Efficient, customized air knives for blowing with compressed air

Air knives are often used to blow away fluid, dirt, swarf etc. from a surface or an object, but can also be used to create an air curtain.

Two good reasons for installing Silvent air knives

Installing an air knife for blowing with compressed air is often effective when the object has a large cover width. All Silvent air knives have the optimum combination of high blowing force, low energy consumption and low sound levels.

Energy efficient air knife

There are major savings to be made when blowing with compressed air. Open pipes are often used for blowing with compressed air in fixed installations. In the long run, this is an inefficient and energy intensive method, as open pipes cause turbulence. Accordingly, to increase efficiency and reduce energy consumption, the air knives used should reduce turbulence and utilize the compressed air optimally.

All of Silvent’s air knives optimize the use of compressed air, reduce turbulence and sound levels. This is possible thanks to Silvent technology, which creates a uniform, smooth and straight so-called laminar air jet. The specially designed air knives allow the compressed air to be used optimally and for less energy to be wasted creating turbulence. This makes it possible to save both energy and money.

Improve your manufacturing industry

Silvent’s air knives are a more efficient alternative to open pipes, self designed air knives and air nozzles, if the blowing application requires a large coverage width. It is often difficult to get a good blowing result if the object requiers a wider coverage width. Therefore, Silvent has developed air knives that generate an evenly distributed coverage width and an effective blowing force.

Silvent’s application engineers possess unique expertise in the field of blowing with compressed air and they help companies around the world with industry-specific applications on a daily basis. Today, Silvent’s products are used to increase efficiency, lower sound levels and optimize the use of compressed air in more than 90 countries. This is possible thanks to our combination of extensive application experience and unique products.

Silvent’s range of air knives comprises both standard products and custom solutions. The standard products were designed for use across a spectrum of short to long blowing distances and are therefore not quite as efficient as our custom air knives. Silvent’s custom air knives are known as SILVENT 300™ and they are optimized for each unique application. Silvent’s application engineers work entirely according to the customer’s needs and requirements when designing SILVENT 300™.

Silvent’s engineers will be happy to share their know-how to achieve the best possible solution. Contact one of our representatives or fill in the contact form below, and we’ll get in touch with you.

Choose the right air knife for your blowing application

To be efficient, an air knife must be adapted to suit a specific application. This allows blowing force, blowing angle and the air knife’s cover width to be optimized for the specific application, which ensures the best possible results. Otherwise there is a risk that the task will not be performed with the desired results or that far too much compressed air is used. It’s therefore important to base air knife design on each unique application. It’s usual to begin with the cover width and the purpose of the application.

We’ll be glad to help you find an air knife that meets your requirements. Begin by answering the 8 questions in our checklist. Based on your answers, our engineers will create a proposal for an effective solution.

In choosing Silvent, you enjoy the market’s absolute best solutions including full technical support in respect of blowing force, blowing angles, blowing pattern, blowing distance and other installation advice.

Installing air knives

To ensure effective blowing force, it’s important that the air knife be installed correctly and that recommended adjustments are carried out.

Avoid undersizing the supply line

One of the most common mistakes when installing an air knife is undersizing the supply line. This affects the air knife’s performance, which can have a negative impact on the application. In the case of undersizing, the blowing force may be too low or too unevenly distributed across the air knife, which will cause problems when blowing. It’s also important to make sure the compressed air system is not undersized, as this will cause a pressure drop.

The correct blowing distance between the air knife and the object

The blowing distance between the air knife and the object is important not only for ensuring sufficient blowing force across the whole object, but also for minimizing sound. The optimal distance depends on the application, but there are certain general recommendations. In the case of general blowing clean, it’s often an advantage to locate the air knife 200 – 300 mm from the object, and when blowing oil-based fluids away, we often recommend shorter blowing distances. To further optimize the air knife installation, it’s also important to optimize the angle of the air jet. This is especially important in applications intended for removing fluids.

Optimizing and adjusting the blowing force

When optimizing an application, it’s important to adjust the blowing force to suit the application’s purpose. In this way, only the volume of compressed air necessary to perform the work is used, which often makes it possible to reduce energy consumption and the sound level. Blowing force is best fine tuned by using a pressure regulator to adjust supply pressure. It’s also possible to adjust blowing force with the aid of a throttle valve that regulates the volume of air. However, this type of regulation sometimes causes a certain turbulence. In some air knife applications, it’s also possible to adjust the blowing force depending on the blown area, e.g. to achieve greater blowing force in the center of the air knife.