Blog

Using Air Knife Length to Size a Blower

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 12:30:00 GMT

In order to maximize airflow from your Paxton blower system, our application engineers utilize both blower performance curves and air delivery device resistance curves to properly size a Paxton blower system. Every blower has a peak efficiency range where the blower should be operated at to ensure maximum power, peak efficiency, and maximum blower life. Normally, air delivery devices are selected first then, based on what air delivery devices were selected, the blower is selected to power the chosen air delivery devices.

When pairing air delivery devices with a blower, both size and quantity matter. If multiple air delivery devices are chosen and the blower does not have enough horsepower, the system will underperform and could draw more current that than the motor is rated for causing the motor to fail prematurely. On the other hand, using too few air knives with an oversized blower will cause excessive heat buildup, effectively shortening the life of the blower head. Both of these scenarios will result in the blower operating outside of its peak efficiency range, therefore reducing the efficiency and shortening the life of the blower.

If a customer has a question about adding an air knife to their system, ask our application engineers if their current Paxton blower can handle that addition.

Is your Air Working for You?

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Broad Overview Air Technology

Over the years, Air Technology has advanced using specific tools (blowers and air delivery devices) tailored to an application’s needs in all environments. Over the years, blowers and air delivery devices have become more efficient and better engineered to solve air rinsing, blow off, and drying issues throughout a wide variety of industries. Using ineffective solutions result in products being rejected, issues developing further down the production line, or longer-term quality issues such as bacterial growth or corrosion. While a blower system may be a small part of the production line, it can have a huge impact on whether production continues or stops.

Is your air working for you?

Is your air solution effectively and efficiently air rinsing, blowing off or drying? A good air solution should not only solve your production issues but also provide a ROI. It may provide energy savings or reduce the number of employees needed, to redeploy them from manual drying or blow off to higher value-added positions. It should improve the quality of your finished product or enable faster line speeds. It should prevent secondary packaging issues. It should be reliable and easy to maintain. When you replace your compressed air or water usage for air technology, it can lead to huge savings.

How can you spot if your air is not working for you?

Ask yourself these questions: Is your air solution solving your air rinsing, blow off or drying issues? Are your products passing quality control consistently? Are you having contamination issues? Are you having to slow your production speeds to ensure complete drying or blow off? If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time to take a look at your air solution. While it is easy to buy a cheap regen blower and make your own air knives, it usually will not solve your production issue. To maximize system performance your air delivery device(s) must be sized to operate at or near the upper efficiency range of the blower. If your blower and air knife are not properly sized, airflow can be lackluster, or the blower may overwork and fail causing production delays and product rejections. To ensure the best air technology for your production line, it is important that the solution is engineered specifically for your application. One size does not fit all.

Paxton custom-engineers solutions specifically for each application, and in many cases, customers receive an energy savings. Paxton Products prides itself in providing the best solution for your blow off and drying challenges, by gathering all the information about the application upfront. As the industry leaders in blow off, drying and air rinsing, Paxton has seen how inefficient some air system can be, when not properly sized, so we take the time to create the best, custom-engineered solution for you.

Cheaper is Usually Not Better

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 13:16:00 GMT

When buying an industrial air blower and air knife system, buying an inexpensive system often times leads to higher overall cost of ownership. For example, regen, direct drive and/or squirrel cage blowers are easy solutions to purchase because of their low cost, but their performance usually disappoints. These blowers are often only 20 – 40% efficient resulting in:

Inadequate air flow and pressure to achieve the drying or blow off performance needed
Higher energy costs

Poor blower performance results in poor product quality, slowed production, and potentially downtime. These costs far outweigh any savings from the lower purchase price.

Paxton blowers, on the other hand, are custom-engineered to your drying or blow off application. Our engineers have over 75 years of airflow technology experience, so they will know how to solve your application need. A Paxton blower uses less horsepower to achieve the same airflow as the cheaper blowers resulting in significant energy savings. For example, a regen blower may need 30hp to dry pipe extrusions whereas a Paxton blower only needs a 15 hp to dry the same extrusions. Paxton prides themselves on blower durability, longevity, and performance with thousands of blowers in excellent condition still out in the field for 10+ years (and many for over 20 years!). Paxton provides customers with a maintenance schedule and video instructions allowing customers to properly maintain their blowers in-house reducing downtime for production. If you are interested in the benefits your company can receive from using a Paxton blower click here.

