Today the main focus in manufacturer’s minds is energy saving and an important focus it should
be. While it is reasonable and ambitious to move to lower energy cost equipment, maintenance
costs should also be considered. There are costs to maintenance that are sometimes
overlooked or that are not always so obvious.

With the ever increasing trend of requiring outside service personnel to come to the
manufacturing facility, the cost of maintenance has other implications. This trend is as much a
part of technological development as is the difficulty of finding qualified personnel for some jobs.
The cost of an outside contractor’s time not only includes the contractor. There is the cost of
the “time” taken by an employee to bring in and often accompany or supervise (or at least be
responsible for) the contractor. Then there is the cost of safety training and the time to obtain
approval to go into the factory site.

Downtime costs whether proactive, predictive, breakdown or preventative are usually more
visible and should always be considered, when measured against energy costs.
Same with spare part costs.

Another cost not always considered is the opportunity cost that is lost when funds have to go
toward maintenance costs, money which can be spent elsewhere.
Energy costs can be easily calculated for various pieces of equipment. When considering
estimated maintenance costs, these “other” associated expenditures should also be taken into
account.

Nex Flow™ compressed air operated products for blow off and cooling are essentially
maintenance free which in effect “recovers” costs that would otherwise go toward maintenance,
spare parts and downtime.

Air amplification products used for blow-off, cooling and venting offer “both” energy saving and
essentially zero maintenance, with no moving parts. They come in the form of air nozzles, air
jets, air knives (linear versions), air wipes and as annular air amplifiers. They convert pressure
normally lost as pressure drop into flow – producing a high velocity air stream to clean, dry or
cool surfaces with low noise levels, at a safe pressure (under 30 psi). Annular versions can
vent as well as blow off or cool surfaces. There are no blower motors to rely on – no worry of
breakdown, no motors to maintain, no outside service personnel to have to worry about. All that
with no need for spare parts, and at a much lower capital cost as well.

In some applications the shear force from a blower will not be as high as from a compressed
air operated blow-off slowing or otherwise negatively effecting production. This cost can be
significant if not noticed.

Nex Flow™ also produces “Venture” vacuum generators utilizing a zero maintenance air flow
system to generate high vacuum for moving small material such as resin for hopper loading
in the plastic industry. Especially ideal for intermittent use applications, these devices are
compact, effective with no maintenance.

A similar idea is incorporated in their air operated drum pump which sues only compressed to
either pressurize or crate a vacuum in a sealed drum to fill or empty the drum of liquids. With no
motors to clean or repair the item again is maintenance free.

One popular product is their vortex tubes used to spot cooling and for enclosure cooling.
A vortex tube takes compressed air and literally divides it up into a hot and cold stream.
The unit has no moving parts. All types of applications exist for vortex tubes for spot cooling: cooling
machine tools in dry machining to increase production rates, setting hot melt adhesive, to cool
gas samples, to cool heat seals. Most often these units are sold in packaged form for easier
and fast installation such as the Tool Cooler and the Panel Cooler which also comes with UL
and ULC approvals.

Panel Coolers, despite their increased energy use are virtually maintenance free, extremely reliable, produce no condensate to remove, purge the electrical panels and keep out dirt and moisture. With virtually no maintenance these units are ideal in especially dirty and wet environments and hot and humid areas since there are no electrical motors to break downand filters to maintain, costly maintenance activities especially in harsh environments.
Any downtime to service air conditioning systems can significantly affect production output and add
to costs. Energy costs are very important but that must be compared to the costs of maintenance and production effects.

Les Rapchak
President
Nex Flow Air Products Corp.
www.nexflowair.com

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The Future Always looked bleak till people with faith & courage who dreamed and dared to take risks found a way to make it better. If we’re to dare, (and we are) if we’re free to give, (and we are) then were free to shape the future and have within our grasp all that we dream that the future will be.
President Ronald Regan 1981

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The world is constantly changing and older companies are often frightened
with new challenges from assertive and technically competent firms.

NEX FLOW AIR PRODUCTS continues to challenge competitors with improved technology, better training for our representatives, and with a more efficient structure and promotion
programs to keep costs low and to offer better pricing without sacrificing quality.

