What if there was a robot that was easy to operate, did not require a safety fence and was also attractively priced? That would introduce a whole new era in human-robot collaboration. This new era is now dawning β with the worldβs first pneumatic robot from Festo, which was announced by Festo at Hannover Fair […]
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A leak detection fail!
A recent question received by email:Β I need some help from you regarding air leak calculation.Β We just purchased a new air leak detector that calculates leakage flow.Β We have high air leakage in our LPG bottling plant and our leak detector showed a flow of 9130.2 L/S.Β If we convert this to CFM then it will total […]
Why should you look for hidden leaks in your compressed air system?
Air leaks can form in many places in a compressed air system. Some are obvious, but others are well hidden from detection. In Fig. 1, we can see a compressor air cooler that has been subject to frequent high-pressure cleaning using compressed air blow wands. And due to the stresses involved with the cleaning, it […]
Compressed air fail: Frankenstein controls
By Ron Marshall A wood products manufacturer decided to save money by hiring a small service company to maintain its compressors. The company had minimal experience in repairing compressors, but agreed to do the job. The company didnβt have parts available to replace the faulty controls on the two screw compressors β so they did […]
Compressed air fail: The mystery filter
By Ron Marshall A building products company had a compressed air system that featured one large 1,500-cfm compressor and three smaller ones. The compressed air flow had grown to a point where the large compressor could only be turned off during shutdown periods; when it was turned off, the plant pressure would collapse. The large […]
Compressed air fail: Sensor eye blowing
The operators at a lumber mill were having production problems in two of their machines.Β Annoyingly, critical sensing eyes were getting blocked by occasional pieces of bark as the logs went by.Β After enduring this for quite a while the maintenance department finally took matters into their own hands. The plant had a welding department, […]
A look at misfit compressed air tools
Are you still using open ended compressed air blowing?Β Are these blowers simply controlled by a ball valve?Β Did you know these tools can turn into dangerous uncontrolled projectiles if accidently dropped when the valve is wide open? They cause noise pollution and present a risk of eye injury when chips of debris are sent […]
How do you measure your compressed air’s air quality?
Many industrial sites measure their compressed air quality, or think they do.Β When asked to show the dew point of a system with refrigerated air dryers, the compressor operators will typically point to the air dryer display, not knowing that the reading is not really dew point, but the temperature within the air dryer itself.Β […]
Compressed air fail: Dryer overload
A building products company purchased a compressor with 1,520 cfm capacity to help with the increased load after a plant expansion. Various dryer sizes were available, but one sized at 1,600 cfm was selected, rather than choosing the next size up, to save purchase costs. Shortly after installation, the production machine operators started complaining about […]
Compressed air fail: Safety hazard
During a compressed air assessment, a service provider was reviewing the total capacity of the storage receivers for his report.Β Having adequate capacity helps make the compressors run more efficiently and saves energy.Β During his checks, he spotted a strange color on one receiver safety valve.Β On closer inspection, he noticed that the pressure relief […]