Why is sustainability important to us?

Thu, 20 May 2021 17:07:33 GMT

Paxton Products prides itself in providing the best solution for your blow off and drying challenges. As the industry leaders in blow off and drying, Paxton has seen how inefficient competitor’s solutions can be. To ensure you are given the best solution, Paxton’s engineers, having a combined 75+ years of experience in air flow technology, take all the necessary information needed to create a custom-engineered solution.

Paxton Products focuses on how they can provide environmentally friendly solutions that meet the need of users. Paxton Air Systems will significantly reduce the environmental footprint of your drying, blow off and air rinsing applications. Energy usage is reduced; and when air rinsing, water usage is eliminated. No water, no costly water disposal. Paxton’s Blower-driven Ionized Air Rinsing, pioneered by Paxton, eliminates the need for water rinsing and uses less energy than compressed air rinsing. Our patented design is proven for high and low speed lines, cans and bottles, even the challenging 2-liter PET bottle.

Why does a Pulley System Result in Better Blower Performance?

Thu, 20 May 2021 17:03:00 GMT

Two common types of blowers are belt-driven and direct drive. Direct Drive blowers connect the blower head directly to the motor, and the motor “directly drives” the blower. Out of necessity, the blower and the motor rotate at the same speed. In a belt-driven system, on the other hand, the motor and blower head are connected via a belt drive system, enabling the motor and the blower to rotate at different speeds. The motor pulley and the blower pulley are connected via a belt, and the size ratio between the two pulleys dictates the speed of the blower head, determining the resulting flow and pressure.

Why does a two-pulley system result in a better performance?

First, a two-pulley system provides flexibility in the speed of the blower, to adjust for application specific needs. A direct drive blower operates at the same speed as the motor. In order to adjust the speed and the air flow characteristics, a variable frequency drive (VFD) is required. A two-pulley system, on the other hand, can be adjusted by varying the pulley sizes. For example, a Paxton PX-750 centrifugal blower can achieve flow rates ranging from 340 – 700 cfm, at pressures from 30 – 80” H2O, depending on what pulley size is used.
Secondly, a two-pulley system extends the bearing life of the blower bearings, by moving the bearings away from the heat generated by the motor. In a direct drive blower, the bearings are in direct contact with the motor heat, and therefore, direct drive blowers require bearing changes every 6000 hours, whereas bearings in a two-pulley system will last for many years.
And finally, unlike direct drive blowers, two pulley blower systems use a standard 3 phase induction motor, which is readily available in the market. In return, the customer receives a cost-efficient option and avoids purchasing a specialty motor. Most of the maintenance required on a two-pulley system can be completed in-house.

How are Paxton’s two-pulley systems unique?

Paxton’s centrifugal belt-driven blowers utilize a combination of varying sizes of motor and blower pulleys, custom-engineered for each application. What’s in it for the customer? Paxton is able to dial into the most energy efficient and effective performance for each application. Paxton’s focus is on giving their end user a blower that reaches peak efficiencies of 80%, reducing the energy cost by much as 2.5 – 10 hp, as compared to other blower systems. And compared to compressed air drying and blow off systems, Paxton Products’ two pulley blower system utilizes energy better to reduce electricity costs by 80%. Paxton Products has durable and reliable blowers and air delivery systems AND they have application engineers who have over 75+ years of combined experience in air flow technology. With this knowledge, Paxton is the unsurpassed leader in Engineering expertise and support before and after solution development.

So why Paxton Products? Because we blow air smarter!

Why Paxton Products?

