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Welding Fumes: Unveiling Hazards and Crafting Solutions For Safer Workforce

Welding Fumes: Hazards and Safety Solutions for Workers
Welding Fumes: Hazards and Safety Solutions for Workers

Welding Fumes: Unveiling Hazards and Crafting Solutions For Safer Workforce.

Welding joins materials together by melting a metal workpiece along with filler metal to form a strong joint; thus, welding is one of the most important fundamental processes in every industry. The welding process required in creating structures, making products, and fabricating them to make them safer involves joining various components, so it involves various particles to play with. When we talk about metalworking industries, welding plays a vital role in every step of the industry, so in the metalworking industry, welding is a very important process. In this article, we will discuss welding, welding fumes, their adverse effects on the workforce, and safety solutions to overcome welding fumes.

Types of welding:

Welding is classified into two groups: fusion (heat alone) or pressure (heat and pressure) welding. There are three types of fusion welding: electric arc, gas, and thermit. Electric arc welding is the most widely used type of fusion welding. It employs an electric arc to melt the base and filler metals. Arc welding types, in order to decrease fume production, include:

Gas or oxy-fuel welding uses a flame from burning a gas (usually acetylene) to melt metal at a joint to be welded and is a common method for welding iron, steel, cast iron, and copper. Thermit welding uses a chemical reaction to produce intense heat instead of using gas fuel or electric current. Pressure welding uses heat along with impact-type pressure to join the pieces. Oxy-fuel and plasma cutting, along with brazing, are related to welding as they all involve the melting of metal and the generation of airborne metal fumes. Brazing is a metal-joining process where only the filler metal is melted.

What are welding fumes?:

When the welding process runs in industries, it spreads various hazardous particles on the surfaces as well as in the air, such as metals like aluminum, antimony, arsenic, beryllium, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, copper, iron, lead, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silver, tin, titanium, vanadium, and zinc. gasses like argon, helium, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide. Which is very dangerous and hazardous for the health of the workforce.

Health impacts on the workforce:

Short-Term Health Impact:

Acute exposure to welding fumes and gasses can result in eye, nose, and throat irritation, dizziness, and nausea. and a metallic taste. Welding smoke can also irritate the eyes, nose, chest, and respiratory tract and cause coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, bronchitis, pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs), and pneumonitis (inflammation of the lungs). Gastrointestinal effects, such as nausea, appetite loss, vomiting, cramps, and slow digestion, have also been associated with welding smoke. Some welding fume components and welding processes can be especially dangerous in a short period of time. Cadmium in welding fumes can be fatal in a short time.

Long-Term Health Impact:

Prolonged exposure to welding fumes may cause lung damage and various types of cancer, including lung, larynx, and urinary tract cancer. Ultraviolet radiation given off by welding reacts with oxygen and nitrogen in the air to form ozone and nitrogen oxides, which are deadly at high doses, irritate the nose and throat, and cause serious lung disease.

Health effects from certain fumes may include metal fume fever, stomach ulcers, kidney damage, and nervous system damage. Prolonged exposure to manganese fumes can cause Parkinson’s-like symptoms. According to the Workers Health Network, while there may be a genetic predisposition to developing Parkinson’s, most doctors believe that some environmental factor is involved, which triggers the disease. The development of this condition is especially associated with workers who have worked with manganese.

Gasses such as helium, argon, and carbon dioxide displace oxygen in the air and can lead to suffocation, particularly when welding in confined or enclosed spaces. Carbon monoxide gas can form, posing a serious choke hazard.

Workers in the area who experience these symptoms should leave the area immediately, seek fresh air, and obtain medical attention.

How is the productivity of workers lost due to welding fumes?

This pollution not only has a direct impact on the health of the workers and those working in the weld shop, but also on their working capacity and productivity. Due to pollution,

  • Workers are unable to concentrate completely on their work.
  • Excessive absenteeism due to illness (which costs the company as well as the worker)
  • Loss of concentration results in more mistakes, resulting in an increased amount of rework.
  • Taking more time to complete the work—overtime

Due to all this, both the worker and the company suffer huge losses, and pollution becomes the biggest hindrance to the progress of both. Is all this happening in your company/weld shop too?