In fact, a simple comparison of our products to our competitors provides obvious superiority in material use and construction.( Oh, and you don’t have to “register” to get complete Nex Flow Product information, you know what that’s all about )

For example: Anodized ( Aluminum ) Air Knives as standard

Stainless Shims are standard in our Air Knives ( others use plastic )

Most efficient Vortex tube products in the industry
Largest selection of NEMA ratings in Electronic Enclosure Coolers
Lower Cost

NEX FLOW has become a trusted brand for almost 10 years with the combined
personnel experience of over 30 years in technology, by doing something
some others in our industry have failed to do – and that is to provide
honest technical information and data and responsive customer service,

A key reason for our rapid and continuing growth.

NEX FLOW has significantly improved products over competitive
units and research continues. Within months a variety of new products will
be introduced to again improve upon the technology and with attractive
pricing.

If your shopping for any of these Compressed Air products, we invite you to do your own comparison, and we thank you for the opportunity.

A true leader builds trust and honesty.

The people at Nex Flow will work hard for you and will continue to provide our customers with:

“ A Better product at a better price”

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The Ring-Blade™ Air Wipe Blow-Off System from Nex Flow™ is easy to mount and maintain and reduces both compressed air consumption and noise levels in all types of extrusion applications.

It produces a “laminar” flow of air along its 360º angle using the “Coanda” effect which “entrains” a large volume of air from the surrounding area along with the small amount of compressed air from the Ring-Blade™ air-saver wiper-blade to produce an output flow up to 30 times the air consumption.

The Ring-Blade™ Air Wipe pay back on compressed air savings can be as soon as a few weeks in some applications when compared to nozzle “rings” or simple annular slots used by other air wiping systems.

Blow-off, cool & clean items like pipe, cable, wire and hose with the Ring-Blade™ Air Wipe System.

Air Wipe Blow-Off System – Ring-Blade™ Features:

* System is made of anodized aluminum to provide even air flow 360º around the part.
* Designed as two pieces hinged together to open and close around the part.
* Instant on-off with no moving parts, no electricity or explosion hazard.

Air Wipe Blow-Off System – Ring-Blade™ Benefits:

* Even blow off around the part, light in weight and compact.
* Easy to install and maintain and allows removal of a continuous piece.
* Reduced compressed air use for energy savings plus lower noise levels.
* Maintenance free with output easily controlled, safe to use.

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Nex Flow™ Panel coolers are UL and ULC approved under their component recognized section for legitimate use on electrical and electronic control panels.

Non-recognized products should be questioned for quality and reliability especially on a critical piece of equipment like a control panel.

ULC Component Recognized

The three types are:

1. Frigid-X™ Cabinet Panel Cooler NEMA Type 12 (IP-52) for general use in industrial environments where no direct liquid spray is applied to the unit. Stainless steel construction is still standard to hold up in corrosive environments and far superior to aluminum construction offered by other manufacturers.

2. Frigid-X™ Cabinet Panel Cooler NEMA Type 3R (IP-14) for Outdoor Use. Stainless steel construction is standard to hold up to rain, snow, humidity and general outdoor use.

3. Frigid-X™ Panel Cooler NEMA Type 4-4X (IP-56) splash resistant, for use in wash down environments as well as outdoor use. Unique patent pending design for secure water tight protection. Stainless steel for food service and corrosive environments. Stainless steel construction provides for long life in wet environments and for outdoor use where direct spray for wash down is required.

All of the Panel Coolers made by Nex Flow™ have the same sleek and compact design to interchange units on the same panel if the panel classification should change. Our stainless steel Panel Coolers are often much lower cost than many of competitor aluminum models!

Panel Coolers operate using a vortex tube which creates cold air from a small amount of compressed air from one end and hot air at the other end. The muffled hot air from the vortex tube is expelled through the top of the air conditioner. The cold air is directed into the enclosure through the cold air distribution hose. Hot air inside the enclosure rises and exits to atmosphere via the air exhaust at a slight positive pressure. The enclosure is both purged and cooled with clean air. No outside air enters the enclosure.

