AIRSWEEP or AIR CANNON (BLASTER)?

Consider the differences – the proof is in the flow!

Cannon: Shoots large volumes of air into the material, punching holes in the material
to break bridging. Air can tend to “channel” through holes in the material, greatly
diminishing effectiveness.
Airsweep : Directs smaller, equally powerful bursts of air along the bin wall, lifting
material off the wall and back into the flow stream. Will eliminate bridging, ratholing, or
sticking problems. Can stimulate up to an eight-foot diameter circle of material around
each nozzle.
Cannon: Noisy! There is a reason these things are called “Cannons”!
Airsweep : Makes a quick, ear-friendly “psst”.

Cannon: Large unit, with heavy tank mounted on bin; large recoil when fired. Flexing
and fatigue of bin walls is common problematic side effect.
Airsweep : Small units, with virtually no recoil! No fatigue of container.
Air pulses are directed in shear to the bin wall, so use on thin-skinned bins is no
problem.
Cannon: Open nozzle extends into bin & material; flying dust feeds back into nozzle &
solenoid, resulting in frequent shutdowns for maintenance, cleaning & solenoid
replacement.
Airsweep : Piston immediately reseals after quarter-second pulse, eliminating any
feedback of material or dust. Recommended maintenance schedule:
bi-yearly inspection (no maintenance or parts required for 2-3 years, in many
circumstances).

Cannon: Sticky material remains and builds up, over time, on bin walls, even if
bridging is controlled. Periodic shutdowns may still be required to clean bin walls,
especially if cross-contamination is an issue.
Airsweep: Because each pulse sweeps along the bin walls, material cannot adhere
or build up. Generally, full clean out of bin occurs with each batch, ensuring first-
in/first-out with no cross-contamination.