Employees Health & Safety
The main priority of a Dust Extraction system in wood working is to efficiently remove from the manufacturing environment all dust that can be harmful to the workforce affording better air quality.
In the Timber industry, tiny particles of sawdust and shavings etc. which can also contain bacterial and fungal spores, pose a big risk if released into the atmosphere where they can be breathed deep into lungs.
It can cause serious health risk issues such as asthma, eye, nose and throat irritation along with the more serious possibility of hardwood dust causing a rare type of cancer.
This makes an efficient and appropriate dust extraction unit essential as covered by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations.
Intelligent, Efficient, Energy Saving
It is possible to unite a high performing extraction system with energy and cost savings by considering a product that can implement a reduction in running time and minimise repair and replacement costs without impinging on function.
A cascading fan extraction unit – such as the Envirojet W Series, from DCE, which uses the intelligent E-Performance monitoring system, can switch fans on and off in accordance to the number of woodworking machines running, in line with the dust extraction requirement.
This has an impressive, evidential saving on power use as it is programmed to only run when and what is necessary.
Selecting an extraction system that uses this method needs to be done with thought to the dust conveyance.
It is paramount that, though the cascading fan system maybe be running slower or with less fans, that the conveyance of dust along ducting is maintained above the HSE guidance of 18 m/s preventing the build-up of wood waste particulates which can cause damage.
A good wood waste extraction system using the cascading fan method can offer a guaranteed 25-28 m/s.
High Performance, Low Maintenance
An extraction unit which is specifically designed for the wood processing industry will help to reduce machinery maintenance with the use of processes such as negative pressure which enables collection on the clean side of the filter helping to protect fans from wear and tear that can be caused by larger particles that are sucked through. This helps to reduce the amount of replacement parts and maintenance required.
Offering greater waste separation before filtration can also increase the lifecycle of the filter bag again reducing the amount of changes required.
Identifying issues with a dust collector, before they become costly to replace or cause downtime in production, can be managed with the implementation of a planned preventative maintenance scheme in conjunction with adhering to the mandatory regular LEV testing requirements.
Environmentally Considerate
Choosing a dust extraction manufacturer who have the design and technical experience to tailor your wood waste, shavings and dust collection requirements with an holistic approach will result in a system that works efficiently and economically and a win environmentally with a beneficial reduction in running costs.
The decrease in energy usage, replacement parts and repairs will help towards sustainability and reducing the carbon footprint of a business providing a more environmentally friendly product, process and organisation.