Cabinet Enclosure Cooler (Panel Coolers Air Conditioner) – Frigid-X™ – Advantages:

· Low in cost

· Compact

· No CFC’s

· Fast installation

· Stabilize enclosure temperature and humidity

· Virtually maintenance free (No Moving Parts)

· Mounts in a standard electrical knockout

· Stops heat damage and nuisance tripping

· Eliminates fans and filters

· Prevents dirt contamination by keeping enclosure at positive pressure

Panel coolers are typically mounted on the top of the cabinet but it there is inadequate space it can also be mounted on the side near the top using our easy to use side mounts.

If your control panels overheat – make Nex Flow™ Panel Coolers your choice!

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Nex Flow style of vortex tubes have been around since mid to late part of the 20th century. The basic technology has not changed very much since the original units were produced. Styles, shapes and interiors are quite similar among manufacturers for the most part but quality differences can be quite stark.

We had one customer that required a smaller model (8 SCFM units) for an instrument application and temperature drop value and consistency was extremely important. When they tested our unit against any competitor we were consistently a degree cooler for the same air flow and consumption. They also noticed over time (as they are repeat customers) that the Nex Flow units were far more consistent in performance. So we have a content customer that is secure in consistent high quality.

Any customer should be very wary of low cost low cost knock-offs with unproven track record and questionable quality. Manufacturing techniques, tight quality standards and even the equipment used in manufacturing can determine the result. Nex Flow uses proprietary manufacturing techniques, high performance machinery and quality materials to produce a quality and attractive product at a fair price.

One of the most common “packaged” versions of the vortex tube is the Panel Cooler, utilized for air conditioning control cabinets. Nex Flow Coolers are UL and ULC recognized components that support its claim as a valid and reliable product. Non-recognized products should be questioned for quality and reliability especially on a critical piece of equipment like a control panel.

Also, the prices for vortex tube based air conditioners can vary widely depending on design. Nex Flow designs (including a unique patented design for MEMA Type 4 and Type 4X (IP 56) applications are the newest in design with sleek design to keep cost low without sacrificing quality. In fact the stainless steel Panel Coolers are often much lower cost than many of competitor aluminum models!

Vortex tubes may often seem similar but it is what you don’t see that can make a big difference. Consider Nex Flow in your purchase of vortex tube technology.

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Nex Flow style of air flow amplifiers have been around since the early part of the 20th century and over the years have grown in use because of their ability to reduce the energy required for blow-off and cooling utilizing compressed air. They come in various forms from air knives (linear versions), split units or air wipes for extrusion blow-off, small ones in cone shaped or similar shaped “nozzles”, and in annular form such as small ones (called jets) or larger ones (labelled as air amplifiers or air movers). The annular units also create a small vacuum and can be used to convey light materials or vent gases and fumes.

The technology has not changed very much since the original units were created although the data that describes them seems to have changed. Some manufacturers have come up with special shims (that maintain the air exit gap) or shapes that claim to improve amplification but with data that sometimes seems to defy science. Physics however does not change. But the temptation to make ones product look better than others, over time, can yield results that may not be a usable engineering guide. In fact, inaccurate data can have occasional negative consequences.

We had one confused customer contact us who needed an accurate “air flow amplification” figure. He was looking at various competitors who had the same high figures but they did not make sense to him. The figures on some web sites showed both high flow amplification and high velocity which did not make sense. (Some just showed air amplification indicating a high probability that the claimed figure was just copied). As air flow is “amplified” it is done by drawing in atmospheric “still” air. As the flow increases, the velocity must go down. It is only reasonable that the greater the amplification, the lower the velocity must become. That is a physical fact. Yet as he searched several different sites he found no comfort in a claim that did not make sense. He especially questioned these sites engineering and sales expertise, publishing data that was obviously copied from others without any thought to validity.

Nex Flow has accurate test data for amplification for much of its product range with extrapolations made when necessary within engineering validity and guidelines provided for their use. Flow, velocity and force measurements with accurate instruments have been used to provide data that can be used with confidence. When you look at the engineering data supplied by companies you should always question it.

