Air knife apparatus

Abstract

An air knife apparatus 10 has a first end and a second end and comprises at least one plenum chamber 16 connectable to a fluid source. The or each plenum chamber 16 includes at least one outlet 18 for providing a directed stream of fluid from the or each plenum chamber 16 towards a product. The or each plenum chamber 16 is shaped and dimensioned such that a distance between the or each outlet 18 and an outer surface of the product to be treated located adjacent thereto is fixed and the distance is substantially constant between the first and second ends of the air knife 10. The directed stream of fluid from the or each outlet 18 is incident on the outer surface of the product located immediately adjacent to said outlet at an angle of not more than 30 degrees above a plane perpendicular to said outer surface. The product may have a complex surface shape, that is the diameter of the product varies across the product. The product may be a bottle 14. [Figures 1a and 2b to accompany the abstract]