A seemingly small thing in a factory environment, like welding fumes, can have ramifications ranging from your health to the company’s balance sheet and even future progress!

That is why controlling pollution is essential for a progressive welder and company.

Solutions to overcome welding fumes in industry:

Take into consideration controlling welding fumes in industry. First, get to know how much welding fumes are generated in your industry. Which type of welding is mostly used in your factory? How many workers work at a time? What is the time period for welding work?

So in industry, overcoming welding fumes is a major task, so various controlling measures should be taken. Some of the solutions to overcome welding fumes are:

General Ventilation Measures:

General ventilation uses roof vents, open doors and windows, roof fans, and floor fans to move air through the entire work area. These methods are not as effective as local exhaust ventilation and may actually spread chemicals around the workplace. However, general ventilation is often helpful when used to supplement local ventilation.

For example, if there is one small welding shop where 2–3 workers are working and there are 2 — 2.5 hours of welding work in a day, then using dilution ventilation we can reduce the pollution due to welding fumes. With the use of fans, we can maintain the level of distance between the welder and welding fumes. Another precaution we can take here is that welding work should be done near the wall on a table, and an exhaust fan should be installed to remove the fumes from the shop to protect workers from welding fumes.

Adopting the right welding procedure
Adopting the right welding procedure

Local Ventilation Measures:

Local exhaust ventilation systems can be used to remove fumes and gasses from the welder’s breathing zone. Keep fume hoods, fume extractor guns, and vacuum nozzles close to the plume source to remove the maximum amount of fumes and gasses. Portable or flexible exhaust systems can be positioned so that fumes and gases are drawn away from the worker. Keep exhaust ports away from other workers. Local exhaust can be provided by an extracting gun, which can reduce worker exposure to welding emissions by 70 percent.

LEV Representative Structure
LEV Representative Structure

For example, if there is a welding shop where 10–15 workers work and welding work is continuously done, such as in auto-component industries where LEV (local exhaust ventilation) needs to be used, and various types of suction hoods should be joined to the LEV to fetch fumes from welding stations and filter them to send them outside of the premises or inside.

Precautions While Welding
Precautions While Welding
Welding Fumes Solutions By Filter ON
Welding Fumes Solutions By Filter ON

There are various types of local exhaust ventilation.

Portable Fumes Extractor: When there is welding required for a big job that is handled by crane, we can’t use suction hoods there, so in that condition, the Portable Fumes Extractor plays a very important role in removing fumes from that area

In the Portable Fumes Extractor, there is a self-standing suction arm that the welder can adjust anywhere. To suck fumes from welding, the suction hood should be placed 100–300 mm near the welding work, as shown in Image A.

Welding Fumes Example
Welding Fumes Example

Fumes Extractor Image B, where a blower (fan) and a filter are used, which suck the fumes and filter them.

Stationary Type Fume Extractor: It is used for robotic welding stations or manual welding stations

A fume extractor system is installed on the top or side of the station. By placing a hood over the welding table or fixture, the fume extractor is connected to the hood through a pipe or duct. The welding fumes pass through the hood and pipe and enter the filter, where the smallest particles present in it are filtered, and the pure air goes out of the fume extractor through the fan.

Centralized Fumes Extraction System: When there are many (more than 15-20) weld stations in a weld shop, then installing a separate fume extractor for each weld station is not sufficient. Then centralized systems are used.

In a centralized system, all the weld stations are connected to a larger fume extraction system through ducting. This system can be installed inside or outside the shop. 

