Air cannons

The Flash Cannon and the parts that keep any cannon firing.

3 min readUpdated Aug 2026

On this page

01 What’s on the shelf 02 The Flash Cannon lineup 03 Picking parts without guesswork 04 Sizing at a glance 05 Troubleshooting quick reference 06 Ordering checklist

What’s on the shelf

The Flash Cannon — ACT’s own direct-blast air cannon — plus the wear parts that keep any cannon firing: quick exhaust valves (QEVs), safety cables, o-rings and gaskets, stocked in Fontana for the Flash Cannon and most major brands.

The Flash Cannon lineup

Model	70 psi	80 psi	90 psi	100 psi
G400-40-50 (4″)	698	851	997	1,072
G400-40-150 (4″)	1,070	1,220	1,383	1,532
G400-60-300 (6″)	1,735	2,000	2,320	2,525
G400-60-650 (6″)	2,065	2,380	2,761	3,005

Blast force in pounds by charge pressure. Designed for high-temperature environments, safety-smart isolation valve included, no lubrication, 5-year warranty.

Picking parts without guesswork

Cannon stopped firing? Start with the QEV and o-rings — elastomers are the service items.
Ordering for another brand? Send the nameplate photo; we match or cross-reference.
New installation? A cannon is sized to the vessel, not bought off a chart — ask for the layout help, it’s free.

Sizing at a glance

Application	Typical setup	Notes
Chutes & transfer buildup	Smaller tanks, fan-jet nozzles	Frequent light shots beat rare heavy ones
Silo cone / bridge zone	Mid-size tanks just above the arch line	Sequence upward — bottom cannon first
Rathole shoulders	Array around the walls, sequenced	Placement > blast force, every time
Preheater / high-temp process	High-temp valves and piping	Standard seals die young up there — spec for it

Troubleshooting quick reference

Symptom	Likely cause	Fix
Won’t fire	Solenoid, signal or stuck valve	Verify pilot air and signal; rebuild kit
Weak shot	Supply pressure low or fill leak	Gauge at the tank; fix the leak before upsizing anything
Constant hiss	Exhaust or check valve leaking	Service kit — it’s eating compressed air daily
Fires but buildup returns fast	Wrong placement/sequence for the flow pattern	Re-aim the array — see the rathole-vs-bridge guide

Ordering checklist

Vessel and wall — steel or concrete, wall thickness at the mount
Material — what builds up, and how (bridge, rathole, wall coat)
Air supply — available pressure and line size at the vessel
Count and controls — new array or adding to existing sequence
Replacement parts: brand and model of existing cannons — valve kits are brand-specific

Frequently asked questions

Do you stock parts for cannons you didn't sell?

Yes — QEVs, o-rings, gaskets and safety cables for most major brands. A nameplate photo is usually all we need to match parts.

What air pressure does a Flash Cannon need?

Ordinary plant air, 70–100 psi. Force rises with pressure — the table above shows the spread by model.

Can I install a cannon myself?

Mounting requires a welded nozzle assembly on the vessel — a planned job with hot-work controls. Many customers weld the nozzle to our spec and we handle the rest; full installation service is available.

Rathole or bridge?
Which flow failure you have decides where the cannons aim.Cannons vs. vibrators vs. sonic horns
The honest three-way comparison — what each does well, and where each falls flat.How Air Cannons Work
Sizing, placement and sequencing Air Cannon Service
Install, inspection and rebuilds Flash Cannon product page
Specs and quote requests Parts catalog
Browse air cannon parts

Can’t find it in the pile?

Reading about it is free. So is the phone call. Some answers only come from climbing into the equipment — that’s the part we do in person. Tell us the plant, the part and the problem, and you’ll get a real person.

Browse air cannon parts →

Or call (888) 480-0680 · sales@groupactinc.com · Serving CA, NV, OR & WA since 1991.

The ACT Group

Applied Conveyor Technology — bulk material handling experts. Dust control, conveyor services, silo cleaning, parts, and engineering.

909-350-4703
888-480-0680 (toll-free)

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