Air Curtains Slash Energy Costs, Filter Welding Fumes

Coleman Tool & Mfg. Co., Union Grove, WI, a metal fabricator of replacement parts for garbage trucks, roll-off trucks, refuse equipment and similar applications, originally specified air curtains above its open doors to reduce its monthly winter heating costs. It soon discovered an added benefit of the air curtains (from Berner Intl., New Castle, PA): filtering welding fumes, to significantly improve employee indoor air quality (IAQ).

For its new 60,000-sq.-ft. plant, Coleman specified air curtains, above two 16 by 16-ft. and one 12 by 12-ft. overhead doors. The curtains retain heat while the doors are open, allowing the irm to maintain a 60 F wintertime temperature generated purely from the waste heat of its industrial welding processes. Previously, in its older plant, the company used supplemental heaters, kept the shipping doors open more frequently, and used exhaust fans to expel welding fumes—and wintertime heat. Now the company incurs no supplemental winter heating costs, significantly reduces heat loss during open-door periods, and recirculates heated air through the air curtains.

The air curtains activate manually or with a limit switch triggered by a door opening. They draw interior air from the facility and discharge it through field-adjustable nozzles.

Berner Intl.: 724/658-3551; www.berner.com

See also: Berner International Corp.

Technologies: Welding and Joining

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