Total Clean Air Solutions By Filter ON (Centralized Systems)
Total Clean Air Solutions By Filter ON

Air quality monitoring:

Planning and maintaining a proper air quality monitoring schedule at scheduled intervals is the best option to reduce welding fumes and improve the overall workplace air quality. Monitoring the air quality helps industries choose the right equipment at the right time to overcome air pollution due to welding fumes. Filter-On also provides air quality testing services as per your convenience.

Scheduled Maintenance of Equipment:

Implementing a proper maintenance schedule for equipment is a task for every industry, as it ensures the performance of the machines and equipment and improves the overall air quality of the industrial environment. FilterOn’s after-sales service will be beneficial for you if you want hassle-free maintenance of welding fume extractors and other air quality improvement equipment.

Which type of system is best for your shop?

How many welding stations are there in your shop? How much welding is done? On which material is welding done? Does the shop layout remain fixed or change frequently? How is material handling done? By studying all these things, you can decide on the appropriate option.

After installing any type of system, it is important to understand and follow some things.

  • cleaning the filter in the system from time to time.
  • Checking blower/fan current and vibration
  • Checking the air flow of the system once a month

If there is a big shop in which more than 15-20 workers work together, then it is necessary to check the air quality before and after the installation of the system so that we get information about what effect the installation of the system has on the air quality. The objective is to provide a pure and safe environment for workers.

Govt. Regulations to overcome welding fumes in industry:

There are various government regulations created to overcome welding fumes and their hazardous impact on workers in industries. The criteria for safe air quality are specified in OSHA standards or the Factory Act. According to these, it is important to maintain air quality. Some of the well-known regulations are as follows:

Some OSHA standards applicable to welding are:

Why is safe air quality important?

  • The health of workers and other shop employees remains safe.
  • Their productivity remains at a high level.
  • Unproductive situations like absenteeism, rework, rejection, overtime, etc. lead to decline.
  • Higher productivity increases the profitability of the company.
  • Having a good, pollution-free environment in the factory helps the company get certifications like ISO 14000 and OSHA, and the brand image of the company is also good. This makes it easier for the company to attract new customers, retain good employees, and attract new employees. 
  • Safe air quality is one of the best investments for both the company and the worker.

Visit  blogs to learn more about the critical features of clean air system design and air pollution control systems created by Filter On India.

Filter On India has been working towards “Mission Zero Pollution” for the last 40+ years as a clean air solutions partner for industries. We specialize and have expertise in welding fumes, oil mist, coolant mist, dust collection, soldering, laser marking, laser cutting, plasma cutting, fumes in fastener manufacturing, ball point tip manufacturing, oil quenching, kitchen fumes, etc. Filter On has 70+ clean air solutions, so you can contact us for more information about our solutions. You can reach us through the web or visit us at our corporate office at Pune, or mail us at : marketing@filter-on.com

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Clearing the Air: Understanding and improving Indoor Industrial Air Quality(IAQ)

Indoor Industrial Air Quality Blog
Indoor Industrial Air Quality Blog

Clearing the Air: Understanding and improving Indoor Industrial Air Quality(IAQ)

Many of us might have heard about indoor industrial air quality i.e. IAQ, many times in the news associated with air pollution. Unfortunately, the topic of air pollution gets reflected in the news more often these days because of increasing air pollution and more studies associated with its impact on human society.

In India, air pollution is the biggest killer. Some estimates show that 2.5 million premature deaths are associated with air pollution. Yes, 2.5 million in a year, which means 285 people per hour! Also, some studies show that air pollution costs India 8% of its GDP. huge economic cost.

It is because of this massive impact of air pollution on public health as well as on the economy that indoor industrial air quality becomes a very important parameter. Maintaining proper indoor air quality is of paramount importance to minimize the huge losses. Since the majority of our time is spent indoors (in homes, offices, factories, etc.), improving indoor industrial air quality (IAQ) is the only way to tackle this issue. Also, it is found in many studies that, contrary to our perception, indoor air quality is worse than outdoor air quality and thus affects more. This essentially means air quality in our homes, offices, and factories is worse than on the roads! Though unbelievable, many experiments and analyses show that it is a shocking fact.