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:58:49 GMT

For over 60 years, Paxton has led the industry in innovation and design of centrifugal blowers for blow-off and drying systems for the manufacturing industry. Paxton Products has its roots in the development of the first high-performance supercharger in 1957. This same technology was used to create the first centrifugal blowers for industrial applications in the 1970s. Paxton Products not only provide superior products but have unrivaled engineering expertise and an industry-best warranty of 3 years compared to their competitors’ 1-year warranty. Within the 60 years plus of operation, they have gained industry expertise to elevate Paxton Products as the preferred solution for drying and blow-off applications around the world.

But Why Paxton Products?

Paxton Products is a business unit of the globally recognized Fortune 200 company, Illinois Tools Works (ITW). Paxton Products’ engineers have over 75+ years of combined experience in providing customers with drying and blow-off solutions tailored to meet specific application requirements. Not only is Paxton Products focused on solving your immediate blowing, drying and air rinsing needs, but also reducing energy usage. Paxton Products has recently introduced the next generation centrifugal blowers, the Paxton PX-series, that allow customers to use 2.5 to 10 hp less electrical power, while still providing the same air power, this saving as much as $4,800 per year on electricity compared to previous generation blowers. The PX-series reaches peak efficiencies of 80%, exceeding the efficiency of Paxton AT-and XT-series blowers, while also outperforming their competitors’ centrifugal blowers by 15 – 30%.

In air rinsing applications, Paxton’s Ionized Air Systems replaces both compressed air rinsing and water rinsing to reduce their customers’ environmental footprint, while also reducing costs. The Ionized Air System utilizes the new ultra-high efficiency PX-series blowers to further improve sustainability by reducing energy consumption. With Paxton Products focusing on giving customers more benefits, including a return on investment often less than a year, they ensure their customers that Paxton Products is the solution they were seeking. Paxton Products does not just limit themselves to one specific market but spread themselves throughout multiple applications from: Bottling and Canning, Food Processing and Packaging, Solutions for Craft Brewing, Medical Devices, Nutraceuticals, Pharmaceuticals, Extrusions, Industrial Products and Electronic and Solar. Paxton Products have engineered custom solutions to solve challenges in all these industries. So why Paxton Products? Because we blow air smarter!

When to Use an Air Knife vs. Nozzle Manifold

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:55:00 GMT

Paxton’s Application Engineers configure drying and blow off solutions based on your line and target specifications and their extensive knowledge of which air delivery devices are best for which application. And while air knives are the most common form of air delivery, nozzle manifolds are often the best choice for some applications. Let’s look at the differences between air knives and nozzle manifolds.

Paxton Nozzle Manifold are ideal for applications that require greater than 5 inches between the source and the surface to be dried, blown off or rinsed. Nozzle manifolds maintain thrust as far away as 18 inches (450 mm).

Multiple items on one conveyor
Products that have multi-faceted surfaces to dry
Products with nooks, crannies, or holes
Solutions requiring a concentrated high thrust of air
Applications where it is critical to mount the air delivery device more than 5 inches from the blow-off surface

Air Knives are used to blow off liquid or debris off a wide variety of materials when the air knife can be located within 5 inches from target:

Water and chemicals can be sheared from surfaces after washing
Bottling and canning facilities use air knives to dry products prior to date coding or labeling
Fruit and other food products are dried, and dirt and debris are blown off with air knives
After cutting or machining, debris and scrap are effectively removed from metal, wood, cardboard, plastic and other surfaces
Packaged foods are air dried without adding excessive heat
After applying coatings to parts, foods, etc, excess coating can be sheared off to evenly distribute the coating
Chemicals and flux can be removed from printed circuit boards

If you are interested in learning more about our air knives and nozzle manifolds contact us today!

The Negative Consequences of Not Taking the Proper Care of your Paxton Products Blower

Thu, 20 May 2021 16:44:00 GMT

Paxton blowers are precision engineered to last for years and years. In fact, we frequently hear from customers whose blowers are 20 or even 30 years old, and still operational. However, blower failures do occur, and the causes of failure are explained herein. For each of these conditions, there may be several installations or operational issues contributing to the condition.

Bearing Failure: Bearing failure is a condition which can be considered routine maintenance. The bearings used in Paxton Blowers are ABEC-7 ball bearings using high temperature grease. Over several years of operation, there will be a routine requirement to overhaul the blower head due to common wear of the bearings. However, premature failure of bearings can be caused by over-temperature operating conditions:

The high temperature grease used in the bearings may liquefy and run out through the shields if extreme temperatures are encountered.
Drying up of the grease due to high temperature operation may cause carbon build up and failure.

