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Mythbusters: Today’s case – The Myth Keeping That 70’s Show Air Dispenser Alive!

I’m sure many of you have seen the popular show MythBusters on Discovery channel.  Today we’ll take a “page out of their book” and challenge a long-standing myth in the fluid dispensing industry:

Myth: AirFree™ dispensing is for precise applications requiring high repeatability, complementing air dispensing, as opposed to being the technology radically improving and replacing air dispensing entirely.

El Presidente believes once you study this case you will join the school of thought regarding the above myth as a desperate tale spun by “That 70’s Show” salespeople because they simply do not have a product that competes with AirFree™ technology.

For all you newbie’s to El Presidente’s blog, El Presidente refers to Fishman’s competition as “That 70’s Show” because their core technology behind all of their products was develop in the 1970’s!  Yikes!

Submission of evidence #1
For over 30 years “That 70’s Show” has educated their customers to make sure the syringe filled with fluid, used for air dispensing, is “air free” and void of any contaminants such as dirt or moisture particles.  In this instance when El Presidente says “air free” he is not referring to AirFree™ technology, your humble guide is actual talking about zero air pockets trapped in the assembly fluid.  There are two ways to achieve air free syringe filling, pay a premium price to a third party service provider, known in the industry as a “Packager”, who fills the syringe professionally “air free” or buy syringe filling equipment and fill it “air free” yourself.

So there you are carefully filling your syringe via your syringe filling equipment or unpacking your professional filled syringe from the box, you’ve taken painstaking care and expense to get the air out and make sure it’s clean.  You’re staring at your perfect “air free” syringe like a proud Papa or proud Mama! Satisfaction is high, your proud of the job done so you take your pristine “air free” syringe and attach it to “That 70’s Show” air dispenser and what’s the first thing they do?…They shoot air contaminated with moisture and dirt particles right into your beautiful “air free” syringe. What?  Oh Snap!  Oh no they didn’t!  Oh yes they did!  The shot AIR CONTAMINATED WITH MOISTURE into your perfect “air free” syringe!  That doesn’t make sense?

No matter how hard you try, a pipe running from the air compressor through the factory to the air dispenser is NEVER going to be COMPLETELY free of moisture condensation and dirt particles.  The dirt and moisture particles fill the syringe and force their way past the weak and flimsy air piston mixing with the assembly fluid.  What a mess!  Even worse, these moisture and dirt particles are sometimes so small it’s hard to notice them with the naked eye.  To complicate the problem more, and this is really starting to become a migraine headache issue, an air gap forms between the fluid and the piston.  The industry has a “pet name” for this air gap.  They call is a “rat hole”!  Ugh!  So what does That “70’s Show” salesperson have to say to fix this mess?  Well first they give you the Ralph Kramden…Humunah, Humunah, Humunah….”Ah, use an air filter?” Please!  More firefighting!  El Presidente says eliminate the air!

The SmartDispenser® powered by AirFree™ technology uses electricity to power the Linear Drive System (LDS) using our patented firmware.  No air, no moisture, no dirt contaminants and no air gaps.  Your syringe starts air free and remains air free for the life of the syringe.  Sounds like a huge improvement to this myth-buster!

Submission of evidence #2
Air pressure is stupid.  As the famous American comedic icon Ron White once said, “You can’t fix stupid.”  El Presidente will add you can’t control stupid either.  When “That 70’s Show’s” air dispenser’s air solenoid opens up air pressure uncontrollably surges into the syringe and slaps the air piston with violence.  That violent slapping happens every time the air dispenser cycles.  The abuse stresses and heats the assembly fluid in the syringe and has the potential to change its bonding properties/chemistry.  The result is your Quality Department starts to discover production rejects or worse your customers start to experience defective products both due to a weakened bond strength from the altered chemistry.  Ask anyone who’s been in the industry as long as El Presidente.  As the great Madelin Kahn playing Lily Von Schtupp in Blazing Saddles once said…”It’s true, it’s true!”

So what happens when the furious customer complains to both the fluid formulator (companies who manufacture the assembly fluid) and “That 70’s Show”?  The classic STANDOFF OF DENIAL…(annoucer voice softening and fading) between formulator and” That 70’s show” commences.  And guess who is caught in the middle?  That’s right, you the customer.  Lots of finger pointing and “no soup for you!”  I meant to say no solution for you but had to get a classic Seinfeld into the blog!  What was That 70’s Show response, Humunah, Humunah, Humunah, Ah, put less fluid in the syringe?  Hello!