What is Indoor Industrial Air Quality( IAQ)? Why is it a concerning factor nowadays?

The term often mentioned as industrial air quality, frequently reduced and mentioned with the abbreviation IAQ, fundamentally serves as an indicative metric or measure. It’s primarily used in numerous industrial sectors and scenarios to gauge, monitor, and assess the quality or general health of the air within a particular industrial environment or setting.

AQI, i.e., air quality index level, and IAQ are not similar. Air quality refers to outdoor air quality, which everyone breathes, but IAQ indoor or industrial air quality is experienced by employees in the industrial environment. The IAQ is more hazardous than the AQ because, in an industrial environment, different types of production are running on, so workers wearing without safety masks will have various health and breathing-related issues.

In industries, there are so many processes that generate air pollution, like welding, cutting, grinding, machining, heat treatment, etc. These processes generate very high levels of pollution, which makes indoor air quality inside industries extremely unhealthy and hazardous for the people working there. It also affects their productivity on account of a loss of concentration on the job, higher levels of fatigue, erratic absenteeism, and a loss of productive years of life. This indirectly affects the performance of such companies as overall productivity goes down and such companies lose competitiveness in the market. Just imagine if our nation as a whole has to bear 8% of its GDP as the economic cost of air pollution. How much would air pollution within an industry cost? Air pollution levels inside industries are much higher than our national average air pollution levels.

That’s why industrial IAQ has become an extremely important subject that no one in the industry can afford to ignore.

Indoor Industrial Air Quality(IAQ’s ) Impact:

Causes of poor Indoor Industrial Air Quality
  • Worker Health and Productivity: Poor IAQ can lead to respiratory issues, allergies, and other health problems among workers. Unhealthy employees are less productive, resulting in decreased efficiency and increased absenteeism.
  • Compliance and Regulations: Numerous governmental regulations and standards exist to ensure the well-being of industrial workers and the environment. Non-compliance can lead to fines, legal troubles, and damage to a company’s reputation.
  • Equipment Longevity: Dust and contaminants in the air can wreak havoc on machinery, leading to increased maintenance and repair costs along with production losses because of machine downtime. Ensuring cleaner air extends the life of equipment.

Solutions for Improvement of Indoor Industrial Air Quality( IAQ):

  • Effective ventilation: Invest in well-designed and maintained ventilation systems that can efficiently remove pollutants and maintain proper airflow.
  • Air Filtration:Employ advanced and appropriate air filtration systems, including high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, electrostatic precipitators, and carbon filters tailor-made for your industry’s needs.
  • Dust and Fume Control:Utilize dust and fume extraction systems to capture pollutants at the source, preventing their dispersion into the workplace.
  • Regular Maintenance:Consistently monitor and maintain all equipment, including HVAC systems, to ensure they function efficiently and effectively.
  • Environmental Management:Implementing environmentally friendly practices and sustainable production methods can improve the IAQ.

Filter-On has been working on this subject for the last 40 years, providing solutions for many applications to control industrial indoor air pollution and improve industrial IAQ. Over time, this has become our main vision. We found that there are huge gaps in the industry as regards awareness of the subject, understanding of technicalities, and attitude or approach to implementation, because of which many industries struggle to achieve desired results in this area in spite of spending significant money. Because of this, a lot of money is lost, and industries still keep losing because of the unresolved issue of poor industrial IAQ.

Visit  blogs to learn more about the critical features of clean air system design and air pollution control systems created by Filter On India.

