The Importance of an Industrial Dust Collector

Industrial dust collectors prevent harmful particulate contaminant matter from settling on surfaces. They also help facilities maintain compliance with major regulatory bodies, including OSHA and NFPA.

Effective dust collection equipment protects personnel and equipment, helps companies meet combustible dust handling guidelines and reduces facility maintenance costs. Different dust collectors are suited to specific applications.

Air Filtration

When it comes to industrial dust collection, efficient air filtration is essential. Free-floating particles can create dangerous situations like fire hazards in the presence of flammable materials, or they could cause employees respiratory distress. In addition, these particles can be corrosive and disrupt production. For these reasons, many facilities use a dust collector system to filter out dangerous material and provide an overall safe working environment for their employees.

There are a variety of air filters that can be used in an industrial dust collector, depending on the needs of each facility. Some systems may combine bag and cartridge filter options while others can only do one or the other.

Baghouse systems utilize numerous woven or felt bags to filter dusty air. Unlike cartridge filters, these bags can be washed to clean them. When the bags reach capacity, a mechanism is activated to remove them and replace them with new ones. Some baghouse systems have a conveyor system INDUSTRIAL DUST COLLECTOR to funnel the collected matter along, or else they may simply be dumped into a receptacle area.

There are some systems that don’t use a filter at all, including an electrostatic precipitator (ESPS). This type of system uses a charge to remove particles from the air. As the air moves through a discharge wire, it’s ionized, which negatively charges any particles it encounters. When those particles come into contact with a collecting plate, they’re accumulated and removed from the airflow.

Mechanical Separation

While there are many types of dust collectors, all share the same central objective: to filter, separate and capture dust, particulate matter and fumes and then discharge sanitized air back into the manufacturing process. Whether it’s cartridge, baghouse, or cyclone separator equipment that is used, the system must be efficient, meet combustible standards and comply with local and federal regulations in order to be effective.

The most common designs include ductwork systems that are ducted to the work stations, and self-contained systems that return the cleaned air directly back into the manufacturing environment. Cartridge-style systems have cylindrical filters that are open on both ends and are lined with pleated filter media. When the contaminated air passes through the filters, the dust is captured on the filter surface and falls into a collection bin below.

Cyclone separators also use centrifugal action to separate the dust from the incoming gas stream. The outer vortex created by the spinning centrifugal force carries coarse particles to the wall of the unit, while the inner vortex spirals downward and carries finer materials into a hopper located underneath.

Other industrial dust collecting systems, such as electrostatic precipitators, use an electrical charge to collect dust from the air. When contaminated air passes through the discharge electrodes, they’re ionized and charged, which causes the dust to stick to the plates. The collected material can then be removed continuously or at a predetermined interval.

Downdraft Tables

The dust, smoke, and fume generated by industrial operations can be captured by downdraft tables. These INDUSTRIAL DUST COLLECTOR are workstations with built-in vacuum systems that use a perforated table surface to draw dust, particles, and fumes into a dust collector. Dirty air then runs through a filtering system, usually cartridge filters, before clean air is returned to the facility.

Many types of industries use downdraft tables to improve workplace safety and productivity. Metal fabrication, for example, uses downdraft tables to collect welding smoke and fumes, which can interfere with equipment. Woodworking shops also utilize downdraft tables to capture sawdust, reducing respiratory issues and preventing stray pieces of wood from interfering with machines. In addition, downdraft tables are used in art studios to capture smoke, fumes, and dust generated during the creation of sculptures, reducing health concerns and ensuring a clean workspace.

Some downdraft tables are self-contained, while others require ductwork to be installed in the facility. Self-contained tables are more portable and require less maintenance than ducted units. They also can be positioned closer to the workspace, making them more convenient. Other types of downdraft tables include spray booths, which are enclosures (used for painting or coating large equipment and vehicles) that filter paint overspray and fumes. Whether you need an entire downdraft table or just a single replacement cartridge filter, we have the solution.

Replacement Air Filters

Industrial jobs like machining, welding, sawing, grinding, abrasive blasting, and woodworking create airborne debris in the form of fine particles and large pieces. Those particles are hazardous to health when inhaled and can cause breathing problems and even permanent lung damage. Regularly cleaning and replacing your filters can reduce emissions and improve the quality of the air in your facility, resulting in healthier and more productive workers.

Some types of debris are especially dangerous to employees. Flammable metal particles, for example, can cause explosions and combustible dusts like wood shavings can spark fires. These toxins pose a real risk for causing injuries to personnel, which can be costly and lead to legal issues when facilities are forced to close due to unsafe working conditions.

Using the right type of dust collection system for your facility can ensure compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. For example, an electrostatic precipitator uses electrostatic charges to cling to dust particles, allowing them to be collected and held in place on oppositely charged surfaces. This is a great option for dealing with metal fragments and other combustible materials that are often found in the workplace, but may be less effective at managing smaller particles such as concrete dust, which has a very low air-to-cloth ratio and tends to blow away. Cartridge dust collectors are a better choice for such applications. They use patented fabric folding technology, such as Camfil’s HemiPleat, to ensure that the filter pleats are evenly distributed throughout the media. This helps maintain airflow, efficiency and a low pressure drop while providing a high level of particle filtration.