Description
What is an Air knife?
An Air Knife is a device that blows compressed air to clean industrial products. Air Knives uses laminar airflow to create a curtain of air to dry, clean, remove excess oils, liquids and dust from your manufacturing conveyor applications. The Air Knives may also be used for: printing, labelling, product cooling and packaging. The Air Knife nozzle design utilizes the Coandă Effect discovery by Romanian inventor Henri Coandă.
What types of Air knives do we carry?
Advanced Air Knife
The Advanced Air Knife provides the best performance with a 40:1 air amplification ratio, making it the most efficient Air Knife Streamtek™ offers.

Regular Air Knife
The Regular Air Knife provides good performance with a 30:1 air amplification ratio that is less efficient than the Advanced Air Knife. Air consumption is ~3.4 SCFM per inch at 80 PSIG. A regular air knife is an excellent, cost-effective choice for short term applications where high-performance drying or cooling is needed only temporarily. It is particularly well suited for facilities where air knives are used seldomly.

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Advanced Air Knife |
Regular Air Knife |
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|
Preset Gap |
.002″ |
.002″ |
|
Air amplification ratio |
40:1 |
30:1 |
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Air consumption @80 PSIG |
~2.9 SCFM per inch |
~3.4 SCFM per inch |
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Material |
Aluminum & Stainless Steel |
Aluminum & Stainless Steel |
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Noise level |
Low |
Medium |
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Available Size |
2″ (51mm) up to 54″ (1372 mm) |
3″ (76mm) up to 54″ (1372 mm) |
How does an Air Knife work?
Advanced Air Knife Video
(A) Compressed air enters the inlet at the rear or end ports and flows into the plenum chamber.
(B) Surrounding air is entrained into the airstream, producing an amplification ratio of 40:1 at a 6-inch distance, as it adheres to the Coandă effect. The Air Knife generates a high-intensity, uniform sheet of laminar airflow—also known as streamlined flow.
(C) The airstream then exits straight from the Air Knife. The amplified flow forms a hard-hitting sheet of laminar air with minimal wind shear, reducing energy consumption in blow-off and cooling applications.
Regular Air Knife Video
(A) Compressed air flows through the inlet at the rear (or end) ports and enters the plenum chamber.
(B) As the compressed air exits the Air Knife, surrounding air is entrained into the airstream, creating an amplification ratio of 30:1 at 6″ away as it adheres to the Coandă profile.
(C) The airstream then turns 90° and travels along the front face of the Air Knife. The amplified airflow forms a hard-hitting sheet of laminar flow with minimal wind shear, resulting in reduced energy consumption for blow-off and cooling applications.

Air Knife Specifications
The Advanced Air Knife is available in thirteen standard IN-STOCK lengths of 2″ (51 mm), 3″ (76 mm), 6″ (152 mm), 8″ (203 mm), 9″ (229 mm), 12″ (305 mm), 18″ (457 mm), 24″ (610 mm), 30″ (762 mm), 36″ (914 mm), 42″ (1067 mm), 48″ (1219 mm), and 54″ (1372 mm).
The Regular Air Knife is available in twelve standard IN-STOCK lengths of 3″ (76 mm), 6″ (152 mm), 8″ (203 mm), 9″ (229 mm), 12″ (305 mm), 18″ (457 mm), 24″ (610 mm), 30″ (762 mm), 36″ (914 mm), 42″ (1067 mm), 48″ (1219 mm), and 54″ (1372 mm).
| Air Knife Material Comparison | ||
| Temperature Rating | Corrosion Rating | Aluminum Air Knife | 275°F (135°C) | Low | Stainless Steel (Type 303) Air Knife | 400°F (204°C) | Medium | *Stainless Steel (Type 316) Air Knife | 800°F (427°C) | High |
Advanced Air Knife Pressure Performance
| @ 6″ (152mm) from target | PSIG | BAR | SCFM | SLPM | FPM | M/S | dBA | Ounces | Grams | 20 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 36 | 5,000 | 25 | 56 | 0.6 | 17 | 40 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 48 | 7,000 | 36 | 61 | 1.1 | 31 | 60 | 4.1 | 2.1 | 59 | 9,600 | 49 | 65 | 1.8 | 51 | 80 | 5.5 | 2.9 | 82 | 11,800 | 60 | 68 | 2.5 | 71 | 100 | 6.4 | 3.3 | 93 | 13,500 | 69 | 71 | 3.2 | 91 |
Regular Air Knife Pressure Performance
| Pressure Supply | Air Consumption Per Inch (25mm) | Velocity @ 6″ (152mm) from target | Sound Level @ 3′ (914mm) | Force Per Inch (25mm) @ 6″ (152mm) from target | PSIG | BAR | SCFM | SLPM | FPM | M/S | dBA | Ounces | Grams | 20 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 42 | 4,000 | 20 | 64 | 0.5 | 14 | 40 | 2.8 | 2.1 | 60 | 5,800 | 30 | 73 | 1.2 | 34 | 60 | 4.1 | 2.7 | 77 | 8,500 | 43 | 80 | 2.0 | 57 | 80 | 5.5 | 3.5 | 99 | 11,000 | 56 | 83 | 2.8 | 79 | 100 | 6.4 | 4.1 | 116 | 13,000 | 66 | 86 | 3.3 | 94 |
Industrial Air Knife Blower

