Air Knives Keep Extruded Monofilament Lines Properly Tensioned

A sporting goods product manufacturer operates machines that extrude monofilament line. Multiple continuous strands are extruded simultaneously, and the strands were blown off and held under tension by compressed air flow from a small copper tube aimed at each strand. The vibration of the machine required frequent repositioning of these tubes, as they would work themselves out of alignment. Oftentimes, their first indication of this was when the loss of tension on a strand caused a misfeed, requiring the machine to be shut down to correct it. This problem was solved with a set of (2) Model 2018 18" (457mm) Aluminum Standard Air Knives, which were mounted on either side of the bank of strands. Not only did this eliminate the need to constantly reposition the misaligned copper tubes, but the Air Knives use considerably less air, and are much quieter.