Air Wipes — Frequently Asked Questions

We've listed answers to some of our most common air wipe questions for your convenience.

Huestis Industrial Air Wipes dry wire, cable, plastic, strip metal, and most other extruded and processed materials. They use precision controlled air flow to save air, reduce noise and dramatically cut energy consumption.

Why are there different types of Huestis Air Wipes?

Air Miser™, used for insulated wire and similar products, automatically passes knots and splices and features quick bracket and air disconnects to make size changes a snap. Mini Wipe™ features protective ceramic inserts for bare wire applications, while Rectangular Wipes handle strip and other profiles.

Why do I need Air Wipes?

It is essential that extruded products, such as wire and cable, be economically dried following immersion into cooling solutions. This also applies to other products such as plastic or medical tubing, rod and extruded profiles.

The removal of water and other cooling solutions is necessary to insure proper inspection, testing, printing, and packaging. Equally essential, is the use of the most cost effective drying system. This not only pertains to unit cost but also the energy cost needed to operate the system.

How do Air Wipes work?

The air wipe works by creating turbulence around the product in order to remove the water from the surface. This turbulence is created by controlling the direction and flow of the compressed air. Additionally, a venturi effect is created at the entrance of the air wipe thus increasing the air flow over the product being dried.

What are Air Wipes made of?

Huestis air wipes, are typically constructed of non-corrosive materials. The body, usually made of UHMW polyethylene, employs a manifold to distribute the air to a series of air “jets”. The orifice of the jets restricts the air flow to provide efficient drying at the lowest possible air consumption.

My company already has a drying system, why is yours better?

Through the years, a myriad of drying systems have been employed, from the ever present rag or sponge, to a variety of homegrown or commercially available compressed air wipes or centrifugal blowers. While most of these have performed their function, consideration must be given to using the most energy efficient system available. Too often the operating cost of drying systems is not given proper consideration and it becomes part of the overall overhead. Operating cost must be considered because the savings can be significant.

Why are Air Wipes economical?

The amount of compressed air needed for a controlled air flow air wipe, is significantly less than that of an open line or adjustable air wipe. The cost to produce the compressed air for a controlled air flow, air wipe is also significantly less than the cost to operate a centrifugal blower.

Why can't I just use a rag to dry my product?

Rags, sponges and other “non-mechanical” dryers can easily be dismissed. Rapid saturation requires frequent changing which is not truly practical. Changing becomes mandatory since the media, once saturated, simply smears the fluid on the wire or cable surface rather than actually drying the product. It is easy to see how this approach will affect the quality of the product being produced. Many applications may also require a non-contact method of drying particular products for protection or quality concerns.

What about open pressurized air lines?

A simple open pressurized air line, which is often used, may dry the product; but it will consume an enormous amount of compressed air. In reality, this type of “dryer” should really be viewed as a large, controlled leak.

What about centrifugal blowers?

Centrifugal blowers, while seemingly effective, very often prove to be more costly, not only in the initial cost of the unit itself, but more importantly, in the energy cost to operate the unit. This additional cost will easily erode profit margins in a very short time.

Are your Air Wipes Adjustable?

No, we feel that adjustable air wipes do not allow for proper sizing tolerances that are critical to efficient drying. Adjustable style air wipes by nature, are inefficient. Because they must dry a wide range of products, the total air consumption can be quite high. Additionally, since a correlation can be drawn between air flow and noise, adjustable air wipes typically emit noise at high decibel levels. Our controlled air flow air wipes typically emit noise below 80 dB.

Why is proper sizing of the Air Wipe so important?

It is critical to “size” the air wipe properly in order to obtain maximum drying power yet still maintain the lowest possible air consumption. The diameter of the product will dictate the size of the air wipe which is needed. Generally speaking, the diameter of the product is in the range of 50 - 90% of the air wipe orifice size. This will insure sufficient clearance to allow the air to circulate around the product. Too large or too small of a gap between the product and the air wipe chamber will not allow sufficient air flow to effectively remove the liquid.

What other factors effect efficient drying?

Various parameters have an effect on the drying. These include line speed, material size, the viscosity and quality of the solution being removed, the temperature of the product as it leaves the cooling trough, and the quality of the air supplied to the air wipe.

Line speed is one of the most important aspects of drying. The amount of time available for a product to spend inside the air wipe greatly affects the end result. Obviously, the greater the line speed the more difficult it will be to dry. Some applications will require multiple units for a satisfactory result.

Clean, dry air is needed for maximum efficiency. It is also important to note that very contaminated or oily solutions can end up introducing and attracting other contaminants to the product surface.

Is it difficult to set up Air Wipes in my facility?

The majority of manufacturing facilities already use compressed air for a variety of reasons. The additional requirements of controlled air flow air wipes, in nearly all instances, do not require additional compressor capacity. Very often, a changeover to a controlled air flow air wipe has resulted in actually reducing the number of compressors on line.

What are typical cost savings over open tubes or adjustable styles?

To demonstrate potential savings, consider a product of .590” (15 mm) in diameter and an air pressure of 80 PSI (5.6 bar).

The air consumption of a 1/4” (6.4 mm) open tube can reach a flow rate of over 85 CFM (2,400 l/min.) During the course of a continuous eight hour shift, the air consumption would be approximately 14,000 cubic feet (394,000 liters) for the adjustable design and only 2,730 cubic feet (80,000 liters) for the controlled air flow design.

The air consumption of an adjustable air wipe can approach 20 CFM (577 liters/min.), while the air consumption of a controlled air flow air wipe would be in the range of 3.9-5.7 CFM (112-164 liters/min.). Actual consumption would depend upon model. Air consumption can be reduced by nearly 90%, which viewed another way, represents a savings sufficient to run controlled air flow, air wipes on an additional 7 or 8 production lines for the same cost as one of the adjustable design.

What are typical cost savings over centrifugal blowers?

A cost comparison of controlled air flow air wipes and centrifugal blowers is not a comparison of air consumption, but rather of the electrical consumption needed to produce the end result. Controlled air flow air wipes require only fractional horsepower to generate the air flow needed for successful drying. This requirement is so small that the demand on existing systems is negligible. At the same time, a centrifugal blower requires much more horsepower to function and, over time, will consume a great deal more electricity.

A typical centrifugal blower employs 7.5 horsepower which is totally dedicated to the purpose of drying one production line. The electrical power needed to operate such a system over the course of a year (24 hours/day, 6 days/week) is approximately 41,900 kWh. By contrast, a controlled air flow, air wipe, utilizing a two-stage compressor, will require only .84 horsepower to generate the required volume of air. This is based upon a pressure of 80 PSI (5.6 bar). The electrical power needed for this system, for the same production cycle, is approximately 4,700 kWh, a savings of 89%.

By applying these consumption calculations to typical power costs, the savings to be realized can be seen in Table I. These savings may seem small on an individual extrusion line, however, when multiplied by the large number of lines a medium to large factory will typically have, the savings will be significant. Additionally, a controlled air flow air wipe is generally priced in the $500. - $1,000 range while a typical centrifugal blower is in the $5,000 - $10,000 range.

TABLE I

COST PER kWh	ANNUAL BLOWER COST	COST FOR CONTROLLED AIR FLOW	ANNUAL SAVINGS
$0.05	$2,095.00	$235.00	$1,860.00
$0.08	$3,352.00	$376.00	$2,976.00
$0.10	$4,190.00	$470.00	$3,720.00