Nex Flow prides itself on providing usable data and competent support with quality product at a fair price. Technical competence and quality data that reflects reality can save the customer a lot of time and cost. Where Nex Flow is superior over low cost knock-offs and high priced “old” suppliers, has been in quality manufacturing techniques and materials to actually improve performance and product life.
For details call Nex Flow at (416) 410-1313

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The Nex Flow Tool Cooler is used in dry machining applications to cool all sorts of tooling used for grinding, routing, milling, drilling and cutting applications.

For many materials a cooling liquid is not acceptable such as for cutting ceramics, paper, plastics and exotic materials and for some times of production products.

One option is just to blow compressed air onto the tool. However, this is both costly in that often a large volume of air is required and the high volume of compressed is used. In some cases a “mist coolant” is an option, and is certainly necessary if lubrication is required. But mist coolers can pose an environmental breathing hazard.

The Nex Flow Tool Cooler uses a minimal amount of compressed air, the most common size only 15 SCFM at 100 psig. This will provide enough cooling for the majority of applications with extremely positive results. For some materials a higher capacity using 25, 30 or more SCFM multiplies the cooling effect. These units are used on very hard materials.

The cooling effect is enough even with smaller units to be able to increase production speeds as much as 10%, and improve the quality of the machining or cutting process.

The Tool Cooler comes supplied with a magnet to attach to the machine and to make it portable to move from one machine to the next as needed, or to just fix permanently. A single outlet hose kit directs the cold air onto the tool. The double outlet is used in applications such as band saw blade cooling to direct the air on each side. Filtration is a must to keep the air clean and Nex Flow always supplies one in their systems. In overall analysis, the vortex Tool Cooling systems can be quite economical to use with many positive benefits in dry machining and cutting applications.

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The Nex Flow Air Amplifiers are obviously used for venting and blow-off application but have found many uses for cooling as well. Because of the high velocity amplified air flow, the cooling effect can be several times that of a fan and can increased production rates significantly if cooling of parts is required.

One unique application occurred several years back at a refinery in Canada. Some of the insulation in the ducting carrying hot gases was wearing away creating hot spots that threatened to burn through the ducts. Unscheduled downtime would be a tremendous and unacceptable cost.

The solution was to use several stainless steel Model 40002S adjustable air amplifiers to blow amplified air over the various “hot spots”. This provided excellent cooling to prevent damage until the scheduled downtime period arrived to be able to repair the fallen insulation. The amplifiers were easy to install, portable and cooled several times better than a fan.

The amplification technology simply produces a large amount of flow from the input of a small amount of compressed air. The air produced is “laminar” and of high velocity providing excellent cooling effect.

Other application have been cooling castings on a conveyor shortening the production time and the overall length of conveyor needed, and even blowing over electric motors in a steel mill that were overheating due to a hot environment.

So the next time you need to cool with a “blast of air” – think of Nex Flow

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Nex Flow Panel Coolers are ideal for cooling control panels, especially in very difficult environments. The question comes up is why use a compressed air operated device instead of an air conditioner. The question is a valid one as compressed air is costly.

In many cases an air conditioner will suffice, especially if the environment is relatively clean. However, as soon as you begin to come across dirt or extremely high temperatures the vortex coolers become far more economical.

The Nex Flow Panel Cooler is almost completely maintenance free.

The hotter the environment the shorter the life span of an air conditioner. We had one customer in SE Asia that was replacing air conditioners every month just because of the very hot environment. Each air conditioner cost far more than the energy cost of using our Panel Cooler.

Cabinet Enclosure Cooler (Panel Coolers Air Conditioner) – Frigid-X™ – Advantages:

* Low in cost
* Compact
* No CFC’s
* Fast installation
* Stabilize enclosure temperature and humidity
* Virtually maintenance free (No Moving Parts)
* Mounts in a standard electrical knockout
* Stops heat damage and nuisance tripping
* Eliminates fans and filters
* Prevents dirt contamination by keeping enclosure at positive pressure
* Units applicable to all environments including high temperature to 200ºF

Energy costs involved in using the Panel Cooler can be lowered utilizing on-off control with a solenoid and thermostat. The solenoid simply stops the air flow once the desired temperature is reached. And it starts it up when the temperature gets too hot inside the panel. This is extremely effective with variable frequency drives in particular which generate heat on startup and then only cools once a machine is in operation. So the Panel Cooler operates for a relatively short period.

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