Filter On India has been working towards “Mission Zero Pollution” for the last 40+ years as a clean air solutions partner for industries. We specialize and have expertise in welding fumes, oil mist, coolant mist, dust collection, soldering, laser marking, laser cutting, plasma cutting, fumes in fastener manufacturing, ball point tip manufacturing, oil quenching, kitchen fumes, etc. Filter On has 70+ clean air solutions, so you can contact us for more information about our solutions. You can reach us through the web or visit us at our corporate office at Pune, or mail us at : marketing@filter-on.com

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Workplace Air Quality Monitoring: A Vital Tool for Enhancing Health and Productivity

Blog Banner-37- Workplace air quality monitoring
Workplace air quality monitoring blog banner

Workplace Air Quality Monitoring: A Vital Tool for Enhancing Health and Productivity

Workplace air quality worsens day by day. In the previous blog, we discussed how important air quality mapping is for your workplace air quality improvement. In this blog, we are going to discuss how to measure air quality in the workplace and workplace air quality monitoring using a live case study example.

One of the world's most well-known vehicle chassis manufacturers is experiencing poor air quality at their welding section, so they contacted us to investigate the cause. We have planned a systematic approach to solve this particular case. We plan the following steps:

  1. We conducted an air quality mapping test to learn about fume exposure at the workplace.
  2. Based on the outcomes of the first test, we implemented the solutions in a phase-wise manner for each welding station.
  3. We conducted the second test after two months of implementation of solutions to test the effectiveness of fume extraction solutions.
  4. The analysis uses a live comparison to get precise conclusions.

Please check the below summary to understand the overall case.

Workplace Air Quality Monitoring

Summary of the case: How to measure air quality.

An internationally renowned auto chassis manufacturer has experienced problems with air quality at its Pune, Maharashtra, India, plant.

As a first step, the FILTER ON team decided to conduct air quality mapping of the work area.

Reasons for testing workplace air quality:

“To measure the actual workplace air quality and analyze the effectiveness of fume extraction solutions for plant site welding lines.”

Problems Faced By Client:

We conduct the workplace air quality mapping test because our client needs the following:

It helps to formulate targeted fume extraction strategies.

  1. They want a clear understanding of the status of the workplace air quality..
  2. They want to check the effectiveness of analyses after the implementation of solutions at their welding stations.
  3. They face fume exposure around the workplace due to the unavailability of fume extraction systems. .
  4. Workers face serious health concerns and productivity loss due to fume exposure at the workplace.

Actual Test & Results

We have carried out a workplace air quality mapping test in the six welding stations (W-3029, W-3012, W-3019, W-3047, W-3056, and W-3040). We tested the fumes' exposure to a variety of contaminants, including PM, CO, CO₂, SO₂, and O₂. The results were calculated throughout a 30-minute test period. The result was the outcome of a 30-minute test period. These results revealed that total particles were on the borderline at some locations when compared to permitted limits, while other measures, while still below permissible limits, were on the higher side, causing irritation and health risks for the operators.

Pre phase assessment

Fig. 1: Status of results before implementation of fume extraction systems

Solutions & Approach for Fume Extraction System Implementation:

After analyzing the workplace air quality data in Fig. 1 and the actual working conditions at the plant site, we designed a comprehensive strategy for minimizing fume exposure that utilized our best technology, electrostatic precipitation, to efficiently capture and filter the fumes. We implemented a solution with a fume extraction system with filtration units that included a canopy, hoods, ducting, filtration, and blower motor assembly as per suction parameters for each welding station.

This implementation provides clean air in the workplace, along with the following:

  • Lower pressure drop
  • Saves space on the shop floor
  • Duct lengths optimized

After the implementation of the system, we again conducted the air quality mapping at the same locations to compare the results. Following is the result after implementation:

Post implement phase results

Fig. 2: Status of stations after implementing solutions.

Results Achieved in Conducting Workplace Air Quality Mapping Test:

The following are the outcomes of the mapping test for workplace air quality: The following image shows a comparison of both test results.

