NED: What motivated EXAIR to develop this air nozzle?
BF: EXAIR recognized a need for engineered flat air nozzles which remained OSHA safe, were durable, and had adjustable force and airflow. Flat air nozzles by other manufacturers fall short of possessing all of these qualities. Most other nozzles use a series of holes. Some of these holes are able to be blocked and pose a dead-end pressure risk and OSHA violation. They typically require more compressed air than EXAIR flat air nozzles which also increases their noise levels beyond OSHA’s safe threshold for noise exposure. Many flat nozzles are plastic and break, so we decided to design a nozzle built from metal, with strength and durability in mind. We furthered the engineering of these flat nozzles by making the air flow adjustable, featuring our patented design. EXAIR Flat Super Air Nozzles use an internal shim to increase or decrease the force and flow of compressed air onto your target. Without adjustability, it is likely you’ll waste compressed air. EXAIR’s Flat Super Air Nozzles are highly efficient, unique flat air nozzles. A precise amount of air is released through the thin slot. The result is a wide, forcefull stream of high-velocity, laminar airflow with minimal air consumption and noise.
NED: How is this nozzle different from similar ones on the market today?
BF: EXAIR’s 1-in. Flat Super Air Nozzle uses less air than others available on the market today. It is also quieter and less expensive. EXAIR’s design makes this nozzle more durable than others as well. The patented design is critical, allowing the nozzle to maintain a forceful stream of high-velocity, laminar airflow with minimal air consumption and noise. Lowering the noise level is very important in today’s very noisy plants. And saving compressed air is something all plants will want to achieve. The return-on-investment, due to air savings, can be very quick.
NED: What problems needed to be addressed during the development process?
BF: We addressed the range of airflows our Flat Air Nozzles offer. We spent a lot of time determining a broad range of flow options in order to serve light and heavy-duty applications found across the industry.
NED: What effect did cost factors have in changing the final design of the product?
BF: EXAIR’s goal is to build compressed air products that outperform competition in the market. We design and engineer our nozzles to be the safest, most efficient, thus enabling them to pay for themselves quickly by reducing compressed air consumption. Cost did not affect our final design.
NED: Who is your target audience and what benefits will they achieve from using this compressed air nozzle?
BF: EXAIR targets industry throughout the world who desire to use compressed air efficiently and keep personnel safe.
NED: Do you have any other interesting information you would like to add?
BF: Along with our 1-in. Flat Super Air Nozzle, we also have a 2-in. Flat Super Air Nozzle. EXAIR offers the only family of adustable flat air nozzles.