Dust extraction may not have been a priority for some timber processors in the downturn. Proof of this is that it’s also been a tough time for some dust extraction equipment specialists.
“We have seen a shrinkage in the market,” said one leading business. “In particular the major contracts, supplying whole new plants and turnkey projects for the bigger furniture makers and joiners, have tailed off for us.”
Wood Waste Control (WWC) has been very busy since the autumn, but the trend has also been for customers to upgrade rather than replace equipment.
“Companies are still being careful with their money and, rather than buy a new system, many are asking for enhancement to existing systems,” said director Reg Gareppo.
But at least WWC’s customers have been maintaining and improving extraction equipment. The inclination of some other timber processors, say system suppliers, has been to put replacement and maintenance of old equipment on the back burner.
“Inevitably there has been a tendency to make do and mend,” said another manufacturer. “They don’t see dust extraction as the money-making component in their plant.”
False economy
However, according to Steve Matuska, managing director of cyclone-filter technology specialist Dustraction, neglecting dust extraction equipment can be a false economy.
“If it’s poorly maintained, not only is it potentially increasing atmospheric dust to harmful levels and increasing fire or explosion risk, it is risking production line blockages and breakdown,” he said. “That’s something businesses can ill afford in today’s market.”
An added incentive to keep extraction systems up to scratch is the Health & Safety Executive’s crackdown on the issue of dust in wood processing.
“HSE enforcement at woodworking premises failing to control dust exposure remains at a high level,” said an HSE spokesperson. “It’s also the law for local exhaust ventilation [dust extraction] systems to be examined every 14 months to make sure they’re working properly, but when inspectors visit woodworking premises they often find this hasn’t happened.”
He added that in 2009-10, the HSE issued 71 improvement notices to wood-processors for failure to have systems tested, 16 for failing to control wood dust levels, 15 for having no COSHH assessment and five for not implementing dust health surveillance.
It also prosecuted B&J Hulme of Tameside for failing to ensure its dust extraction system was regularly checked. The owners’ fines and costs totalled £4,214.
Besides health and safety rules, pressure is also growing for extraction systems to meet other standards, according to Steve Rhodes of Cades. “We’re also seeing increasing insistence from insurance companies that systems meet the EU ATEX directive on risk of workplace explosion,” he said.
Improved efficiency
Another good reason for ditching or updating old extraction machinery, say suppliers, is that, after the initial investment, latest technology can cut operators’ costs and improve efficiency.
Mr Matuska maintained not only that Dustraction’s Dustrax cyclo filter system – “which operates like a giant Dyson vacuum, with very few moving parts” – is more cost-effective to run than conventional technology, with less wear and tear in the technology itself and a filter-bag life guarantee of 6,000 hours, but is also now more energy efficient.
“Inverter drives and a dust gate at each machine enable extraction power to be tailored to workload,” said Mr Matuska.
Dust Control Systems’ energy-saving innovation is ECOGATE, a computerised optimisation system which combines automatic motorised gates and remote machine operation sensors to provide “extraction on demand”. When a machine is turned on, ECOGATE’s sensors signal the controller to open the appropriate motorised gate to provide extraction. The central control monitors the equipment and alters fan speed accordingly and, when the machine stops, the gate automatically shuts.
“As well as potentially saving money, the system also leads to lower noise levels and longer media life,” said director Chris Oldfield.
At last October’s W10 machinery show, Cades also introduced technology to boost extraction efficiency. Its Filter Energy Management System (FEMS) combines wireless dampers at each machine station with a central control system and fan inverters to adapt extraction power and configuration to production levels. When the individual machine no longer needs extraction, the control system closes its damper and signals to the inverter to reduce speed – and, says Cades, a 10% cut in fan speed reduces energy consumption by 30%.
Using a standard web browser, the FEMS can also be controlled, settings changed and plant operation monitored from a remote PC.
“We can also include a pre-programmeable clock system, so extraction is tailored precisely to the working day,” said Mr Rhodes. “and you can download trending data to adjust production to reduce energy consumption.”
Because less air is passing through the system overall, he added, filter bag life is extended and the inverter system reduces “mechanical shock” to the fan sets, so bearings and drives also last longer.
He added that the FEMS can be retrofitted and, being wireless, with a range of up to 300m without repeater stations, the technology also gives the freedom to alter factory layout easily.
WWC is another extraction company focused on cutting customers fuel bills. “We will shortly introduce soft-start motors,” said Mr Gareppo. “These deliver a controlled release of power which is more efficient and extends motor life.”
Manufacturers have also responded to customers’ needs to get more out of their premises by making dust extraction systems more compact. “Companies want to maximise use of their facilities, but in the present climate it’s particularly important, especially where they want to increase output but are wary of moving to a bigger site,” said Mr Matuska.
Dustraction’s cyclo filters, he maintained, are inherently compact compared to some other systems and the company has also panelised them for ease of transport and assembly.
Their space-saving characteristics were key in a recent installation at joinery producer AJB Woodworking. “We’ve put our Dustrax cyclo filters into postage stamp spaces, but this time we only had a couple of millimetres to spare,” said Mr Matuska.
Simpler solutions
Another clear trend in the sector has been for timber processors to specify simpler solutions, with single systems handling waste from a wider range of processing equipment, or more than one production facility.
Having decided to bring all its sawing and planing operations together at its New Holland plant, Arbor Forest Products needed a dust extraction system that could cope with 25 tonnes of sawdust and shavings per hour. The solution from Dantherm included two of its Cyclofilters, large waste transfer conveyors, two silos and a dual out-feed truck loading system. Danfoss inverters provide automatic adjustment of the main exhaust fans and the whole system is managed from a central control panel.
Meanwhile, at Thorogoods Ardleigh site, Dust Pollution Systems’ (DPS) task was to rationalise dust extraction for four milling facilities. Previously the company had separate filter extraction systems for waste from two mouldings lines, and bag systems for the others. But the former frequently blocked and the bags had to be constantly emptied.
The solution from DPS is one chain filter system to service the various units, allowing them to operate simultaneously, or in any combination. Each milling shop was equipped with its own fans and all were wired to a central control. Wood waste is still loaded into trailers, but now via a closed loop system and the space saved over the old extraction equipment also means trailers can be brought into the mill.
Minimal disruption
Dust extraction companies also increasingly focus on minimising disruption for customers when installing or upgrading equipment. DPS, for instance, installed the new system at Thorogoods over several Fridays while the old system continued to operate.
Similarly, Cades had to work to a tight timetable installing two large chain filters and seven main duct lines with a capacity of 170,000m³/hr at Jeld-Wen’s new door plant in Sheffield.
“We had to have the system in and up and running in four weeks to meet the plant’s start-up schedule, but that’s par for the course these days,” said Mr Rhodes. “At times we had up to eight engineers on site to meet the deadline, but it all went smoothly.”
Also a key direction in the market, given the rising cost of landfill disposal and the need for wood processors to cut energy costs and find additional revenue streams, are systems combining extraction with other technology, such as fuel manufacturing equipment and increasingly wood-fuelled heat and power plant.
“Companies are looking to find a second life for their waste, often heating their factories or selling it on,” said Richard Halliwell at Dantherm.
Mr Gareppo at WWC agreed and said that 90% of his company’s installations recently have included extraction chipping, briquetting and heating equipment. “There’s a big market for combination systems,” he said. “They make great sense, saving money, increasing profitability and reducing environmental impact.”