Once lubrication is lost in the bearings, failure will result. Unfortunately, if bearing failure is not discovered in the early stages, the blower will eventually fail catastrophically resulting in down time.

Ingestion of Foreign Matter: The number one cause of failure of a well lubricated bearing is contamination getting into the races of the bearing. This condition results from poor or lack of filtration at the intake of the blower. An air intake filter is always required. Although some fine dust may pass through the blower without damage, a gradual buildup of dust or materials in the blower can result in a coating on the impeller and housing. This will affect the balance of the impeller and rotating assembly and will eventually cause the bearings to overheat, shortening the service life of the blower. The filter that is included with your Paxton blower will normally remove particles to 5 microns in size and will usually eliminate the possibility of ingestion of damaging foreign matter. It is imperative that the user check for inlet filter restriction and ensure filters are maintained in a clean condition. Replacement every three months is usually advised. A pressure differential gauge and/or switch at the blower inlet is beneficial in alerting the user to these conditions before they become critical, and these pressure gauges are included with every PX-series blower.

In addition to particulate and dust contamination, it is important to note that the blower must be protected from ingesting liquid any chemical vapors that could compromise bearing lubrication. If this foreign matter is small enough to get past the seals, can lead to contamination of the bearings causing bearing failures.

Incompatible Environments: When considering a blower for an application, it is also important to consider the environment that the blower will be in. While most industrial environments are acceptable you need to consider the site temperature, air quality (steam / chemicals in the air, airborne debris). Paxton blowers should not be operated in areas having high levels of ozone, as ozone will cause premature belt failure. If high levels of oils, cutting fluids, or syrup are in the operating area, the Paxton blower should be moved to a cleaner area; and the inlet piped to a clean air. Contact Paxton for recommendations.

Operation Outside of the Performance Limits: When considering a blower for an application, the requirements for the application must be within the blower’s design performance capabilities. If the blower is operated at excessive pressures with insufficient air flow passing through it, higher operating temperatures will result. These higher operating temperatures may result in premature bearing failure. The Paxton blower should also be operated with the recommended number of air knives or nozzles attached. The creation of excessive air flow beyond the design parameters such as with the addition of extra air delivery devices or by providing air bleed-off without a throttling valve (i.e. running the system wide open without sufficient air flow resistance), then the motor will over amp and overheat. More air flow comes with a need for more power from the motor.

Another issue is having too much system resistance beyond the design parameters, such as an excessive number of elbows, excessive length of pipe, pipe size with too small of a diameter, and undersized air delivery devices etc. will cause the blower head to overheat, leading to bearing failure, due to excessive churning of the air inside the blower housing with insufficient cooling air flow. Please consult our Engineering Bulletin for piping recommendations.

Paxton Engineers have more than 75 years of combined experience to ensure that they select the most appropriate blower for the application to ensure that you get the maximum life from your Paxton system. Be sure to discuss any environmental conditions with them, as they are specifying the right blower for your application.

When Should you Replace a Compressed Air Knife with a Paxton Products Air System?

Thu, 20 May 2021 15:37:00 GMT

Due to low initial cost of compressed air knives, many facilities opt for compressed air knives when just starting out, for low line speeds, or for intermittent blow off and drying. As production grows and line speeds increase, compressed air knives become inefficient and cost prohibitive, due to the high volume of compressed air required: 80-90% of the energy is used to compress and transport the air to the site where it is needed. If you are drying your air before compression, even more energy is wasted.

In contrast to compressed air solutions, Paxton Products custom designs air knives and other air delivery devices for your specific application so the right volume of air is directed when and where you need it. Paxton centrifugal blowers power these air knives and devices to deliver a higher volume of air per kW of energy to dry and blow off faster and more efficiently. Energy costs for operating Paxton air knives are 80% or more less than those of compressed air. Often times, the return on investment for a Paxton blower system with air knives will be less than one year. Whether drying the tops, the sides, or the entire product, we have Paxton air delivery devices to hit your target.

