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Air Knife for Meheen 6 head?

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  • Air Knife for Meheen 6 head?

    Howdy, now with the hot/humid temps we're getting condensation on our bottles and it's messing up the labeling.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for an air knife that will work with a Meheen 6-head filler? (We also use the Meheen labeler).

    And yes we did call Meheen and they didn't have any answers for us. Gracias.

  • #2
    Originally posted by fastricky View Post
    Howdy, now with the hot/humid temps we're getting condensation on our bottles and it's messing up the labeling.

    Does anyone have any suggestions for an air knife that will work with a Meheen 6-head filler? (We also use the Meheen labeler).

    And yes we did call Meheen and they didn't have any answers for us. Gracias.
    About a year ago, Robert with Atlas Label set up something like that, and posted a photo of it:



    Simple, but effective. If your labeler is at the pack-off area of the Meheen, you'd mount the knife differently from his photo, but I'd imagine it would work well either way.

    Regards,
    Mike Sharp

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    • #3
      We have a pair of Exair Super Air Knives mounted on our In Line labeler coming off of a 6 head Meheen. They are one on either side of the bottle, angled back so that the neck gets hit with the air first and the water gets pushed down as the bottle passes between them. Ours are mounted as close as we could get them to where the label gets applied.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by ursa View Post
        We have a pair of Exair Super Air Knives mounted on our In Line labeler coming off of a 6 head Meheen. They are one on either side of the bottle, angled back so that the neck gets hit with the air first and the water gets pushed down as the bottle passes between them. Ours are mounted as close as we could get them to where the label gets applied.
        Thanks! Sounds perfect, any chance you could forward a pic? rich at singlecutbeer dot com

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        • #5
          Originally posted by fastricky View Post
          Howdy, now with the hot/humid temps we're getting condensation on our bottles and it's messing up the labeling.

          Does anyone have any suggestions for an air knife that will work with a Meheen 6-head filler? (We also use the Meheen labeler).

          And yes we did call Meheen and they didn't have any answers for us. Gracias.

          We were in the same boat as you. After being assured by Meheen that there would be no issues labeling after the filler, we had nothing but problems. I completely threw in the towel and now label before I fill. It's a PITA that way but less of a PITA than doing it after in my opinion. Also, by labelling beforehand I can get enough labelled bottles stocked up that when I need to swap rolls of labels, the filler doesn't shut down. Also when labelling after the filler, when the computer of the filler was connected to the labeler, the filler would shut down constantly because the labeler would get jammed up pretty regularly. Now as long as I have enough pre-labeled bottles, I don't have to shut the filler down at all when the labeler starts acting up, unless there is another issues like misaligned bottles or something. Only issues is that it takes 1 more guy to run than the other set-up. I am curious to see how you remedy your situation. Another thing I didn't like about running the labeler after the filler is all the water from the rinser. There are a lot of non-stainless parts that began to show signs of corrosion after only a few months, and I even managed to get water inside the SEALED computer housing. Now it stays bone dry. But I would like to find out how an air-knife would work out.

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          • #6
            Or get better label stock. There are some bulletproof labels out there that'll stick to anything. Our labels could not give a half a damn how wet the bottles are.

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            • #7
              What size compressor?

              Originally posted by ursa View Post
              We have a pair of Exair Super Air Knives mounted on our In Line labeler coming off of a 6 head Meheen. They are one on either side of the bottle, angled back so that the neck gets hit with the air first and the water gets pushed down as the bottle passes between them. Ours are mounted as close as we could get them to where the label gets applied.
              Hey I have the same issue with my Meheen and labeling line. I'm looking at the Exair Super Air knife for my 12oz longnecks. The necks don't have to be dry just the 3 inch vertical label area. How long are your knives (3,6,9 inch) and how many HP do you have for your compressor? The Exair guy told me I should get a 15HP but that seems awful big. I have a 5HP and a 120 gallon tank for the Meheen.
              Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
              Tom
              St. Louis

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              • #8
                We, too, dealt with the problem by simply labeling before filling. The pros, for us, far outweigh the cons.

                Pros:

                With an accumulation table between the labeler and filler, we don't need to stop the filler for labeling problems--replace labels, etc.

                No need for an air-and energy-hungry air knife set up.

                We don't have to make more space for a large (and expensive) air compressor in addition to the two we already have. No associated plumbing or wiring, either.

                No chance of a labeling problem causing a back-up in the filler.

                No full bottles to toss due to open time when the labeler goes down.

                Cons:

                We throw away a few labeled bottles.

                We don't need another person to supervise the labeler, as we have a person in that area watching and stocking the case erector and depal already.
                Timm Turrentine

                Brewerywright,
                Terminal Gravity Brewing,
                Enterprise. Oregon.

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                • #9
                  Simply put, you're buying the wrong labels with the wrong adhesive, if you're having trouble labeling a wet bottle or can.

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                  • #10
                    Air knives

                    I have experience with air knives, reducing air usage using them, arrangement of knives and brands. laminar air flow knives are the answer. Please contact me for details, thanks KevinO'Connell

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