Enhancing welding work environments with efficient weld fume extraction.
In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, where innovation and productivity are at the forefront, ensuring the well-being of your workforce is paramount. One critical aspect often overlooked is the air quality within welding environments. Weld fumes, if left uncontrolled, can pose serious, both immediate and long-term, health risks to welders and compromise the integrity of your end products.
As world leading experts in air filtration, we delve into the most efficient ways to extract weld fumes, offering insights into the proper use of extraction equipment and optimal hood positioning.
Firstly, you need to understand the risks of inhaling welding fumes. Welding produces fumes containing hazardous substances such as metal oxides including arsenic, chromium, lead, and manganese. Prolonged exposure to these fumes can lead to respiratory issues, eye irritation, and different forms of cancer. Studies have concluded that welders are 20-30% more likely than others to get cancer. Moreover, weld fumes can settle on the work surfaces, affecting the quality of the final product and leading to increased defects and rework.
Investing in a high-quality weld fume extraction system is the first step toward creating a healthier and more productive workspace. The process involves capturing and extracting fumes at the source, preventing them from dispersing into the surroundings, transporting them and filtering out the welding particles to generate clean air.
When choosing extraction equipment, consider factors such as the type of welding processes used, the size of the workspace, and the materials being welded. Select extraction equipment that is tailored to your specific welding applications. The mobility of the extraction equipment, the size of the hood, the airflow capacity of the system, and the type of filters used all play crucial roles in ensuring effective fume extraction.
As important as choosing the right equipment, is to actually use it, and to use it correctly. Educate your welding operators about the risks of inhaling welding fumes and train them on the proper use of extraction systems, emphasizing the importance of keeping the equipment well-maintained. Regular inspections and filter replacements ensure the equipment operates at peak efficiency. Beyond the technical aspects, fostering a culture of safety is crucial. Encouraging open communication about air quality concerns to show transparency and commitment builds a healthy and productive working environment.
It´s proven that extraction at the source is the absolute most efficient method of capturing and removing welding fumes since the risk of the welder being subject to the weld fumes is minimised. Positioning the extraction hood strategically to get as close to the source as possible is therefore a critical aspect of how to use the equipment correctly.
Place the hood as close to the welding arc as possible to capture fumes before they disperse. Optimal positioning helps create a cleaner and safer working environment, reducing the risk of exposure for your welders.
We have a wide range of extraction arms in different designs that can be fitted to both stationary and mobile filter units. All Nederman arms are designed with full flexibility and are easy to position to fit many applications. They vary in diameter and length, can be positioned from 6 – 15 inches from the welding fume generator and typically have an extraction volume of 500 – 1,000 CFM. The variation in the design and style is provided to fit specific applications, there is e.g. a model that can be applied to different applications where the arm needs to fit within a small work space or instances where the arm must be able to reach to distances of 20 feet or more. A swivel allows the arms to rotate 360 degrees which makes it flexible in all directions and several of our hoods have one flat side which enables to positioning the hood directly at the welding table and get optimal closeness to the source.
We offer a full portfolio of premium-quality solutions for welding fume extraction. Portable and stationary fume extractors for small workshops to large factories with multiple welding stations. With Nanofiber technology in our filters we offer the most optimised filtration out there. Nanofiber filter collects more and smaller particles than any other filter and generate cleaner air and a healthier work environment than any other filter technique.
Moreover, we see education as an essential part of any successful solution and always offer training on extraction equipment operation and integration into the process as well as system maintenance. If you need training or service on your existing weld fume extractor, our experienced service technicians is only a call away.
With tens of thousands of successful installations we know all the most efficient solutions of weld fume extraction. We have a turn-key approach and are by your side from the design stage to commissioning to service and maintenance, we have all you need covered.
Contact your local Nederman expert to get the most efficient welding extraction for your specific welding application. Our choice of solution always starts with your process, we look at your needs and recommend a solution that will best protect your workers and optimise your productivity.
We have extensive experience of various challenges in the different industries and our experts are very skilled, helpful and professional. With us, you can feel secure that we take care of you and your needs. You are always welcome to contact us regardless if you have a short question or a more complex and complicated one. A warm welcome to Nederman.
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