How Does a Paxton Air Knife Compare to a Compressed Air-Driven Air Knife?

Thu, 20 May 2021 15:12:41 GMT

Compressed air-driven air knives have a low initial purchase price, but a very high operating cost compared to Paxton’s efficient blower-driven air knives. Compressed air knives produce high velocity air for drying and blow off, like blower driven air knives do, but at a much greater operating cost. Common uses for compressed air-driven knives are blowing off, drying or cooling of moving webs, film, sheets, strips, and parts. Compressed air knives operate well in tight spaces. They are also good for intermittent applications; this allows users to turn the air knives on and off as they see fit or for short bursts to conserve energy. Compressed air-driven air knives use about 5 scfm of air per inch when operated at 100 psig, so a 24” air knife will use 120 scfm. If the compressed air knife operates 24 hours a day at a typical electricity cost of $.10/kWhr, being driven by an efficient air compressor, the operating cost is $41.25 per day¹. If you need an intermittent drying solution reach out to Vortec today. Vortec is a part of Paxton Products’ business unit, ITW Air Management.

Paxton Air Knives are powered by an electric blower, rather than compressed air. Paxton Air Knives produce high velocity, low pressure air (<3 psi), resulting in high fluid power and high thrust for blow off and drying. The energy required to run an electric blower is about 5 times less than that required for compressed air, as with compressed air, much of the energy is wasted to compress and transport the air. Compressed air systems are 10 – 20% efficient, whereas a Paxton PX-series blower is as much as 80% efficient. And unlike compressed air, the wasted energy of an electric blower is turned into heat, meaning that the outlet air is warmer than ambient, and this has the benefit of facilitating drying. Air from blower-driven air knives are also free from oils, scale and moisture that are present in compressed air. The operating cost of a 24” Paxton air knife under the same conditions as above is only $3.36 per day². Paxton Air Knives are ideal for continuous drying and blow off operations, particularly in larger applications. Even though the upfront investment is more than compressed air knives, most companies see an (Return on Investment) ROI in a year or less. The blower requires 3-phase, 230- or 460-volt power, and must be correctly sized for the total length and gap of the air knives or number and size of nozzles, to ensure efficient and effective drying and blow off. Depending on the size of the application and the air knives needed, Paxton offers blowers ranging from 3hp to 20hp.

^{1 .10 cost of kw/h * 17.2 kw/h= $1.72/hr * 8 hr/shift = $13.75/shift * 3 shifts/day * 1 day/week = $41.25/day}

^{2. .10 cost of kw/h * 1.4 kw/h= $.14/hr * 8 hr/shift = $1.12/shift * 3 shifts/day * 1 day/week = $3.36/day}

Paxton Blowers "Sharpening Up" Manufacturing Lines

Thu, 20 May 2021 15:07:14 GMT

In recent years, the food industry has seen a huge increase in the demand for cheese ranging from string cheese to blocks of cheese. With this high demand for cheese, manufacturers have been working hard in order to meet this need by opening new lines and hiring new employees. Paxton Products’ blow-off and drying systems are a small component of the cheese manufacturing process but play a big role in the quality of the entire product. There are two problem areas where a cheese manufacturer needs a high efficiency blower. In both process areas, Paxton provides a high efficiency blower and air knives.

The first focus area near the end of the conveyor, targets the removal of leftover excess brine and water from the cheese before packaging. The Paxton blower system incorporates a HEPA in-line filter that allows direct contact of the blower-driven air with the cheese. The blower’s purpose is to make sure there are not remnants of excess cheese or liquid left over before packaging. If there is any leftover water or excess brine it will cause issues when packaging the cheese.

The second focus area is at the end of the conveyor, after the cheese is packaged. After packaging, the cheese goes through one more water rinse. Any water remaining on the package must be removed. The placement of air knives is critical to ensure all water will be removed from the top and the crevices of the packaging, thus preventing rusting of the plastic. Most compressed air systems are not able to achieve the dryness level needed, but Paxton’s long experience in designing blower-driven systems for cheese plants give users confidence that the needed dryness level will be achieved, resulting in the highest quality cheese packaging.

