Directional air knife

A conveyor comprising:

• a movable belt having a support surface;
• a drive configured to move the support surface of in a downstream direction;
• an air knife, wherein the air knife comprises:
• a tubular housing having a first end, a second end spaced from the first end in a longitudinal direction, a side wall extending from the first end to the second end, an interior, and an aperture configured to be connected to a source of pressurized air to increase a pressure of air inside the tubular housing,
• at least one opening in the side wall,
• a nozzle at the at least one opening, the nozzle having a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with the at least one opening, a nozzle outlet spaced from the nozzle inlet, and a nozzle interior, and
• a plurality of baffles in the nozzle interior, each of the baffles having a first end at the nozzle inlet and a second end at the nozzle outlet,
• wherein the tubular housing is divided into a first half and a second half by an imaginary plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
• wherein the second end of each of the baffles is longitudinally offset from the first end of each of the baffles,
• wherein the nozzle interior is tapered between the nozzle inlet and the nozzle outlet such that a width of the nozzle outlet is less than a width of the nozzle inlet, and
• wherein the air knife is mounted over the support surface such that the longitudinal direction of the tubular housing is perpendicular to the downstream direction and the nozzle outlet faces the support surface so that air emitted from the nozzle outlet is directed against the support surface.

An air knife comprising:

• a tubular housing having a first end, a second end spaced from the first end in a longitudinal direction, a side wall extending from the first end to the second end, an interior, and an aperture configured to be connected to a source of pressurized air to increase a pressure of air inside the tubular housing,
• at least one opening in the side wall,
• a nozzle at the at least one opening, the nozzle having a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with the opening, a nozzle outlet spaced from the nozzle inlet, and a nozzle interior, and
• a plurality of baffles in the nozzle interior,
• wherein the tubular housing is divided into a first half and a second half by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and
• wherein the baffles are configured such that when the pressure of the air inside the tubular housing is greater than a pressure of air outside the tubular housing air exits the nozzle outlet at an acute angle to the plane.

A conveyor comprising:

• a movable belt having a support surface;
• a drive configured to move the support surface of in a downstream direction;
• an air knife, wherein the air knife comprises:
• a tubular housing having a first end, a second end spaced from the first end in a longitudinal direction, a side wall extending from the first end to the second end, an interior, and an aperture configured to be connected to a source of pressurized air to increase a pressure of air inside the tubular housing,
• at least one opening in the side wall,
• a nozzle at the at least one opening, the nozzle having a nozzle inlet in fluid communication with the opening, a nozzle outlet spaced from the nozzle inlet, and a nozzle interior, and
• a plurality of baffles in the nozzle interior,
• wherein the tubular housing is divided into a first half and a second half by a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal direction,
• wherein the baffles are configured such that when the pressure of the air inside the tubular housing is greater than a pressure of air outside the tubular housing air exits the nozzle outlet at an acute angle to the plane, and
• wherein the air knife is mounted over the support surface such that the longitudinal direction of the tubular housing is perpendicular to the downstream direction and the nozzle outlet faces the support surface so that air emitted from the nozzle outlet is directed against the support surface.