large running cost
March 19, 2018

Galvanic corrosion and materials used in air knives, amplifiers and vortex tube technology

Galvanic corrosion and materials Galvanic corrosion occurs when two dissimilar metals come into contact. It is also necessary for there to be moisture, but it is rare to find an environment without moisture. I still remember visiting a
March 15, 2018

Three steps for noise control in compressed air blow off and exhaust

Three steps for noise control in compressed air blow off and exhaust. Noise from compressed air can be very loud and damaging, so reducing noise is important. Three steps should be taken where ever compressed air is exhausted,
March 7, 2018

Hydraulics and pneumatics which to use!

Hydraulics vs Pneumatics which to use The two types of fluid power are similar in that both use a fluid to transmit mechanical energy and they also use similar terminology, symbols and components. Hydraulic systems need a pump.
March 1, 2018

A Reason to Use Spray Nozzles and Air Nozzles from Different Manufacturers

This of course is my educated opinion only but I think it is reasonable. When you buy a new home from a builder, would you buy the furniture from the same builder? In fact people do in some
February 25, 2018

Using Compressed Air Amplifiers for Venting and Moving Air, Fumes, Mist, Smoke, Etc.

Compressed Air Amplifiers are also called “Air Movers” for a reason – they can be used for moving a large volume of air. For examples, a properly designed 2″ Air Amplifier will amplify approximately 15 times the input
February 8, 2018

Definition of the Coanda Effect

Definition of Coanda effect is: the tendency of a jet of fluid emerging from an orifice to follow an adjacent flat or curved surface and to entrain fluid from the surroundings so that a region of lower pressure develops.
January 20, 2018

Can water damage my compressed air system and products?

Can water damage my compressed air If left in a compressed air system can cause damage to the system and also contaminate your end product. Water in your compressed air system will cause rust. This rust will mix
January 7, 2018

Keeping Camera Lens Clean with Air Knives

Keeping Camera Lens Clean Solving pneumatic challenges globally – NexFlow – President One application for small compressed air operated air knives or flat nozzles is to assist in keeping the lens of cameras clean as in the picture
December 23, 2017

Compressed Air Considerations for Blow off and Cooling Applications

Compressed Air Considerations for Blow off and Cooling Applications Despite the push by blower providers to convert compressed air blow off to blower operated systems, the fact is 70% of compressed air is still, on the average, used
December 17, 2017

DRY MACHINING AND THE USE OF VORTEX COOLING

DRY MACHINING AND THE USE OF VORTEX COOLING
December 4, 2017

BE AWARE OF INDUSTRIES THAT MAY GROW OR DIE IN A MILLENNIAL WORLD

BE AWARE OF INDUSTRIES THAT MAY GROW OR DIE IN A MILLENNIAL WORLD Sales people and marketing people need to be aware of the dramatic effect a change of generation can have on the marketplace and therefore their
October 27, 2017

Simple Way to Clean and Dry Extrusions

Some months ago I posted the above pic with a short comment but with little explanation of how it worked so I will explain it more now. Extruded profiles come in many shapes and configurations but the Ring
October 23, 2017

How to Dry Complicated Packages

Packaging of goods has gone beyond simple containers, bottles and cans such as the one depicted in the picture above. This particular packaging of pet food needs to be dried after washing. With limited space and a concern
October 19, 2017

THE HYDRAULIC COMPRESSOR – A little bit of Canadian History on a Unique Air Compressor

THE HYDRAULIC COMPRESSOR History In doing some research on developments in compressed air technology I came across a fascinating bit of Canadian history at: http://www.coppercountryexplorer.com/2011/07/the-taylor-compressor/ Imagined and built by Canadian Charles Taylor, this amazing compressor supplied all the
October 13, 2017

SIMPLE CHECK THE LINE COMPRESSED AIR AUDITS

Formal compressed air system audits are costly and can be quite involved,. Experts are available to do this with expensive equipment in very large factory operations. But what about smaller facility where the cost and time is hard
October 10, 2017

HOPPER LOADING WITH COMPRESSED AIR OPERATED VENTURI’S

An efficient application for compressed air operated venturi’s like Nex Flow’s Ring Vac units ( see www.nexflow.com) is hopper loading. Whether it’s loading resin for a plastic molding process, or a hopper of bottle caps for a bottling
October 5, 2017

CALCULATING THE STORED COMPRESSED AIR IN A RECEIVER TANK

In any good compressed air system there is a receiver which stores compressed air. One of the advantages of compressed air is that it is an “on demand” source of energy. When it is not needed, it can
October 2, 2017

Moisture in Compressed Air Systems and Why it Might be Difficult to Get away from Point of Use Filtration.

