Airknives - a Historical Perspective
Histrorically, and this is only going back about thirty years or so, Airknives were typically made out of round tubes.
The process was quite simple. Depending on the facility and the application, 3" diameter and 4" diameter (or sometimes larger) stainless steel or carbon steel tubing was used - all the machine shop did was mill or either oval or round slots. More often than not, even though these holes could have been perfectly circular, in most instances, slots were milled - typically anywhere from 1" to 3" in length. The reason was simple and sound - provide a wider slot for the air to pass thorugh.
As with all things innovative, Roud-Tube Air Knives were followed by Square-Tube Air Knives. General concensus was that the pointed shape would supply more channeled air than the Round-Tube Airknife.
While the Airknife revolution continued to evolve and grow, the industry continued to use Compressed-Air Airknives and Nozzles for their blow-off and drying needs. To many, this was the most logical way to proceed with their blow-off and drying needs as every facility had plant air (also referred to as shop air or compressed air). Buying compressed air nozzles and airknives from industrial catalog houses seemed like the smart and affordable choice.
As time went by, Plant Managers and Operations Managers realized that their plant air was not all that free. In their efforts to lower operating costs and at the same time with the push to conserve resources, it made perfect sense to perform "line" audits and look at more economical solutions.
TMC Fluid Systems can assist you with your "line" audits and offer unbiased cost analysis and pay-back analysis.
Just email us and ask us how.
