Chris Jones, managing director of Hazlin of Ludlow, a specialist architectural veneered door and panel producer, had no hesitation about installing Dustraction‘s Cattinair system when the company moved into its new 14,000ft2 extension, nearly twice the size of the original factory.
‘We like the Cattinair dust extraction system. It has nothing to go wrong. There are no moving parts. That makes it simple and effective,’ said Mr Jones.
Hazlin had already been using a Cattinair cyclo-filter in the old factory for more than three years, long enough to
convince it of the merits of the system.
But the original Cattinair, despite the availability of some spare capacity, was no match for Hazlin’s rapid expansion. The company’s single-minded approach to the production of high quality veneered doors and wall panelling, largely custom-made, has won it considerable esteem among a growing customer base.
In the past year or two it has added a five-axis Reichenbacher CNC machining centre, a Weinig moulder, a large Ima single-sided edgebander and a Hymmen ProfiCoater, a one-man UV finishing line.
When it came to choosing a new Cattinair from Dustraction, its sole UK agent, the answer was a 4×9 cyclo-filter with a capacity of 90,000cfm, more than four times its previous capacity. While this gives Hazlin extensive reserve capacity, Mr Jones points out that he is looking to the future as the company fully expects to increase its output and productivity.
Cost-wise it was entirely economic, the Cattinair being upgraded with an additional 11,000cfm at a highly competitive price.
Precision work
Hazlin places particular emphasis on the quality of its doors, offering precision veneering and finishing, all completed in-house. Normally using a core of 44mm thick chipboard and a wide range of veneers – the most popular of which are maple, ash, chestnut, oak, pearwood and steam beech – all Hazlin’s doors are custom-made. A sizeable proportion are fire-resistant – these can be found in commercial premises, notably hospitals and offices, throughout the UK.
Hazlin’s Cattinair dust extraction system enables it to recycle warm, filtered air into the workplace. Dust levels are fractional. At less than 0.2mg/m3, they are well within the regulatory requirements. This helps to provide a significant reduction in heating costs. Mr Jones estimates that, during colder weather, the company’s boilers are likely
to be operating at half the level that would otherwise be required.
The small footprint of the Cattinair has enabled Hazlin to locate its current powerful extraction outside the company’s new extension and within a fairly tight border alongside its neighbour’s boundary.
The key principles of the Cattinair system offer important advantages. Waste is cyclonically separated before reaching the filter media so that only 5% of the particulate, mainly fine dust, accumulates at this point. A regular burst of compressed air dislodges this dust for eventual removal at the base of the unit.