Comparison of results from the pre and post stage test

Key takeaways from the workplace air quality mapping test:

The key takeaways from the results are as follows:

  • We assessed the pollutants such as CO, Cu, Fe, NO₂, SO₂, CO₂, welding fumes, zinc oxide, and Cr.
  • We measure each pollutant's permissible limits adhered to the Indian Factory Act.
  • There is a reduction percentage of 10% to 72% for the various pollutants after the implementation of the Fumes Extraction System. Welding fumes decreased by about 68% as compared to the previous state.
  • We found that there is the least reduction in sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide, whereas copper fumes and zinc oxide show the highest reduction.
  • After implementing the solution, we can say that there was a significant reduction in fume exposure, and the workplace is now much safer and healthier than before, and thus more productive too!
  • Due to the air quality mapping exercise, it was easier to design optimum systems and also assess the performance of the system in very objective terms.
  • Also, this data was useful to the client for regulatory compliance required under EMS/OSHA/Factory Act, etc.

To know more about fume extraction standards and regulations, please check here.

Visit  blogs to learn more about the critical features of clean air system design and air pollution control systems created by Filter On India.

Filter On India has been working towards “Mission Zero Pollution” for the last 40+ years as a clean air solutions partner for industries. We specialize and have expertise in welding fumes, oil mist, coolant mist, dust collection, soldering, laser marking, laser cutting, plasma cutting, fumes in fastener manufacturing, ball point tip manufacturing, oil quenching, kitchen fumes, etc. Filter On has 70+ clean air solutions, so you can contact us for more information about our solutions. You can reach us through the web or visit us at our corporate office at Pune and our virtual locations at Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, or Chennai locations.

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Air Quality Mapping: Your First Step to a Healthier Workplace

Workplace Air Quality
Workplace air quality

Air Quality Mapping: Your First Step to a Healthier Workplace

Workplace air quality is a serious issue nowadays. In the industrial environment, the workers face several health issues due to poor air quality. So air quality mapping is an important task for every industry nowadays. It provides various benefits to industries, but the most important benefit is “to plan a strategy to control the fumes in the workplace." Air quality mapping is the first step of every industry towards a healthier workplace.

What is air quality mapping?

The following are a few important things that will tell you what air quality mapping is all about.
  • To assess each workstation's actual air quality in order to ascertain the air quality condition of the workplace.
  • Take the readings in Mg/M3 format for each workstation in the workplace.
  • Carefully analyze and study the readings to understand the actual exposure level of each workstation in the workplace.
  • After complete analysis and study, prepare a foolproof air quality map in accordance with the workstation layout in the workplace to make the workplace healthier.

Workplace Air Quality

Why is air quality mapping important?

Air quality mapping is important for the following reasons:

To locate real hotspots for occupational fume exposure.

Air quality maps, in addition to visually displaying areas with high pollution levels, can identify areas where the actual level of fume exposure is critically high in the workplace or assist in identifying a single workstation area where fume exposure is high.

It helps in taking corrective decision-making.

A proper air quality map can help in taking corrective decision-making, and it can help allocate the required funds to implement a fume extraction system and solution. It helps with health risk assessment in the workplace.

Air quality mapping will help in understanding the extent of health risks to the workers due to poor workplace air quality.

It helps to formulate targeted fume extraction strategies.

Air quality mapping helps to formulate the targeted fume extraction strategies for those hotspots where the amount of fume exposure is very high. One can easily target the areas with the help of an air quality map.For example, generally, 20% of the workstations in the layout will be responsible for generating 80% of the pollution. AQ Map helps the planner identify those 20% of workstations for ‘targeted action.’

How is the air quality mapping test conducted?

A Filter ON representative comes to your plant and performs the test in the manner described below.

  • He uses a digital aerosol monitor to measure dust concentration at the operator level.
  • He categorizes results into Red Zones (pollution above safe values), Yellow Zones (pollution on the borderline of safe values), and Green Zones (pollution within safe values) on the plant layout.
  • Then Filter ON provides a report with recommendations for lowering exposure levels in red and yellow zones after analyzing the processes.
  • It enables planning for corrective actions like improved ventilation, enclosures, and pollution control devices.