A 100 cfm compressor with a refrigeration drier, operating for 4000 hours in a temperate climate, can produce about 2200 USgal of liquid condensate in a year! Failure to remove this moisture can result in condensation in the
September 28, 2017

WHEN USING COMPRESSED AIR

WHEN USING COMPRESSED AIR While it is known that compressed air is costly to use, there are still things that happen on the shop floor that creates a great deal of waste. The key to maximum efficiency in
September 19, 2017

THREE WAYS TO REDUCE COMPRESSED AIR NOISE

Compressed air noise can be responsible for up to 1/3rd of the noise in a factory operation. So controlling noise from compressed air is important. This can be achieved with the following three steps: 1. Use control devices
September 17, 2017

Using Compressed Air Blow-offs

High velocity compressed air blow-offs are especially useful if parts don’t need to be “super dry” (as completely free of water) or if there is a requirement to remove “excess” water or other liquid from a part prior
September 11, 2017

RECOGNIZING PRESSURE DROP IN COMPRESSED AIR LINES

Compressed is a friendly and reliable energy source used for many applications but sometimes not enough thought is given to the “pressure drop” when using the air.   Pressure drop is the loss of pressure due to energy loss
September 8, 2017

Lottery Ticket Quality Control with an Air Knife

Lottery Ticket Quality Control with an Air Knife Unusual applications for compressed air are always fun. One such unusual application was at a facility printing lottery tickets. Printing lottery tickets is much like printing money as they need
September 4, 2017

Which to Use? Air Knife or Flat Jet Nozzle? Steel and other metal sheet production.

In steel sheet production or other metal sheet production, which is better to use for blow-off? – a series of many small compressed air operated flat jet nozzles or, one or more long compressed air operated air knives? In
September 2, 2017

Compressed Air Flow Amplifiers and Back Pressure Issues.

Compressed Air Flow Amplifiers and Back Pressure Issues. Compressed air flow amplifiers (also called air movers) operate using something called the Coanda effect to convert pressure to flow with minimal energy loss. The result is high flow and less
August 30, 2017

DESIGN FOR RELIABILITY IN INDUSTRY WITH MILLENIALS

This article is borrowed from a blog by the Marshall Institute at www.marshallinstitute.com Teaching the Millenials a sound reliability strategy early in their career (the Matures, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers too) can be the critical component of a strong manufacturing strategy.
August 27, 2017

NEX FLOW AIR PRODUCTS CORP. DISTRIBUTOR EVENT HELD IN PATTAYA, THAILAND, FEBRUARY 2017

Nex Flow Distributor Event Pattaya Thailand 2017 Nex Flow Distributor event attendees were (in no particular order) from Canada, USA, Mexico, China, Taiwan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, India, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, Germany, Finland, Turkey, Philippines,
August 20, 2017

IT IS SO HOT IN HERE!!!!!!!! HOW DO WE COOL DOWN!!

A happy person is a productive person but working in an environment where you sweat all day is not fun. Even in the winter time in cold countries it can be very hot and uncomfortable working in factories such
August 16, 2017

COOLING INDUSTRIAL CAMERAS

Cameras are used extensively in production for monitoring to insure quality and are often exposed to hot and harsh environments and may require additional cooling. The most common way to cool an industrial camera in very hot environments is to enclose it in a
August 13, 2017

The point of use filter is a major center which maintenance is important in a compressed air line.

The point of use filter is a major center which maintenance is important in a compressed air line. An area of major importance is point of use filtration in compressed air lines.   This simply means that a filter (should be)
August 10, 2017

EASY ENGINEERING- How to use a Vortex Tube in Industry

This video illustrates some of the things to keep in mind when using vortex tubes in industrial applications. Video url : https://youtu.be/3OIjke1lcwo
August 7, 2017

Importance of “Point of Use”​ Filtration in Compressed Air Blow-off and Cooling Technology

Point of Use​ Filtration in Compressed Air Compressed Air technology for blow off an cooling involves the use of air flow amplifying products in the form of air nozzles, air movers and air knives used in blow off,
August 4, 2017

Please Vacuum! Do not Blow! (When cleaning up!)

Please Vacuum! Do not Blow!
August 1, 2017

EASY ENGINEERING – Guidelines in using a vortex tube

Easy Engineering two is a continuation of a series of educational videos to explain special compressed air operated items for blow off, cooling and moving on what they are made of, how they work and how to use.
July 28, 2017

Why You Cannot Cool a House with a Vortex Tube

A vortex tube is an interesting device that takes compressed air and divides it into a hot and cold stream. Various theories try to explain why it works but there is no definitive answer. Their primary uses are
July 21, 2017

USING A RELIABLE VORTEX AIR CONDITIONER AS A BACKUP UNIT

USING A RELIABLE VORTEX AIR CONDITIONER AS A BACKUP UNIT A vortex air conditioner like a Nex Flow Panel Cooler is probably the most reliable type of system you can use in air conditioning control panels as it
July 17, 2017