The SmartDispenser® powered by AirFree™ technology applies a gentle ramping of power to the motor from start to full speed dispensing.  The ramping removes the violent slap of air pressure, protects formulators’ chemistry and assures your fluid bonds exactly as the formulator promised.  Furthermore, the ramping allows you to fill the syringe completely as opposed to halfway for air dispensers.  The SmartDispenser® modes of operation hold repeatability between fluid deposits between +/-5 to +/-2%* (depending on with mode you select) for the entire syringe as opposed to 15-30%* repeatability for most air dispensers.  The result, reduced syringe change over time, reduced syringe filling cost and higher repeatability.  El Presidente rests evidence # 2, the myth is coming apart.

Submission of Evidence #3
While we’re on the subject of stupid, as evidenced above the air syringe dispenser is stupid but so is the air valve dispenser.   Automation systems normally consist of 2-3 axis’, X (east – west), Y (north – south) and Z (up – down) with Z being the optional axis.  The axis’s are often driven by either stepper motors or servo motors.  A air dispense valve is a mindless dispense head that opens and closes on command of the 5-24 volt signal sent by the automation control center.  The dispense head can’t do anything but open and close.

The SmartDispenser® Linear Drive System adds a fourth axis to any automation system.  The stepper motor speed can be timed with the X axis speed, the Y axis speed and the Z axis speed.  When all speeds are working together the fluid control is drastically improved.  Furthermore, custom Apps can bring all four speeds to one GUI (screen) interface and an algorithm can be developed to alter all speeds in relation to one speed after the starting program has been set.  Also, when laying a bead of adhesive around a corner the speed of the Liner Drive System can slow while other axis speeds maintain allowing a uniform bead through the hole corner.  Current air pressure valves cannot hold a consistent bead around a corner.  When laying a dot, a custom App can allow altering of the Linear Drive System ramp to full speed for a more uniform dot and the ProcessControl2 operating mode can increase dot repeatability up to +/2% by reducing reverse motion as the syringe empties.  With both beading and dot dispensing an App can control the increase or decrease of Linear Drive System power/torque as needed.  The new Push-to-Connect gun mount reduces empty syringe/gun change over to seconds making syringe dispensing a viable option for automation applications.  No more points to make your Honor, El Presidente rests.

Submission of Evidence #4
The University of Minnesota performed a study concluding air compressors are the largest cost to production facilities, strain the electricity grid thus contributing to green house gasses.  Also, Electric Companies in El Presidentes’ region are approaching companies offering cash incentives to upgrade compressors and repair leaky air lines.  The compressors are taxing the grid and they run at night due to leaks and the need to refill.  This is a huge problem!  El President is here to reduce your carbon footprint.  The conversion from pneumatic to electric is not only happening with Fishman® and fluid dispensing product.  In the injection molding industry old air driven injection molding machines are being replaced by electric screw driven injection molding machines.  Sound familar?  Hmmmmm…  Bimba the famous air cylinder company has recently released a electric driven cylinder.  Of course, Fishman® lead the way with the LDS9000 back in 1997.  Also lets not forget about converting the gas Chevrolet to the all electric Chevrolet Volt!  By converting a piece of air equipment to electric AirFree™ equipment you are reducing your carbon footprint.  One conversion may not mean much but hundreds of systems will.  Combine Fishman®‘s efforts, Bimba’s efforts, with the electric molding manufacurer’s efforts and if more follow……Well, we really have a Green movement here.  El President rests on evidence #4.

Myth Busted!
So when that 70’s Show says AirFree™ technology is for precise applications they are right.  However, when they say air is the product for everything else they are dead wrong.  Myth Busted!!!  Clearly AirFree® technology is the upgrade replacing air.

El Presidente knows what some of you skeptics are going to say…..but I’ve never experienced those problems.  I’m certain banks from the early 20th Century made a similar statement to ADT when alarm systems were state of the art new products, “we’ve never been robbed so why should I get a fancy alarm system?”  It’s called mitigating risk.  Think about all the technology upgrades your company has made during your career.  Think about the technology upgrades in your personal life.  Why did you make them?

Until now, there wasn’t a risk mitigating alternative to the problems and cost of air pressure.  Now you can mitigate your risk, save a a lot of money, reduce your carbon foot print by eliminating air pressure entirely thus creating a more stable production cell with traceability to the point of dispense.  What are you waiting for?  Dump that air pressure today and as Jean Luc Picard, Captain of the USS Enterprise says….Engage!  Make it so! Get it done!

Please don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.  Check out our Flickr page.  We’ll have some informative new videos soon to add to the content on our YouTube page so please stay tuned!  Join our Linked In corporate page.  Of couse, El Presidente gives a big shout of of thanks to all the followers of this blog.  El Presidente loves the ” Fishman® Peeps”!

El President Out~

*Some results may vary depending on fluid composition.