Filter ON helps you to formulate the required air quality mapping test with its fume extraction systems because Filter ON has 40+ years of experience to develop and implement fume extraction systems for various industrial processes such as welding, oil mist, dust collection, laser marking, laser welding, and in commercial kitchen dry scrubbers. With this wide range of experience and 70+ different solutions to cater to the needs of industrial air pollution market, Filter ON wants to become your trusted partner for all the above offerings, so for your fume extraction needs, contact us at marketing@filter-on.com.

To make a corrective decision and plan the methods for implementing air quality mapping with fume extraction systems in your industry, please see our previous blog series, "Designing a Complete Clean Air System: A Guide to Effective Planning", as well as other blogs following this one.

In the next blog post, we will discuss the necessary steps that need to be carried out to perform air quality mapping in your workplace with a case study and also check the effectiveness of air quality mapping at your workplace.

Visit  blogs to learn more about the critical features of clean air system design and air pollution control systems created by Filter On India.

Filter On India has been working towards “Mission Zero Pollution” for the last 40+ years as a clean air solutions partner for industries. We specialize and have expertise in welding fumes, oil mist, coolant mist, dust collection, soldering, laser marking, laser cutting, plasma cutting, fumes in fastener manufacturing, ball point tip manufacturing, oil quenching, kitchen fumes, etc. Filter On has 70+ clean air solutions, so you can contact us for more information about our solutions. You can reach us through the web or visit us at our corporate office at Pune and our virtual locations at Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, or Chennai locations.

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5 Key Ways: To Improve performance of your Fume Extraction Systems

Improve the fume extraction performance with 5 essential tips
Improve the fume extraction performance with 5 essential tips

5 Key Ways: To Improve performance of your Fume Extraction Systems

Fume extraction systems are crucial pieces of equipment for any industry that uses metalworking, such as those that perform welding, machining, heat treatment, laser cutting, plasma cutting, EDM, and grinding processes. In this blog post, we go over the 5 key ways to make your fume extraction system work better so that you can know how you can improve the fume extraction system’s performance.

Enhancing your fume extraction system's functionality is crucial for the following reasons:

The following are benefits of performing fume extraction systems in your factory:
  • The air in your factory will remain clean and healthy.
  • Protection of Employee Health
  • Improvement in overall productivity on the shop floor
  • An improvement in the company's goodwill

Many progressive organizations make large investments in establishing fume extraction systems because of these advantages. However, it is discovered that the manufacturing environment is still contaminated in numerous locations despite the presence of fume extraction equipment.

But—hold on?

If, despite owning a fume extraction system, you do not experience the aforementioned advantages, you should reconsider and look into the following problems to determine the true cause. Filter ON is eager to assist you and offer answers when required. The primary cause is these systems' less-than-ideal performance. The following are some of the most frequent problems encountered:

5 Key Issues That Are Deteriorating the Performance of the Fume Extraction System:

If your mist collector is based on ESP technology, then you need to follow these maintenance tips:

Inadequate fume capture:

This may be the result of
  • Inadequate airflow capacity of fume extractors
  • Improper hood/enclosure design
  • Change in manufacturing process/cycle time, etc.
  • Choked filters due to which equipment cannot produce the required airflow

Not enough filtration efficiency

Different types of air filters have different capabilities. Thus, it is needed to select the right filtration method for the right application. If the filtration process is not suitable for the process, it will not be able to treat the fumes and filter them to safe levels. And thus, in spite of having a system, still the problem of fumes is not getting addressed.

Another factor is the neglect of filter maintenance.If the filters are old and ruptured and not replaced in time, the fumes will bypass such filters and escape in the shop environment. In the case of electrostatic filters, if the maintenance is not done after filters are choked and tripped, it will not filter the fumes efficiently. So, even if you are using the right kind of filters for the right kind of application, periodic maintenance is extremely important.

Frequently occurring breakdown:

Frequent breakdowns of fume extraction systems are due to overload of filters or overload of electric motors. Overload in filters may take place due to improper cleaning of filters, not maintaining the preventive maintenance schedules, or incorrect filter selection.

