Air Wipe and Wire Dryer
Blower-powered 360° air wipes dry wire, cable, tube, pipe and extruded profiles without touching them, from 40 AWG wire to 48 in (1,219 mm) pipe. Replacing a compressed air wipe typically pays back in six months.
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Sonic XE
Developed in 1994, the Sonic XE is a one-piece, teardrop-shaped air knife made up to 200 in (5,080 mm) long. Slot width adjusts from 0.010 to 0.250 in, velocities reach 38,000 FPM, and power use is up to 75% lower than compressed air blow-off.
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Harness the Power of Sonic XE's Teardrop-Shaped Design for Superior Performance
Developed in 1994, Sonic XE "eXtra Efficiency" remains a groundbreaking engineering solution that revolutionized the industry with its single piece teardrop-shaped profile for the highest air efficiency. With a wide range of sizes, materials, and accessory options, Sonic offers the most comprehensive lineup of air knives and nozzles designed to meet the unique needs of any application. Our expert engineers will ensure the optimal pairing of our industrial air blowers with the Sonic XE system, backed by a written "performance guarantee". And if Sonic doesn't have a design to meet the challenge, we'll engineer a new one!
How the Sonic XE Blade Delivers Uniform and Powerful Airflow
The Sonic XE stands out due to its advanced aerodynamic design and precision engineering, making it one of the most efficient air knife solutions on the market. Unlike a conventional flat-blade device, all Sonic XE designs minimize turbulence and pressure loss, ensuring a consistent and laminar discharge air flow across its entire length. This result is made possible by an industry-leading 0.95 coefficient of discharge, maximizing kinetic energy transfer while reducing blower power consumption.
The XE’s adjustable slot width and high-velocity airflow allow for customized performance tailored to specific industrial applications, whether for rapid drying, heating, precise cooling, debris removal, or static elimination. Moreover, the Sonic XE seamlessly integrates with Sonic Air Systems' high-efficiency centrifugal blowers, creating a complete air management system that delivers superior results with minimal energy input.
Engineering Excellence Behind Every Detail
- The Sonic XE is the worldwide air knife design standard (often imitated but never duplicated)
- Many 2" & 3" (51 & 76 mm) profiles available in stock from 6” to 96” length (152 to 2438mm), and many made-to-order options ranging from 1” to 6” profiles with maximum lengths to 200” (5080mm)
- Precision slot widths, adjustable from 0.010" to 0.250" (0.25 to 6.4 mm), produce laminar airflow across the entire air exit slot length.
- Materials of construction: extruded aluminum with type III hard anodized high temp with Nylon inlet, end caps, and Viton gaskets. Also available in 300 series stainless steel and powder-coated carbon steel
- Air inlets from one to four in any position, based on the total volume required
- Many common lengths of welded 300 series stainless steel with an electropolished finish are in stock.
- Flexline air nozzles added for additional blind spot blow-off.
- Designed for Sonic blower pressures of 10" to 120" H₂0 (250 to 3048 mmH₂0) and 38,000 FPM (11,582 MPM) velocities
- Intrinsically safe for personnel by avoiding the air embolism hazard associated with some compressed air blow-off designs
- Reduced power versus compressed air blow-off devices by up to 75%
- Greatly improve blower-powered air impact force compared with slotted pipes and other low-efficiency products
- Our expert engineers will ensure the optimal pairing of our industrial air blowers with the Sonic XE system, backed by a written "performance guarantee".
A Highly Efficient Engineering Solution for Industrial Drying, Cooling, and Blow-Off Applications
Built for precision and reliability, Sonic’s high-velocity airflow technology delivers powerful, uniform air streams that improve process efficiency across multiple industries. From packaging to automotive, these systems provide clean, consistent performance that helps manufacturers reduce energy use, maintenance time, and production waste.
Specification Sheets
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Frequently Asked Questions
Unlike compressed-air setups that rely on high pressure and consume large amounts of energy, Sonic’s system produces high-velocity, low-pressure airflow that achieves the same or better drying and blow-off performance while cutting energy costs by up to 75%. It’s designed for continuous-duty operation with lower noise and maintenance demands.
In most cases, yes. The design offers custom mounting brackets and manifold configurations, allowing integration with existing conveyors, enclosures, and blower units for a straightforward retrofit.
Yes. Sonic offers sanitary-grade, easy-to-clean designs with smooth surfaces and minimal crevices to prevent contamination, ideal for food, beverage, and pharmaceutical applications that require compliance with hygiene standards.
Aluminum works well for most general industrial drying and blow off applications and keeps the system lighter and more budget friendly. Stainless steel is the better call anywhere you're dealing with washdown, corrosive chemistries, or food and pharmaceutical environments where sanitation standards come into play. Both use the same teardrop profile, so you're not giving up performance either way, just choosing the material that fits your environment.
Yes. Knives are available from just a few inches up to 200 inches long, and slot width can be adjusted to match your specific airflow and coverage needs. If your line has an unusual footprint or product geometry, Sonic's engineering team will size the system around it rather than asking you to work around a standard part.
The XE is designed to pair with Sonic's centrifugal blowers for guaranteed performance, and that pairing is what makes the efficiency numbers possible. It's a system, not just a part, so Sonic sizes the blower and knife together based on your application rather than treating them as separate purchases.
Very little day to day. Because it runs on low pressure air instead of compressed air, there's no compressor maintenance, no condensation buildup in the lines, and less wear overall. Routine care is mostly keeping the inlet filter clean and checking that mounting brackets stay secure, a fraction of the upkeep a compressed air blow off setup requires.
An air knife gives you a continuous curtain of air along the full width of a product, ideal for flat or wide surfaces like sheet metal, panels, or bottles moving down a line. A nozzle or manifold setup makes more sense for irregular shapes or when you need to reach into recesses and blind spots a straight knife can't cover. Many lines actually use both together. If you're not sure which fits your product, that's exactly the kind of question worth a quick call.
Bring your line requirements to Sonic.
Share the product, line speed, dimensions, and operating environment. Sonic’s engineering team will help shape the right air delivery system.
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