An American manufacturer specializes in outdoor products such as coolers, stainless-steel drinkware, and other related accessories.  This company not only manufacturers these products but they also provide customization of their products as well. During the manufacturing and customization process, issues can arise that provide a need for creative air based solutions.   

During the manufacturing process of their stainless steel drinkware, the products undergo a laser ablation process with a CO2 laser to add their logo and other customizations. Their drinkware is made up of a stainless steel base with a plastic layer surrounding it of various colors and designs. Once the drinkware is fully manufactured a challenge lies in the laser ablation process. During this process, a CO2 laser vaporizes the outside layer of plastic exposing the underlying stainless steel in the form of a logo or design. To do this, the surface of the drinkware must be completely clear of particles. This company faced an issue of gummy powder coating particles adhering to the drinkware from previous steps which made it difficult to clean them prior to the laser ablation process. 

The gummy powder coating particles were difficult to simply wipe off the products without any assistance. The product quality team decided the most effective way to remove the particles would be to apply some warm air assistance to the area which then made it easier to wipe clean with a small amount of denatured alcohol. The team chose the Vortec Hot Air Gun 609-1 because it was a gentle air pressure that was less aggressive than electric heat guns. The manufacturer also benefitted from the design of the Hot Air Guns because they were able to re-purpose already existing low PSI compressed air lines that were running directly to their laser head. 

The Vortec Hot Air Gun was installed onto the line prior to the laser ablation process. The Hot Air Gun was able to heat up the area of the drinkware that had gummy powder coating particles enough to allow the operator to easily wipe the area clean with a small amount of denatured alcohol. Once the area was wiped clean, the product was able to move onto the laser ablation step of the process immediately. The previous process was to send the products to a separate washing area, soak them in alkali water and then scrub them clean. By implementing the Hot Air Gun into their production process, the manufacturer was able to improve the process and the overall production time for the drinkware line. 

Hot Air Guns are used where milder heat is needed as compared to an electric heat gun. It is ideal for pre-heating of parts, processes and solutions, with an output flow rate of 2-8 scfm; and is also widely used for softening adhesives, rubber and vinyl, and accelerating drying. The hot air gun requires no electricity at the target, and uses only filtered compressed air to generate fully adjustable temperatures up to 200 deg F. Learn more about the Vortec Hot Air Gun here.