Did you say "Christmas Dinner"? What's Compressed Air, Gas, and Vacuum got to do with it?
On
Christmas Day, and somewhere strategically planned between the game of Padder Tennis, taking in the Pohutukawas in the park, and watching
the local Santa Parades lies one of our favorite Holiday traditions – the Christmas feast. While not everyone’s menu mirrors
Norman Rockwell’s masterpiece of the perfect Holiday meal, one might assume it would include turkey or a glazed ham, mashed potatoes
and gravy, dinner rolls, and of course a kiwi style Pavlova or Christmas pud'!
But before the Christmas ham gets carved, you might get asked what you’re thankful for. Well, maybe this year you could say you’re thankful
for the compressed air, gas and vacuum solutions that made everything on the table possible. Let’s look at how:
Poultry Processing: Let’s start with the main course and star of the show, the ham. Ham requires compressed air
and vacuum for the pneumatic tools and conveyors used in the cleaning, waste removal and transporting processes designed to prepare birds
for packaging.
Bottling. What’s Christmas dinner without a glass of wine or a pumpkin beer? Bottling is the quintessential
application for compressors and nitrogen generators in winemaking and beer brewing. Air compressors provide the pressurized air that moves
the wine from the barrels to the bottles and the beer from vats to cans or bottles. Because wines are particularly susceptible to
oxidation during bottling, using an inert gas like nitrogen to remove the oxygen from the empty bottles helps ensure the freshness of the
wine. N2 is also used to eliminate the carbon gases from the bottles prior to capping.
Canning. Vacuum pumps and nitrogen generators are also used in canning, which is necessary for other
Christmas favorites like cranberry sauce. Vacuum is used to form the can, stamped from a single piece of aluminum, and to hold the cans as
they move down the line. Because aluminum is nonmagnetic, the vacuum level must be able to hold the cans as they are lifted, set down and
filled. Nitrogen generators also play an important role in canning, as they introduce nitrogen into the cans holding the end products.
Every pocket of space in the cans are filled with nitrogen, thus removing the oxygen eliminating moisture and mould. What you are left with
is a fresher, tastier product that stays that way for longer.
Cooling and Spraying. Baked goods like dinner rolls and sweet breads are iconic parts of Christmas meals. Compressed
air and vacuum solutions are used to cool down baked goods after they emerge from the oven by removing moisture from the air which helps
prevent contamination and product spoilage.
Automated Lines: Before the food you eat makes it to the table, it must be packaged and transported – but how does it
even get to the packaging area? Compressed air is used to control the valves and actuators in automated lines for filling, packaging, and
bottling; low-pressure compressed air will also help move the food down the production line so that packaging can occur. Once it’s made its
way to the end of the production line, vacuum is used for palletizing finished goods before it’s loaded onto the truck.
Food Packaging. Because ham meat and other Christmas dinner staples are distributed across the country, they must be
packaged and frozen prior to being shipped to their destination. This is accomplished with both vacuum pumps and nitrogen generators.
Vacuum packaging is a very common process during which atmospheric oxygen is removed from the food packaging to prevent aerobic bacteria
and fungi from growing. This not only help keep food fresh, but it increases the shelf life of things like poultry, fruits, and
vegetables.
Meanwhile, on-site nitrogen generation ensures that the food doesn’t spoil by displacing the remaining oxygen from the package in a process
called MAP, or Modified Atmospheric Packaging, which inhibits aerobic spoilage. This is especially important for perishable meats that can
quickly sour without proper precautions. This process is not just for turkeys, MAP with nitrogen is commonly utilized in snacks, coffee,
cheese, pasta, baked goods, sandwiches, and processed meats. It is also becoming increasingly popular in fresh-cut produce, like
pre-packaged salads and fruit, for convenience, quality, and more variety.
We hope everyone has a safe and Merry Christmas from the Ash Air team! Enjoy your time with family and friends.
Do you have an idea for our #expertcorner? Let
us know!
Who we are and how Ash Air can help your business!
Ash Air has been around in New Zealand since 1979, and we’ve grown into a nationwide company with international support and a
reputation for quality and reliability.We look after all things compressed air for your business!
Reciprocating, Screw, air compressors
Vacuum pumps
Nitrogen
An extensive line of air treatment components
Ash Air's range of Chicago Pneumatic, Alup, Pneumatech, and Quincy compressors are used extensively around the world in industries
ranging from oil and gas to food, automotive and farming, and we bring you these world class compressors here in the land of the long white
cloud.Our technicians are compressed air equipment experts and are dedicated to addressing customer needs. Supported by a 13 locations
nationwide, Ash Air offers one of the widest selections of compressed air equipment and parts available today in New Zealand.
Reliability and Efficiency
With Ash Air compressors, you can count on reliability and high performance for even the most demanding applications. We focus our
efforts on the following:
Air compressors come in many types, rotary screw, piston, scroll, reciprocating, some are oil-free and other air compressors require oil
lubrication. Like many businesses, an efficient air compressor is at the heart of their operations. So, which type of compressor should you
choose? What makes a compressor, like a rotary screw, unique? Here are some clear cut benefits of equipping your business with a rotary
screw compressor.
Read More…
In the world of compressors, there are often significant and unutilized energy-saving possibilities including energy recovery, pressure
reduction, leakage reduction and optimization of operations through correct choice of a control and regulation system as well as the choice
of compressor size.We are going to take a look at some of the opportunities for minimizing the compressor’s operating costs.
