Air knives improve bottling line
August 2006
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Bottles on a bottling line emerging from a pasteuriser are conveyed to a labelling station. Water carry-over from the bottles created a slip hazard and housekeeping problems. In addition, open air jets drying the bottles upstream of the labeller consumed over 150 SCFM of compressed air and caused noise levels in excess of 90 dBA.
An 'air gauntlet' consisting of 305 mm Exair Super Air Knives was installed immediately downstream of the pasteuriser. As the bottles pass through, the Super Air Knives sweep the water straight down into a container, eliminating the carry-over problem. The open air jets at the labelling station were also replaced with Super Air Knives, reducing noise levels to 70 dBA and air consumption by over 50%.
The ability of the Super Air Knive to sweep the bottles with a continuous, laminar sheet of air was key to success in this application. The safety issue was completely eliminated by having the defined airstream direct the rinse water into the container instead of the floor. As an added bonus, this company saved so much air that they were able to shut down an auxiliary compressor. Payback on the replacement of the wasteful open air jets was measured in weeks, not months or years.
Further reading:
CompAir introduces compressed air management solution
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
To maximise savings and extend the lifespan of compressed air systems, CompAir is launching the Compressed Air Management Solution powered by Ecoplant, an intelligent system in the cloud that represents the next level in operational management, and maintain the health
Read more...
Heavy impact, smart control
Axiom Hydraulics
Editor's Choice Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Every now and then a project lands on your desk that’s equal parts heavy machinery and fine control - a tantalising mix for any engineer. A client approached Axiom Hydraulics with a project exactly like this.
Read more...
Making lines safer with smarter connection
Hydrasales
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Imagine connecting multiple hydraulic lines or a combination of hydraulic, electrical and grease lines with one single, confident movement. That’s the everyday convenience operators get from Faster’s MultiFaster multi-coupling systems.
Read more...
Achieving clean and dry compressed air
Artic Driers International
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Compressed air is an expensive source of motive power so it makes good sense to supply clean, dry compressed air to your distribution system.
Read more...
Navigating ISO standards in hydraulic cylinder manufacturing
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
For hydraulics professionals, understanding and leveraging ISO standards is a powerful way to ensure quality and gain a competitive edge. Here is a guide to the most critical ISO standards for hydraulic cylinder manufacturing, showing how to use them to your advantage.
Read more...
Hydraulic system upgrades to boost performance and save money
CT Hydraulics (Nqoba)
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Those working with hydraulic or pneumatic systems know that keeping your machinery running at peak performance balances productivity and cost. As systems age, they often become less efficient, requiring more energy and more frequent repairs. The good news is that you don’t always need to invest in an entirely new machine to solve these problems.
Read more...
Top 10 questions about pressure and temperature gauges
SA Gauge
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Some questions never go out of date, and in our industry, a few have been asked for decades. At SA Gauge, we hear them every week. Here are the ten questions we hear most often, and the practical answers that can save time, money and frustration.
Read more...
Gauge maintenance and calibration tips for shutdown or restart periods
SA Gauge
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
As the year winds down, many plants across South Africa prepare for the annual shutdown. It’s also the perfect opportunity to give your pressure and temperature gauges the attention they deserve.
Read more...
Axial piston pump series for next-gen hydraulic applications
Pneumatics & Hydraulics
Moog has launched its new AXP Axial Piston Pump Series, a next-generation hydraulic solution engineered to deliver optimal performance, reliability and cost efficiency for industrial applications.
Read more...
The role of analogue gauges in a digital world
SA Gauge
Editor's Choice Pneumatics & Hydraulics
With so much focus on digital systems, remote monitoring and automation, it’s easy to assume that traditional analogue gauges have become outdated. Yet if you step into almost any plant, mine or processing facility, you’ll still find them in daily use, quietly doing their job without fuss.
Read more...
printer friendly version