- Remove water, coolant, dust, scrap, and debris from parts during manufacturing and assembly.
- Blow off liquids, chemicals, dirt, chips, and water before labeling or packaging.
- Clean circuit board holes, flat sheet rubber, plastic, and molded components.
- Remove and control paper dust in converting and printing operations.
Air Knife Drying Systems

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Cool extrusions for dimensional stability and improved processing speed.
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Cool metal parts prior to coating or painting.
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Provide cooling to set inks in printing and marking applications.
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Replace general-purpose manufacturing fans with a more focused, efficient cooling solution.
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Support food processing operations requiring controlled, sanitary airflow.
Advantages of Air Knives

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Reduce energy consumption compared to traditional blowers and open compressed-air lines.
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Improve workstation safety by eliminating high-noise, turbulent air sources.
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Improve product quality with consistent, laminar airflow.
Air knife cooling

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Dry parts, bottles, cans, and packaging materials on production lines.
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Remove rinse water from metals, plastics, and glass surfaces.
Mounting:
Optional Streamtek™ Air Knife Mount provides fast, stable, and flexible installation for both our Advanced and Regular Air Knives.
Featuring a robust stainless steel bracket, the mount securely holds the air knife, ensuring optimal stability. The integrated magnetic base offers convenience and powerful holding force (90 lbs) with an easy on/off switch for quick repositioning. Fine-tune your airflow angle with the 360 degree swivel adjustment knob.
Note: Air knives in aluminum construction over 24 inch long, or stainless steel construction over 18 inch long, require two mounts for proper support.
Filtration:
A Streamtek™ 5-micron air filter is recommended when using an air knife due to the very small air gap within the system. Our air filter prevents dust, moisture, and particulate contaminants from entering the air knife, which could otherwise block the gap, restrict airflow or cause uneven performance. By maintaining clean, dry air at this level, the air knife operates more efficiently and consistently. Proper filtration also helps extend equipment life and ensures reliable, high-quality results.
Need Air Knives in Odd Sizes or Longer Than Our Stock 54″ Length? 
Some applications require an air knife system in a very specific length or one that is longer than our standard 54″ (1371.6 mm) stock size. Streamtek™ air knives feature full-flow design from end to end, which means our Coupling Bracket Kits can seamlessly join two or more air knives together without any interruption in airflow or dead spots across the entire length. These kits can also be used to connect shorter-length knives over a wide span when independent control of each knife is desired, or to couple different sizes to achieve a particular overall length. Our optional coupling kits are available in both aluminum and stainless steel construction and include all necessary assembly screws. Visit our accessories section.
Air Knife OSHA and CE Compliance
In industrial facilities, excessive noise poses a significant challenge. Compressed air applications frequently surpass OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) permissible exposure limits, posing risks of permanent hearing damage to nearby personnel. StreamtekTM Advanced Air Knives deliver a remarkably low noise output of only 68 dBA, maintaining this efficiency even under 80 PSIG (5.5 BAR) pressure. This innovative solution provides robust, high-impact performance while minimizing disruptive sound levels.
Streamtek™ Air Knives fully adhere to OSHA safety standards, align with the EU General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC), and satisfy the noise restrictions outlined in the EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC). All acoustic measurements are conducted from a 3-foot distance.
Compressed Air Knife Systems Applications
The Streamtek™ Air Knife uses innovative compressed air technologies to improve productivity, increase equipment efficiency, deliver enclosure cooling, spot cooling, conveying, and blow-off. If you don’t find a solution and/or idea for your application, or if you want additional details, call our factory at 1-705-770-4455 or email an Application Engineer at support@stream-tek.com.