Frequent overload of the motor takes place due to improper blower-motor selection, faulty overload setting, or filter choke.

Due to frequent breakdowns in fume extractors, it is not able to extract and filter the fumes consistently, which leads to fumes escaping the shop and resulting in a polluted work environment.

Costly spare parts:

Many times, imported machine tools come fitted with fume extractors and mist collectors. However, the spares of such imported fume extractors are found to be extremely costly with long lead times. Thus, the replacement is delayed by management, causing suboptimal performance or breakdowns of such imported fume extractors.

Certain components of the fume extraction system must be changed periodically. For example, if your system has cartridge filtration, you should replace it when it starts to get dirty and exhibit issues with fume capture.

Issues with support and service:

One of the challenges, especially with imported fume extractors as well as some domestic manufacturers, is that the after-sale service for the equipment is not available, due to which such equipment remains in breakdown or has to be scrapped before the useful life is over.

For the fume extraction system to operate at its peak efficiency, these problems must be resolved.

So how can FilterON help you to solve the problems mentioned above?

For the past 40+ years, Filter ON India has been striving for "mission zero pollution" in the Indian air filtration industry. Filter ON, an industry partner for clean air solutions, has created and implemented 70+ clean air solutions for various applications in the industry, such as welding, brazing, grinding, plasma and laser cutting, and CNC machining.

So Filter ON has the expertise to solve the above issues and provides you the solutions to get your fume extraction problem solved. So some of the solutions we provide here are the top 5 solutions that you can think to implement:

5 Key Ways to Improve Performance of Your Fume Extraction Systems:

Improve the fume extraction performance with 5 essential tips

Machine Health Check:

By using its experience, Filter ON offers comprehensive machine health checks and can identify filtration-related problems in the work environment. Our sales or service staff will visit your location and will check some key parameters like air flow capacity, rated motor currents, and high voltage measurement (in the case of electrostatic systems) to provide you with comprehensive information about the state of the work area. With this information, proper corrective action can be planned to revive the non-performing systems which ultimately improve the fume extraction system’s performance.

Modifications:

Due to process changes, layout changes, etc., many times it is required to make relevant changes in the fume extractor system and its ducting/hood arrangement to make it effective. FilterON’s experienced design team can help in this task to ensure maximum utilization of your existing systems, which would save significant costs for you.

Renovating

There are some very old fume extractor systems with clients that would need major reconstruction. The FilterON team carefully analyzes and protects the costly spares & components in such systems and renovates the complete system to function as well as a brand new system at much lower cost than buying a new system. With this service, the FilterON team literally gives a new life to an old, outdated system, saving huge resources.

New Installations:

We provide the installation of modern fume extraction systems. Our ISO 9001:2015 and CE-marked full fume extraction solutions can undoubtedly address most of your fume extraction problems to ensure a clean and productive work environment at the lowest total ownership cost.

Imported machine component substitutes:

Filter ON offers alternative, localized spares for imported machines, eliminating worry about spare parts and improving efficiency, ensuring the safety and performance of your fume extraction system.

So by applying these measures we can conclude that we can improve fume extraction system’s performance to an greater extent.

Please contact us if you have any questions about fume extraction performance improvement.
Email us: marketing@filter-on.com

Visit  blogs to learn more about the critical features of clean air system design and air pollution control systems created by Filter On India.

Filter On India has been working towards “Mission Zero Pollution” for the last 40+ years as a clean air solutions partner for industries. We specialize and have expertise in welding fumes, oil mist, coolant mist, dust collection, soldering, laser marking, laser cutting, plasma cutting, fumes in fastener manufacturing, ball point tip manufacturing, oil quenching, kitchen fumes, etc. Filter On has 70+ clean air solutions, so you can contact us for more information about our solutions. You can reach us through the web or visit us at our corporate office at Pune and our virtual locations at Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Hyderabad, or Chennai locations.

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