Blog
29Feb

AIRnet Stainless Steel

Safe, solid and clean from start to finish. In certain industries, material selection crucially contributes to the final quality of the end product. It may even have a direct impact on Health, Safety and Environment Regulations. As compressed air or vacuum are used for a variety of applications (sometimes including direct contact with the end product), the choice for the safest solution is decisive. The preference for oil free compressed air systems is clearly understandable, but the selection of a piping system...

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29Aug

6 Ways Onsite Nitrogen Benefits Brewers

Malt. Mash. Boil. Ferment. No matter your favorite beer, it usually goes through some iteration of those four steps. People have consumed beer for thousands of years. Around 5,000 years ago, the Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia drank beer as an alternative to the contaminated water they had access to. Now, people drink beer mostly for pleasure and taste. With time, the brewing technology has become more sophisticated. Today, brewers are continuing to improve their process and final product with the help...

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How well do you know your compressed air costs?
03Mar

How well do you know your compressed air costs?

The following is an excerpt from the article How well do you know your compressed air costs? by Bob Baker, national training manager for Atlas Copco Compressors, which was published in the April issue of Plant Services magazine. What is a life cycle cost calculation? Life cycle cost (LCC) calculations are used as a tool to evaluate the different investment options for equipment. Included in LCC calculations are the product’s combined costs during a specific period – usually 10 years – which includes...

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Drop the Pressure Drops
16Feb

Drop the Pressure Drops: Optimize Piping Configuration

School is back in session and that means it’s time for a pop quiz. What is the smartest thing a manufacturing facility can do to save money over the long term? Ignore pressure drops Defer system maintenance Maximize compressed air efficiency If you chose answer “c,” you are correct. The biggest single cost associated with producing compressed air is the energy required to power the compressor. In fact, compressed air can consume up to 40% of the total energy a facility...

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16Feb

Why Your Facility Needs a Compressed Air Audit

For an Australian manufacturer of terracotta roof tiles, replacing an aging compressor was number one on the facility maintenance checklist. A 25-year-old machine running as a standby and the capricious nature of energy prices in Australia combined to create a problem in need of an energy efficient and reliable solution. How does a compressor room compressed air audit work? The manufacturer chose to perform a data logging compressed air audit to find out which new equipment would help the company meet its...

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How to Winterize Your Compressed Air System in Three Easy Steps
16Feb

How to Winterize Your Compressed Air System in Three Easy Steps

If you haven’t already prepared your compressed air system for the cold weather ahead, now is the time to get started. Don’t put off necessary maintenance and weatherization strategies or you may be looking at rusted machinery, malfunctioning equipment and decreased energy efficiency when spring finally rolls around. Follow these quick tips to increase your compressor room’s energy efficiency throughout the winter months. Address maintenance issues. Inspect system drains for obstructions and inefficiencies. Don’t forget to check the drains in the...

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16Feb

The Best Strategy for Eliminating Water Vapor in Compressed Air

Water in compressed air systems is one of the leading causes of failure. Pneumatic systems, regardless of their purpose, are not designed to operate with water present. How Temperature Affects Water Vapor Air is comprised primarily of oxygen and nitrogen with trace amounts of other ambient gases. Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures tells us that water vapor is present in an inverse partial pressure to the amount of oxygen and nitrogen present in any given sample of air. In normal atmospheric conditions,...

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How to Design an Efficient Compressed Air Distribution Network
16Feb

How to Design an Efficient Compressed Air Distribution Network

Inefficient compressed air distribution systems result in higher energy bills, lower productivity and poor air tool performance. Piping systems more than five years old have been shown to exhibit leaks of up to 25 percent, yet many facilities are slow to upgrade equipment to the latest technology. Additionally, undersized or oversized piping, poorly configured systems or clogged filters can create significant artificial demand. Designing an Efficient Compressed Air Distribution Network How do you know if your compressed air distribution network is efficient? Efficient...

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Getting a Good Hold on Aluminum
16Feb

Getting a Good Hold on Aluminum

It’s easy to forget that aluminum, one of the most commonly used metals, is not magnetic and therefore, presents a handful of manufacturing challenges. Aluminum is used in many consumer products, especially in the food and beverage category. When was the aluminum can introduced? 1957! So for many, the can has served as a constant throughout our lives. It’s light. It’s easily malleable. It’s cost effective. It’s easy to open. It doesn’t rust. And it has a clean, sheen aesthetically pleasing appearance. During the...

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Fix Pressure Drops with Additional Air Supply at Point of Use
16Feb

Fix Pressure Drops with Additional Air Supply at Point of Use

Supply and demand is a familiar term usually reserved for discussions of economic policy. Demand is how much of a particular commodity is wanted or needed, while supply is the quantity available to satisfy the demand. Surprisingly, supply and demand can also be applied to compressed air systems. Demand, within a compressed air system, is the need for compressed air power. It’s impacted by a number of factors including use, or whatever tools or functions compressed air is powering, and loss,...

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