Here at Diversitech we offer a broad range of dust collectors, fume extractors, and other air capture devices to help keep the ambient air in your shop free of hazards. With so many options available, it can be difficult to choose or even know where to start when it comes to selecting the right device for your operations. Today, we’ll be going over some of our most popular air pollution solutions to help narrow down which one is right for you.
Downdraft Tables Capture Contaminants at the Source
If your manufacturing process is generating particulate matter, you can’t go wrong with Diversitech’s DD Downdraft Table. Downdraft tables are standalone workstations equipped with a ventilated working surface which resembles a metal grate. While you work, a blower motor attached to the table vacuums up airborne contaminants through the ventilated work surface before they can negatively impact the air quality of your production facility, then deposits the contaminants into a dust collection receptacle. We refer to this as capture-at-source technology. Our downdraft tables are compliant with dust, smoke, and welding fumes capturing guidelines as defined by OSHA, so when you choose Diversitech you know you’re investing in a worthwhile safety measure for your workplace.
Our standard DD downdraft tables are well suited to be used for all kinds of cutting, fusing, and finishing operations. However, we do also offer application-specific kits which are designed to provide the most effective dust collection for certain operations. One of these is the welding/grinding/deburring (WGD) kit, which comes outfitted with booth walls and a metal mesh pre-filter for enhanced dust capture. The spray painting kit is equipped with the same booth walls, but also has an additional paint arrestor pre-filter, polytech filters, and reversible carbon canister afterfilters, along with a greater ventilation area on the tabletop surface. This same tabletop with added ventilation is what’s used on our plasma cutting kit. Lastly, the clean air workstation kit includes side and back walls, a dust and vapor proof light kit for improved visibility, and a backdraft hood. Get a closer look at our different models here.
Wet Downdraft Tables Mitigate Combustible Dust
Combustible dust is an extremely hazardous byproduct created by a wide variety of workplace operations across different industries. What defines combustible dust is its ability to cause an explosion when exposed to any form of ignition, regardless of its physical or chemical composition. This means that charcoal, aluminum, some resins, and even powdered milk can be considered forms of combustible dust.
Wet downdraft tables combine the capture-at-source technology of downdraft tables with the scrubbing capabilities of a wet dust collector, all in one convenient package. Like regular downdraft tables, wet downdraft tables collect dust particles before they get the chance to escape the immediate work area. Wet DD tables are best suited to capture the dust created by an individual workstation, especially those dealing with sanding, grinding, and deburring operations.
Does a downdraft table sound like a good fit for your facility? Contact Diversitech today to learn more and get a quote today.
Fume Extraction for Welding Applications
Welding is an integral part of many manufacturing processes, but the air hazards created by it cannot be ignored. Each type of welding involves one of two shields. An inert gas shield protects the surface of the metal and the flame or arc struck between the welding gun and the work piece. Those processes which don’t use a gas shield employ a physical shield instead, called flux, which then transfers onto the work piece and transforms into a waste product called slag. In both situations, the high heat and physical reactions from the workpiece and the weld itself generate fumes that are poisonous to the operator. Whenever the stick welding method is used, the slag generated by the process must be physically knocked off- this introduces even more contaminants to the air in the work environment. If welding is part of your facility’s manufacturing processes, using the right air filtration devices is critical to ensuring the safety of your personnel.
To mitigate the fumes generated by welding, Diversitech offers a line of portable fume extractors called FRED. Our FRED fume extractors are designed to capture welding fumes and airborne particulates as they are generated to prevent them from contaminating the ambient air. We offer different sizes of FRED units to handle a range of capacities, from our smallest FRED Mini-Vac II to the FRED Sr. II Dual-Arm. Each unit can be equipped with a different type of filter that is best suited to the operation to be performed. For example, we recommend HEPA filters for steel welding operations, and Nanofiber filters when handling aluminum parts. Whatever the conditions of your welding operation may be, Diversitech has the technology to minimize the air pollution it generates.
While fume extractors are an excellent tool to employ in welding operations, they can also be used in tandem with our DD downdraft tables to maximize the fumes and particulate matter that are captured. Combined with the FRED Fume Tracker, a Diversitech technology that lets the extractor arm autonomously follow the path of the weld, the large majority of particles and fumes will not make it past the workstation.
Now that you know the details, contact Diversitech today to request a quote for the equipment of your choice!
Which dust collection or fume extraction solution would you choose? Leave a comment down below to tell us about your industry and your choice of device!