Values of a Company are Important

In choosing a company to deal with you should look at the values that drive them.
July 14, 2017

Importance of Filtration of Compressed Air

Filters are an important component in any compressed air system. Clean, dry, and even oil free compressed air and gas is a basic need for many industries. In some applications even a drop of unwanted oil or dirt
July 12, 2017

Compressed Air Safety

IMPORTANT GUIDELINES IN USING COMPRESSED AIR 1. Hoses and lines should be rated to meet the maximum operating pressure of the equipment – avoid using weak plastic tubing in open factory environment as they can split and cause
July 9, 2017

Why Anodized Aluminum is Important in an Industrial Environment

Anodizing is an environmentally safe electrochemical process that converts the aluminum metal surface into a porous aluminum oxide, ultimately creating an end product whose finish is more durable and weather-resistant. Aluminum anodizing enhances the characteristics of aluminum in
July 5, 2017

The Nightmare of Air Conditioning Control Panels in Harsh Environments.

Imagine a factory environment – maybe a fertilizer plant or a chemical production facility with electrical and electronic cabinets that need to be kept clean. Not only does the maintenance cost of maintaining the air conditioning systems become
July 3, 2017

A Nice Setup to Dry Different Diameters of Pipe

One of our customers made a very nice setup to be able to dry extruded pipe using Ring Blade Air Wipes manufactured by Nex Flow Air Products Corp. Very easy to switch out one Air Wipe diameter with
July 2, 2017

Cooling Variable Frequency Drives especially in Dirty Factory Environments

Variable Frequency Drives describe equipment used to control the speed of machinery. Many industrial processes such as assembly lines must operate at different speeds for different products. Where process conditions demand adjustment of flow from a pump or
June 29, 2017

Cooling Castings and Forgings Quickly

In some industrial casting and forging situations the items made need to be cooled quickly for handling purposes or for an on-going process such as marking or assembly, otherwise the processes cannot be completed properly or handling would
June 27, 2017

Does a Millennial look at Overall Efficiency Better Than a Boomer in an Industrial Setting?

There is a big shift in thinking and therefore the way things are being done in industrial operations with the entry of more and more millennials coming into the workforce. What this means to promotion and reaching out
June 25, 2017

Impact of Kigali Agreement in Montreal Protocol in Industrial Cooling Applications

Late October, 2016 there was a landmark agreement among 170 countries to set firm dates for the curbing the use of HCFC’s in air conditioning systems with penalties for non-compliance. Developed countries must reduce their use of HFCs
June 21, 2017

How to have Control Panel Air Conditioning meet the Requirements of the Kigali Agreement

How to have Control Panel Air Conditioning meet the requirements of the Kigali Agreement On Oct 15, 2016 countries around the world signed on to the Kigali Agreement, an amendment to the Montreal Protocol, which hopes to reduce
June 17, 2017

DRYING!!!!!!! How Much Energy do you “Really” Use in Compressed Air Blow off and is it Worthwhile to Change It to a Blower?

Compressed air is viewed as a costly method for blow off and cooling applications and some look to electric motor driven blowers as a replacement. This is a reasonable with a focus for energy saving being a major
June 14, 2017

Static Removal and Cleaning Charged Objects

In cleaning statically charged products there are claims by some companies that static can be removed as far as 20 feet away. What they do NOT say is how fast. This can lead to disastrous applications in manufacturing
June 8, 2017

Which to Use? Blowers or Compressed Air? Answer is not always straight forward.

Both low pressure blowers and high pressure compressed air is used for blow-off and cooling applications. Much has been made of the higher energy cost in using compressed air over the last 15 to 20 years which all
June 5, 2017

Vortex Tube Operated Air Conditioning Applications

Several companies manufacturer vortex tube operated air conditioners primarily for electrical and electronic enclosures. Some promote them as the solution to all applications when in fact that is not the case. There are many types of devices on
June 1, 2017

The Quiet and People Free Factories of the Future

With the advent of new technologies, manufacturing will be transitioning in ways that not even science fiction could foresee. Some trends to note… 1. New techniques such as 3D printing will eliminate the need for many products now
May 30, 2017

Why Vortex Tube Panel Coolers are getting used more for Cooling Electrical Panels

Why Vortex Tube Panel Coolers are getting used more for Cooling Electrical Panels Vortex tubes create freezing air from compressed air and are used as air conditioners for cooing control panels – even cameras in hot environments. Main
May 27, 2017

Save Your Hearing!! Reduce Factory Noise!!

Of the roughly 40 million Americans suffering from hearing loss, 10 million can be attributed to noise-induced hearing loss. With extended exposure, decibel levels of 85 or more can lead to hearing loss. Exposure to impulse or continuous
May 2, 2017

Why an Air Knife is often Better than a Flat Nozzle

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