Read More…
Many installations that produce compressed air offer significant and frequently unutilized energy
saving possibilities in
the form of waste energy recovery. In large industries, energy costs can amount to 80% of the total cost of compressed
air production.
However, a lot of this energy can be recovered, which in turn will save you a lot of money.
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.
Read More…
Liquid water in compressed-air systems can lead to rusted equipment and unresponsive controls. Anyone who uses compressed air will, at some
point, find liquid water in the air distribution system. This can be anything from a nuisance to a serious problem, depending on the
application. If water might corrode equipment or introduce bacteria, removing it is critical.
Read More…
Whenever most people think about a compressor, they probably have a piston compressor in mind. You might already know there are two basic
principles of air compression. One of those is the principle of displacement compression. There are a lot of compressor types that classify
as a displacement compressor. The piston compressor is one of them, oil-lubricated or oil-free.
Read More…
Once you have the size and type of
compressor figured out, one last question remains, should I go with an oil lubricated or oil-free air compressor. To not overcomplicate the
answer, your choice should be based on the application and process that the compressed air will be utilized in.
Read More…
Like all compressor types, rotary screw models do require periodic maintenance. Thanks to the simplicity of the internal components,
maintenance is relatively easy on most rotary air compressors. As long as you stick to a rotary screw compressor maintenance schedule, you
will likely be rewarded with many, many years of optimal productivity from your machine.
Read More…
Did you know, the biggest part of the air we breathe is nitrogen? Everyone needs oxygen to survive, however air is made up of 78% nitrogen,
only 21% oxygen and tiny amounts of other gases. Although, the human body does not use this nitrogen, it is very helpful in various
industrial applications. There is an unlimited source of nitrogen readily available, allowing you to achieve needed purity at a fraction of
your current annual nitrogen cost.
Read More…
If you notice that your compressor is getting hot and bothered, there may be heating issues affecting your air compressors performance. Did
you know that an overheating compressor is top of the pops for being the most common cause of compressor failure.
Read More…
A rotary-screw compressor is an air compressor that uses a rotary-type positive-displacement mechanism, typically used replace piston
compressors where large volumes of high-pressure air are needed, either for large industrial applications or to operate high-power air
tools.
Read More…
Have a look around and what do you see? What are you thinking about? Your next holiday to Queenstown maybe? You might go snowboarding with
the kids or have some alone time at the Day Spa. Whatever holiday you choose, compressed air is involved in some way, without you even
realising it!
Read More…
There are crucial reasons why you should service and maintain your compressor regularly, with the most common issues being piston failure
caused by wear of components, increased friction, corrosion, reduced cooling, overheating bearings and components, clogging of air filters.
Read More…
Our passion for energy efficiency and cost saving derives from the concern for our children’s future. Analysing the efficiency of your
system is a brilliant way to start saving.
Read More…
Compressed air is all around us, from the air in a balloon to pumping up tires on your bicycle. In this article we will explain what
compressed air is and how it is created. Whether you know it or not, compressed air is involved in every aspect of our lives, from the
balloons at your birthday party to the air in the tires of our cars and bicycles. It was probably even used when making the phone, tablet or
computer you’re viewing this on.
Read More…
One of the biggest challenges is to correctly size your new air compressor. Similarly to everything else, new compressors available on the
market are more efficient and employ better technology, therefore you have to understand the application and usage to size the machine
correctly. Choosing the wrong air compressor for your facility can lead to problems with production and or increased costs due to wasted
energy.
Read More…
Once you have the size of the air compressor figured out, the
next thing to do is to decide on the type of compresor you will need for your application - piston, rotary screw compressor etc. Let us take
a look at two of the most popular options available. When choosing the right type of compressor, you should ask yourself the following
questions:
Read More…
Which vacuum pump do I need? - this is one of the most frequent questions we receive and this is understandable, because there are number
of technologies which can provide the same vacuum level and pumping speed. Here is quick advice on how to choose the best vacuum pump for
your needs.
Read More…
You may be asking, why does my air compressor start, then stop? Allow us to take the guessing out of it. We understand your pain. We know
that a compressor problem can quickly result in hours (if not days) of production downtime and loss of revenue. When your compressor
continuously shuts off from on, we refer that as a short cycle. There are a few reasons that a short cycle may be happening with your
compressor.
Read More…
Air compressor leaks are very common in all applications, but can be very costly and difficult to find. On average, 20-30% of the compressed
air used in a manufacturing plant is wasted as leaked air. Finding and fixing these leaks can save your business thousands of wasted dollars
a year.
Read More…
When installing a compressed air system into a business, people often look to PVC piping as an option to build a piping system because it is
cheap, versatile and easy to install. However, using PVC pipe in any compressed air application is extremely dangerous and NOT recommended
by multiple associations and manufacturers.
Read More…
Changing the oil and oil filters on your compressor is one of the most common routine maintenance tasks to perform to keep your compressor
running efficiently. After you remove your old oil and oil filter, you may find yourself wondering, “Where do I dispose of these?”, or “Can I
just throw them in the trash?”. Because oil is toxic and a pollutant, disposing of your old oil and filters is not as simple as just tossing
them in the trash.
Read More…
On
Christmas Day, and somewhere strategically planned between the game of Padder Tennis, taking in the Pohutukawas in the park, and watching
the local Santa Parades lies one of our favorite Holiday traditions – the Christmas feast. While not everyone’s menu mirrors
Norman Rockwell’s masterpiece of the perfect Holiday meal, one might assume it would include turkey or a glazed ham, mashed potatoes
and gravy, dinner rolls, and of course a kiwi style Pavlova or Christmas pud'!