Why Choose a Paxton Belt-Driven Blower over a Direct drive Blower?

Thu, 20 May 2021 14:52:00 GMT

Paxton Products receives many questions as to why we offer a belt-driven blower, rather than a direct drive system. Let’s looks at the features and benefits of each. Direct drive blower systems connect the blower head directly to the motor. Both the motor and the blower spin at about 18,000 rpm, so this requires a robust and expensive motor. The direct drive system also relies on the bearing in the motor to provide optimal blower life and performance. Unfortunately, the high-speed operation of the motor often results in bearing failure within a year of service. Once these blowers fail, the user may need to shut their entire line down while they ship that blower back to the blower manufacturer for maintenance. Through this process, the user not only has the cost of the repair, but also may suffer from the loss of production.

Paxton’s highly engineered blower systems counteracts the failures with an inexpensive alternative, by using a two-pulley system connected by a drive belt, to allows the motor to run at 3,400 rpm while the blower runs at 18,000 rpm. This belt-drive system provides longevity and reliability, with an easy maintenance routine performed by user’s maintenance team. With proper belt maintenance, downtime is minimized. In fact, with proper maintenance, Paxton’s belt-driven blowers carry a three-year warranty.

Below is a comparison chart of a Paxton Belt-Driven Centrifugal Blower and a direct drive blower.

BLOWERS	BENEFITS	DRAWBACKS
	Flexibility in terms of RPM Speed to adjust to specific application needs Longevity: comes standard with a best in class 3-year warranty Cost-efficient- up to 35% more efficient to operate than our competitors blowers Maintenance can be completed in-house Does not require a special variable frequency drive (VFD) Standard 3 phase induction motor (readily available)	Belt dust may prohibit use in class 10,000 clean room applications
	No belt- ideal for class 10,000 clean room applications Compact Fewer moving parts Custom-made to each customer	Bearings often fail within a year Expensive bearing replacement required annually Bearing replacement usually must be completed by the manufacturer, causing extended downtime Expensive to change speed and performance

What Does a Responsible Restart Look Like for Manufacturing Companies?

Wed, 19 May 2021 20:23:00 GMT

The government has started easing lockdown restrictions, with more people now encouraged to start returning to work. Even though companies are eager to open their doors and allow workers to come in, it is imperative that they follow all the new rules and regulations put in place. If your company is looking for best practices for opening your doors, the warehouse education and research council (WERC) has issued best practices to address the health and safety of your employees and business risk management for COVID-19.

Another important concern for companies is the health and safety of their equipment. Most companies were not expecting to have their equipment idle for a month or longer, so in order to ensure the machines are running at peak performance, a routine check is mandatory before restarting.

Paxton Products’ Engineers have supplied some tips on how to responsibly restart your equipment.

Inspect your equipment before you start it.
Inspect the condition of the filters, belts, idlers, electrical cords, etc.
Replace any components that are worn, frayed or dirty
Perform any backlogged preventative maintenance
Review safe operating procedures

If you have a Paxton blower that has been idled during the pandemic, and you are now ready to restart your processes, Paxton Products recommends the following restart procedures:

1. Disconnect the power to the blower

2. Grease the motor bearings, as per the motor manufacturers’ recommendations.

3. Remove the blower belt guard and inspect the belt and tensioner.

a. Check for belt wear: missing ribs or cracks. Ensure that the rotational arrow on the belt matches the rotational arrow on the blower. Best practice is to replace the belt.

b. The center of the tensioner should be aligned with the arrow on the plate. If this requires adjustment, please see the service manual.

c. The tensioner spring should be stiff and taunt and not disfigured. Check the idler bushing for integrity. Replace any worn components. If bushing replacement is required, grease the new bushings with a light coating of white lithium grease prior to installation.

