Raico Engineers

An Air Knife is a tool used to blow off liquid or debris from products as they travel on conveyors. Air knives are normally used in manufacturing or as the first step in a recursive recycling process to separate lighter or smaller particles from other components for use in later or subsequent steps, post manufacturing parts drying and conveyor cleaning, part of component cleaning. The knife consists of a high intensity, uniform sheet of laminar airflow sometimes known as streamline flow.

An industrial air knife is a pressurized air plenum containing a series of holes or continuous slots through which pressurized air exits in a laminar flow pattern. The exit air velocity then creates an impact air velocity onto the surface of whatever object the air is directed. This impact air velocity can range from a gentle breeze to greater than Mach 0.6 (40,000 ft/min) to alter the surface of a product without mechanical contact.

In modern days of “Green Environment” Wastewater/Sewage/Effluent Treatment Plants have become integral & important component of most industrial and residential projects.

Final product appearance is critical in all industries, but perhaps none more so than the beverage and food industry. Brands compete for discerning customers’ attention in an increasingly competitive market where even the smallest imperfection can be enough to sway the purchasing decision. This is especially true for the major retailers and supermarkets that expect exacting standards in product presentation. Any distortion of labels or sleeves can be the difference between securing that key customer.

Use Of Compressed Air Justified for Drying & Blow off

• Most of us believe that air is free
• True, however compressed air is not free
• You require a lot of electrical energy, to compress the air, and store for later use
• Due to its inherent nature, when air is compressed, lot of heat is generated
• This heat is normally dissipated in the atmosphere
• The dissipated heat is a lost energy
• This energy will never be recovered and may amount to nearly 30% of input costs

Air Filters, Pressure Regulators & Lubricators applied in:

• Pneumatic conveyors
• Beverage dispensers
• Spray paint equipment
• Pneumatic power system
• Air logic and control circuits
• Laboratory and process gas usage
• Cooling and protecting sensitive instruments
• Air bearing for mechanical power transmission
• Aeration in pharmaceutical and chemical processes

Chemical Processing Applications - Liquid or Solid:

• Easily transfer powders and other chemicals
• Transfer pellets, foam, granules and other light solids
• Form air layers to facilitate loading granules
• Mix sediment, chemicals, paint and other liquids

Manufacturing Applications:

• Process cards, cash, mail; sheeting and other routine sorting projects
• Remove excess material in cutting and stamping processes

Textiles Applications:

• Assist in the sewing process
• Keep threads and yarn in place during processing
• Hold product in position during knitting, sewing, and applique processing

Other Applications:

• Paper Drying: Aid ink drying process
• Banking: Shoot containers through duct work with forced air
• Medical and Dentistry: Adapts to vacuum based medical and dental equipment
• Construction/ Clean Rooms: Remove powders, dust and gases from tunnels, laboratories, clean rooms or other enclosed spaces
• Spas and Whirlpools: Aerate indoor or outdoor pools for medicinal and relaxing effects
• Bottling: Fill, cap and dry bottles
• Food Processing: Gently handle fragile food products like eggs
• Paper Transfer: Move Paper through the printing process
• Feeding: Feed paper into printing machines
• Post Processing Sorting: Sort and count cards, envelopes and paper
• Punch Collection: Collect waste paper after hole punch processing

Below are some typical drying applications by air knife systems:

• Beverage/Jam/Pickle/ Bottle Drying
• Cans Drying
• Food Packets/Pouch Drying
• Vegetable Drying
• Food Handling Tray Drying
• Bakery Products Drying
• Confectionery Drying
• Paper Drying
• Bucket Conveyor Drying
• Drying of Parts after wash
• Adhesive Drying
• Metal Sheet Drying
• Glass Sheet Drying
• Plastic Film Drying
• Plastic Extrusion Drying
• Textile Drying
• PCB Drying
• Aluminum Foil Drying
• Belt Conveyor Drying

 

Some other applications of air knife system:

 

• Blow off / Cleaning of Parts
• Coating control of Adhesive
• Blow off / cleaning of oil from Parts
• Coating control of wax on film
• Blow off of excess oil from food products
• Coating control of chocolate layer on ice cream
• Blow off of onion skins
• Coating control of POP on Plaster Board
• Blow off of Bread crumbs from moulds
• Coating control of ice surface
• Blow off of extra seeds from bread
• Static removal with ionized air before painting /packing
• Blow off of extra Debris / fibers from sweet corn
• Air curtain for surface protection
• Blow off of release agents from confectionery
• Separating/Sorting different weight products
• Blow off of release agents from rubber belts/extrusion
• Cooling of PCB/ Batteries
• Blow off of loose fibers from textile
• Cooling of parts
• Shrink packaging
• Air curtain/Barrier to contain unwanted foreign particles
• Impregnation of surface
• Surface Protection of lens against foreign Particle impeachment
• Floating light products such as granules / capsules etc. while conveying