Dust and Fume Collection Challenges in General Fabrication

Air quality concerns in general fabrication originate in common processes such as cutting, machining and welding. As any workshop manager knows, dust and fumes can create serious challenges for worker health, plant cleanliness and regulatory compliance.

Welding, in particular, presents serious health concerns, since many weld fumes contain toxic metals. The extreme heat involved in welding creates fumes with metal particulates less than a micrometer in diameter. When toxic particulates are inhaled, their small size allows them to travel deep into the lungs and be absorbed into the body. Hexavalent chromium is a good example of a commonly produced and dangerous weld fume particulate. This substance is a known carcinogen. Without a Fume Collection System in place, workers are at risk throughout an entire facility.

Besides the pressing concern of worker health, worker recruitment and retention should be on manufacturers’ minds, as well. The American Welding Society estimates that manufacturing will see a shortfall of 290,000 skilled welders by 2020. Recruiting and retaining the best workers will become more and more challenging in the near future. A healthy, clean and attractive workplace free from haze and hazards is crucial.

Fires and explosions are other serious concerns for general fabrication operations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that these events cause about 3% of workplace fatalities. Cutting tables and other such equipment produce dust which can be combustible. A dust collection system can prevent a buildup of dust, and a spark arrestance system can further safeguard a facility from dangerous fires and explosions.

Complying with federal regulations on air quality is another mandate for a general fabrication operation. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets these standards to ensure workers have clean air and a safe workplace. For example, welding facilities must comply with air contaminant requirements that address permissible exposure limits (PELs) for specific toxic substances, such as inhalable manganese and hexavalent chromium. Failure to comply with these regulations can lead to serious fines.

Moland is a professional manufacturer of metal fabrication dust collection systems. Our products address most problems that workshop managers concern.

1- Different product series meet different working conditions.

1.1- Portable welding fume extractors for un-evenly distributed wokstaions and small welding factory;

1.2- Room type central dust collection system for robotic welding;

1.3- Cantilever type central dust collection system for evenly distributed manual welding workshop;

1.4- Hood suction type central dust collection system for fixed welding workstations, laser and plasma cutting workstations;

1.5- Blow suction type central dust collection system for the situations of large work-pieces welding, complex conditions where smoke and dust are difficult to capture, etc.

1.6- Laser and plasma cutting blow-suction dust collection system.

1.7- Grinding Dust Dedusting Workbench

1.8- Telescopic Grinding Room

2. Quality accessories, quality assurance

2.1- Siemens motor: the equipment can runs stably with low noise and can run continously for more than 45000 hours.

2.2- Toray filter element: imported flame-retardant PTFE coated polyester fiber filter element, smooth surface, easy to blow back, strong corrosion resistance, and the service life can reach 1~2 years.

2.3- Independent R&D of intelligent control system, which can communicate with other intelligent equippements, remote control and can intuitively display the current equippment status.

2.4- The differential pressure gauge visually displays the pressure level and monitors the use of the filter cartridge in real time. When the pressure is too high, the automatic pulse back blow starts cleaning ash.

2.5- Explosion-proof device for the collection of fumes and dust produced by comnistible materials.