Gas Boosters are Ideal for a Variety of Applications
Since the early 1970s, IDI has been manufacturing air-driven gas boosters for a wide range of industries. With output pressures between 50 PSI and 4,500 PSI, they are a versatile choice for a multitude of applications. They require no electricity, generate no heat and do not need an inlet air valve regulator or lubricator. Essentially, they require minimal maintenance and are highly reliable.
Completely air-driven and sparkless, they are suitable for explosion-proof and HAZMAT environments and can be used with nitrogen, natural gas, methane and other commonly used industrial gases. Applications for our gas boosters include scavenging gas from industrial bottles, extending time between refills; filling hydraulic accumulators and counterbalance cylinders; point-of-use gas boosting; maintaining industrial braking systems; hydrostatic pressure testing and more.
Aviation ground support frequently uses gas boosters. Purpose-built oxygen boosters refill onboard oxygen tanks quickly and make more efficient use of low-pressure oxygen bottles. Nitrogen boosters pre-charge the main accumulator and propeller and other systems on the aircraft, as well as fill plane tires with the inert gas.
Wind turbines utilize nitrogen boosters to charge hydraulic accumulators that power the counterbalance system. Keeping reliable, consistent pressure is extremely important to ensure that the system runs smoothly and steadily and that the giant blades are not adversely affected by the massive amounts of torque the system generates.
Another application, while not common but nonetheless extremely interesting, is the use of our gas boosters to power jet packs for the pilots of Jet Pack International and Go Fast Sports. Before each flight, IDI's gas booster allows the crew to compress nitrogen from an industrial bottle to fill a small, onboard canister.
Click here to learn more about how you might benefit from one of our gas boosters.
Machining, Workholding, Braking, Clamping, Tool Knockouts and More... are All Possible with Air-driven Pumps
Durable, air-driven liquid pumps from Interface Devices offer a cost-efficient, lower-maintenance option to traditional electric-powered systems. Engineered to meet intermittent flow and pressure demands, IDI's air-driven liquid pumps (TASQ Models and our E, H & P Series) include standard and built-to-spec models that are plug and play. Here are just a few of the many roles our pumps play:
Quick Die-Change Systems, Roll Blocks & Lifters
During the car manufacturing process, the automotive industry uses large dies to stamp out metal sheets that will eventually be car hoods, doors, trunks and more. IDI's air-driven hydraulic pumps provide the power to clamp and unclamp the dies and actuate the roll blocks and lifters.
Swing Clamps
One of the most popular uses of air-driven pumps is swing clamping. Swing clamps can be either single or double-acting. In the case of double-acting clamps, hydraulic pressure is used to both extend, turn and retract the arm. When the workpiece is held in place with the arm, the pump holds the pressure to ensure no movement occurs during the operation being performed.
Hydraulic Vises
Typically, these vises are manually operated to position the jaws against the workpiece, then the air-driven pump ensures that the final force needed to hold the workpiece firmly in place is enacted on the vise jaws.
CNC Machining Centers
IDI's air-driven hydraulic pumps are integral to the functioning of many CNC machining centers – the tools are mechanically held in place until they are needed for a specific aspect of the manufacturing process. A hydraulic pulse from the pump unlocks the tool and transfers it to the holder to begin its operation.
For more information on how IDI's Air-Driven pumps can benefit many power workholding applications, contact us today.
Employee Spotlight: Bill Ivanoff
While many of Interface Devices' pumps and boosters are of standard design, projects that require customization have, most likely, been engineered by IDI's jack-of-all-trades Bill Ivanoff.
With IDI since 1997, Bill handles most of the custom CAD drafting and engineering needed. He also manages the company's IT Department, keeping all the servers and computers running and up-to-date, streamlining file management and overseeing new design documentation.
While only with IDI for 16 years, Bill's history with the company goes back to well before IDI's inception. Tom Hotchkiss, IDI's founder, hired Bill as a high school student to work at Eldorado Tool in Milford, CT, where Bill designed special machines and auto-loading devices using pre-CAD methods – drawing board, slide rule and pocket calculator. Tom left Eldorado Tool to establish IDI in 1971 and the two re-teamed 25 years later.
"Like many industries, engineering has truly benefited from the advancement of technology," states Bill. "I enjoyed the 'hands-on' challenges of the early days, but today's technology has streamlined design, improved accuracy and allowed for more design experimentation." Much of Bill's day is spent behind the computer monitor working on projects and IT duties, but the speed at which his software and IDI's systems interact, he doesn't have to wait long to visit the shop and see the projects he's completed on screen manufactured, assembled and functioning.
When not at IDI, Bill is an avid outdoorsman and spent ten years teaching winter survival techniques for the National Ski Patrol. Now, hiking, backpacking, snowshoeing and rockclimbing keep him busy. In fact, his hobby of geocaching combines many of these interests as he tracks down hidden caches around the world. Recently, Bill and his wife found his 1,000th geocache in Belize at Xunantunich, a Mayan temple.
