A metal products manufacturer had a production problem in one of its processing areas. The maintenance staff had increased the discharge pressure on their air compressors to help with the issue, but it seemed the problem would come back occasionally with no warning. Fig. 1 shows the problematic item, a vacuum pick-up crane. When the […]
Air Preparation
Rid your packaging lines of UKTs (Unnecessary Knob Twisters)
Follow these five steps to prevent tampering and ensure effectiveΒ and correct process adjustments for pneumatic components. Steve Bain, Industry Segment Manager – Food and Beverage, Festo North America In modern automation systems, the need for frequent process adjustments poses the risk of unwanted device tampering, often referred to in exasperation by plant managers as Unnecessary […]
Metal Work Syntesi air prep components available from AutomationDirect
AutomationDirect has added new Metal Work Syntesi air prep components to their pneumatic components category. This value-packed addition offers a full selection of combination pre-assembled air prep systems including manual shut-off, filter/regulator, and lubricator assemblies; filter/regulator and lubricator assemblies; filter and lubricator assemblies; and filter and coalescing filter assemblies. Also available are individual components including […]
How can you spot wasted compressed air?
In a noisy industrial expensive plant, air leaks are everywhere, but hard to detect because the ambient roar washes out the sound of air leaving your system. But strange as it may seem, sometimes you can see compressed air leaks, or more accurately, you can see the result of the air escaping! Fig. 1 […]
Compressed air fail: Nozzles check
By Ron Marshall A metal parts company had dozens of media blasters installed in its production areas to clean its products for final processing. These blast cabinets were in constant use throughout their 16-hour production day and consumed a significant part of the peak compressed air demands. The staff found that they were running out […]
Why does my compressed air quality go down in summer?
Are you spending your summer struggling with the quality of your compressed air, with stinky, rusty water pouring out of your pipes? When it comes to air quality, the hot summer months are the most challenging time for most compressed air systems, and to avoid problems, you need to plan for the worst-case scenario. Typically, […]
Compressed air fail: You forgot one thing
A meat processing company air upgraded its compressed air system to increase capacity and reduce energy consumption. They installed large, premium efficiency VSD compressors, a smart compressor controller, efficient filters, large storage, and heated blower desiccant dryers connected with oversized compressor room piping β all in an effort to reduce pressure loss. The maintenance workers […]
Five excellent compressed air knowledge resources to know
These resources cover a range of topics, from system optimization to maintenance practices and measurement techniques. They can provide valuable guidance for improving the efficiency and performance of compressed air systems in various industrial settings. 1. “Improving Compressed Air System Performance: A Sourcebook for Industry” by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE): This valuable sourcebook […]
Why is compressor lubricant important?
The lubricated screw air compressors are the most common type in the industrial environment, helping power critical operations in various sectors. Maintaining the quality of your compressor lubricant is very important if you want trouble-free operation. Letβs examine the significance of maintaining high lubricant quality for a lubricated screw air compressor β and its overall […]
How do you check your compressed air storage size?
A very important element of any compressed air system is the system storage volume. But how much do you need? Is your storage capacity big enough? Sufficient system storage is important to the efficiency of a compressed air system because it allows for easier compressor control. Having a large volume connected to your compressors slows […]
