Window Manufacturer Sees More Clearly

Fibreglass is listed as one of the US Occupational Health and Safety Administration’s (OSHA) priority safety and health hazards because the fibres can be inhaled. This inhalation often occurs during manufacturing or installation. If inhaled, fibreglass dust can cause several health hazards, including irritation to the eyes, ears and throat, breathing difficulties and coughing.

As sales increased for a manufacturer of custom new and replacement windows, so did the generation of fibreglass dust in their facility. Production staff and plant management saw increasing downtime related to housekeeping and equipment maintenance. Additionally, safety concerns grew with increased fibreglass dust in the air with the potential of getting in workers eyes, respiration of the dust and combustible dust potential. The plant was looking for a dust collection solution to maximise their equipment uptime to meet sales demand and mitigate safety concerns.
 

Challenge

Several milling machines were used throughout the facility in the manufacturing of custom window frames. The milling process  created  a  fibreglass dust  with varying concentrations throughout the plant – heavier concentrations at  the source of  the mill and lighter concentrations further away. A properly designed collection system and duct system was imperative to remove the dust adequately from the work environment. Additionally, careful consideration had to be given to proper design of the system so as to comply fully with relevant combustible dust requirements of NFPA 68 and NFPA 69.

Solution

Working with AAF Representative,  Jim Bradley of Air Associates, the  required  airflow  was  calculated  to safely vent all milling machines. After evaluation of the customer’s process, dust type and airflow needs, AAF Applications Engineering team, recommended an AAF OptiFlo®  Pulse-jet Cartridge collector be used for this application. To  mitigate damage from  any potential deflagration event, the OptiFlo® unit was supplied with explosion vents and an AAF XP barrel top adaptor. In addition, a chemical suppression system was installed in the inlet and outlet air duct to prevent fires from entering the unit or returning to the work environment with the recirculated air.

Benefits

The AAF OptiFlo®  is engineered to permit free-fall of dislodged dust into the hopper and designed to prevent direct impingement of dust on the filter media, minimising filter wear and prolonging filter life. The OptiFlo®   is designed for ease of maintenance with ‘tool-less’ filter change-outs and filter access from the outside. Staff do not have to enter the collector to access or change filters, eliminating safety concerns and reducing maintenance. The customer now  has an industrial dust  collection system that keeps workers safe, minimises downtime and housekeeping within the plant and complies with OSHA, NFPA and EPA regulations.