AIR KNIFE APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRY
Introduction
The applications for air knives in industry are wide-ranging,
with an often bewildering array of uses to which they are put.
They can be used for drying, cleaning and cooling almost any
type of surface. Modular in design and mounted on an adjustable
frame, they are adaptable to almost any type of production
line and can easily be moved and reassembled elsewhere with
minimum disruption to the plant.
There are two main types of air knives: straight and circular.
Both consist of an aluminium plenum chamber, through which
high velocity air from a Secomak blower is passed. The air
exits through a narrow, adjustable aperture, producing a highly
effective 'knife' effect, the intensity of which can be varied
by adjusting the aperture width - the narrower the aperture,
the more powerful the effect. Straight air knives are the ideal
choice for most applications, but in certain cases, such as
the drying of cables, tubes or extruded products, circular
air knives are more suitable.
Food and Beverage Industries
There are countless air knife applications in the food and
drink industries, including drying bottles, cans and jars
prior to labelling; controlling the thickness of coatings
on food products such as chocolates and pies; removing excess
cooking oil from croutons; and removing food waste from conveyors.
General Industrial Applications
As in the food and beverage industries, the uses for air knives
in other industrial sectors are almost as long as the list
of potential problems. In the manufacture of rolled aluminium
foil, for example, air knives are used to dry the roll after
washing, preventing water marks; and in cement works and
quarries, air knives are effective at removing dust and gravel
from conveyors, preventing the rollers from becoming jammed
and worn.
It is also in the heavy industrial sector that circular air
knives come into their own. They are particularly effective
at blasting away accumulated metal swarf during tube and pipe
manufacture and stripping away the cutting oil used in the
manufacture of threaded metal rods.
Conclusion
Many seemingly intractable problems can actually be solved
quite easily with air knives. Their modular construction allows
them to be positioned in the most awkward and inaccessible
places, where other devices may not easily fit. In addition,
air knives are much more energy efficient than
other drying methods such as compressed air or thermal drying,
often cutting energy costs by up to 90%.
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