Page 34 - MetalForming February 2019

Fabrication: Air Quality
life of a system.
That’s the word from Mike Meyer,
executive technical director at RoboVent, Sterling Heights, MI, a manufacturer of air-cleaning equip- ment, including systems to extract oil mist and weld fumes. It also supports educational efforts to help metalform- ers and fabricators understand the total cost of ownership related to dust collectors and industrial ventilation systems.
New Breeds of Dust and Fume
Education efforts stem from intro- duction of more unique mist compo- nents and particulates in manufactur- ing environments over the last decade, according to Meyer.
“Materials welded and formed today differ greatly from those of five or 10 years ago,” he says. “Processes feature increase speed and throughput, and, often, manufacturers employ coatings to move material through presses and other machines smoothly and as quick-
ly as possible. These parts, with oils, paraffins, surfactants and other coat- ings, are processed and welded, which releases dust and mist into the envi- ronment. We are not just collecting weld fume anymore. We are collecting ‘weld fume plus.’ Because it differs in composition from only a few years ago, it strains air-quality equipment and filtering mechanisms.”
Substandard Air Cleaning Has Serious Costs
Frequency of filter changes correlate directly with the evolution of mists and particulates, according to Meyer.
“Because of the different fume and particulate, filters do not last as long,” he says. “Using traditional techniques filters may last six months now, where- as before they lasted for a year or two. On top of that, filters often collect haz- ardous material and must be disposed of via a hazmat process and transport- ed to hazardous-waste landfills.”
Meyer and Frank Cea, director of
marketing communications and development at RoboVent, provided an anecdotal cost breakdown of air- cleaner filter replacement. With filters typically priced at $1 or more per ft.3/min. a 10,000-cfm unit already sets a manufacturer out $10,000 for a new filter. Add labor and disposal, and total filter-replacement cost can reach $15,000 or more, especially if haz- ardous-waste removal and disposal are needed. Replacing filters two to three times more often than previously typical quickly escalates air-cleaning expenses.
But dirty filters are not an option. Clogged filters force air-cleaning sys- tems to work harder, leading to energy inefficiency, diminished effectiveness and more. That means extra costs for maintenance and repair, and higher electricity costs. Uncaptured dust set- tling in ductwork heightens the risk of combustion, while cleaning ducts often entails paying specialized contractors to remove the dust. In addition,
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More information at metalformingmagazine.com/lubetech
32 MetalForming/February 2019
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