4. Inspect the filter and silencer for wear. Best practice is to replace the filter.

5. Check the connections to the pressure gauges and ensure all are tight.

6. Check the connections to the air flow. Ensure clamps are tight.

7. Inspect the air delivery devices, and make sure that flow is unrestricted.

8. With the motor disconnected from its power source make sure that the blower and motor spin freely.

9. Reinstall the belt guard and reconnect the power.

10. After restarting your blower, you can check to ensure that it is operating at the recommended pressure using the blower pressure gauge attached to the blower outlet. The recommended pressure would have been specified on the original QC report sent with the blower, or, in the case of the PX-series, in the item number.

a. For example, PX-2000-1200-60 should be operating at or near 60” of water column.

Once you complete these steps, you are ready to start up your Paxton blower. Happy blowing!

How to Properly Maintain a Paxton Tensioner

Mon, 04 May 2020 12:46:29 GMT

Paxton Products wants customers to get the highest efficiency from their blowers. In order to make sure the blowers are always working at their highest capacity, they need to be well maintained. Paxton Products has a preventative maintenance schedule that should be followed in order to make sure your blower system operates at peak efficiency and minimizes downtime.

Paxton blowers are high speed, precision balanced rotating equipment and it is imperative that they are properly sustained. If the blowers are not taken care of, they will not run properly which will cause defects and rejects of your products. In order to prevent any damages to your blower, let’s evaluate the consequences of using a worn tensioner instead of using a well-managed tensioner.

Worn Tensioner

- Belts will deteriorate causing high vibration throughout the blower

- The blower's lifespan will shorten

- Extended Downtime

Well-Managed Tensioner

- Idler keeps the blower well balanced

- Maintains tensioner for optimum belt life and blower performance

Paxton’s engineers request you follow these guidelines in order to make sure your tensioner is always in good condition.

If blower is operating 1 or 2 shift/day, replace tensioner every 24 months
For blowers operating 3 shifts/day operation, replace every 12 months or 8,000 hours
The tensioner springs should be replaced at least every 12 months

Paxton Products insists on customers following this maintenance protocol in order to be covered by our industry-leading 3-Year Warranty. Paxton’s preventative maintenance is very easy to complete.

Tips from the Paxton Service Technician on the Negative Effects of Improper Filtration and Environment on your Paxton Blower Head

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:07:00 GMT

During Bruce’s nearly 40 years at Paxton Products, he has seen all types of causes for premature failure of blowers. The two most common include improper filtration and improper environment. Both manifest in blower head failure due to build-up of contaminants inside the head. When the head gets “gunked up,” air flow is reduced, the build-up results in imbalance, the impeller may not spin freely, and ultimately, the vibration of the blower increases and bearing failure results. Let’s examine these two causes of failure.

Improper Filtration: Your Paxton blower is equipped with a two stage inlet filter. The first phase is foam mesh and traps large particles. The second phase is a 5 micron pleated synthetic filter, which traps dust, dirt and particulates and prevents them from entering the blower. This two-stage inlet filtration is critical to blower performance, and it is important to ensure that the filter is changed frequently, as a dirty filter will not only let dirt and particulates enter the blower head, but the pressure drop across the filter increases, resulting in reduced blower performance. Bruce recommends that the filter be checked at least quarterly, and if operating three shifts per day, replaced quarterly. Semi-annual filter replacement is usually adequate for one or two shift per day operation.

Improper environment: Paxton’s two stage filtration protects the blower from airborne dust and dirt, however, it will not protect the blower from fine droplets of airborne oils, cutting fluids and syrups, such as are found in industrial machining operation or soda production facilities, respectively. If atomized liquids are present, it is critical to remove the blower from the environment, and place it in a different room, or high above the operations (if the airborne contaminant is heavier than air), or alternatively pipe the inlet to a clean area.

Either improper filtration or improper environment can cause the blower head to become “gunked up” inside the head causing:

Dirt, oils or syrups create a layer within the blower head
Because the contaminants don’t build up uniformly, the blower head becomes imbalanced, causing vibration
With heavy build up, the impeller may not spin freely
Both situations result in higher stress on the bearings and higher temperatures
Ultimately, the bearings will fail

Paxton recommends that you check your filter frequently, and if you do suspect atomized liquids in the air, contact Paxton Products for further recommendations.