Powerful Weld Fume Control Systems Provide Healthier Outcomes
Greater weld fume extraction coupled with flexible and portable solutions improves working conditions and lowers the cost of extracting toxic weld fumes.
Posted: November 8, 2023
Fabricators who provide flexible and safe workplaces for their welding team members will have an edge when attracting and retaining staff in a tight labor market. Advances in weld fume extraction, and adjustable, flexible and mobile systems take the load off of workers, reducing exposure to toxic weld fumes and lowering operator fatigue.
Maximize Weld Fume Gun Usability Utilizing the Industry’s Best Weld Fume Capture Systems
Hastings Air Energy Control’s (New Berlin, WI) FumeVac introduces another enhanced-reach weld gun boom system for improved semi-automatic welding functionality. The FumeVac ErgoBoom utilizes a gas strut balanced boom design to support the FumeVac ErgoMax weld fume gun above the operator for ease of positioning. The balanced design is easy to raise and lower with little manual effort. It offers up to 360° of overhead rotation allowing easy reach throughout the work area. The overhead routing of the weld gun maximizes gun reach and minimizes wear and tear as compared to conventional MIG systems where the gun is usually routed down and across the floor, wasting valuable gun length and exposing it to the damaging hazards of the workstation. Another key benefit of the top-down routing of the gun is the minimized gun weight experienced by the operator for reduced daily fatigue.
Features and benefits include:
- Balanced boom design for quick height adjustment — reduces gun weight at operator to minimize fatigue and enhance gun control.
- Overhead gun routing enhances weld cell reach and reduces floor clutter and likelihood for damage to gun.
- Optional boom dimensions to accommodate different fume gun lengths — special design per customer request.
- Optional Wire Feeder Vertical Mounting Platform — common brands.
- 360° rotation for improved weld cell access and reach.
- Direct gun routing (straight) for improved wire feeding performance and less gun liner wear.
- Gun Support Handle for boom positioning and out-of-the-way gun location/storage when not in use.
Heavy-duty Protection from Welding Fumes and Particulates
ESAB Welding & Cutting Products’ (Annapolis Junction, MD) Savage A40 PAPR helmet with Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) technology is essential for workers in situations where welding fumes and particulates are a concern, such as for some cored wires, working in confined or poorly ventilated spaces and for protecting operators from hexavalent chromium fumes, which are generated from stainless steel, chrome alloys and chrome-coated metals.
The Savage A40 PAPR unit has three settings that adjust airflow between 170 and 230 l/min. to suit the environment and application. It operates at a quiet 70 dB and features a high-capacity, lithium-ion rechargeable battery. The helmet offers a 3.93”-x-1.96” viewing area for a wider field of vision. Additional features include four light sensors, providing a high response, especially when welding out-of-position, and 9-13 shade knob.
The helmet also features an externally activated Grind Button. Even while wearing a heavy glove, welders can activate a shade 4 Grind Mode on the left side of the helmet.
New Weld Fume Extraction Solution for use with Cobots and Robots
ABICOR BINZEL’s (Frederick, MD) xFUME® ABIROB® AF500 is the newest addition to the company’s line of welding fume extraction solutions. It is specifically designed for use with cobots and certain industrial robot welding applications. This integrated fume extraction air-cooled torch offers the advantage of extracting fumes directly at the source while maintaining weld quality.
Among its benefits the xFUME ABIROB AF500 eliminates bulky sleeves and tubing often associated with traditional fume extraction systems. The slim profile allows cobots and industrial robots to reach their weldments without obstruction.
To achieve optimal performance, it is recommended to pair the xFUME ABIROB AF500 with ABICOR BINZEL’s xFUME ADVANCED or Industrifume™ extraction units. When used together, these components meet or exceed ISO 21904 standards. The torch can be directly mounted and connected to most major cobot brands, providing compatibility and flexibility.
The primary objective of the xFUME ABIROB AF500 is to improve working conditions for welders. By effectively extracting toxic welding fumes, it helps protect welders’ health.
New Fume Extraction Unit Delivers more Extraction Power and Greater Maneuverability
RoboVent® (Sterling Heights, MI) has upgraded its popular ProCube™ portable hi-vac weld fume extractor with even greater power and mobility. Built to last, the powerful and portable ProCube II now features a 4-hp motor and 153 CFM to easily support up to two manual welders with fume guns and other applications requiring portable extraction power.
The ProCube II is the most powerful portable filtration unit of its size. It pairs perfectly with one or two fume extraction guns for manual welding. These systems integrate a high-performance weld torch with built-in fume extraction to capture the majority of weld fumes as they are created, significantly reducing welders’ exposure to welding fumes. ProCube can also be attached to a small movable backdraft plenum for manual welding or used with the RoboVent FlexTrac™ tip extraction system for light-production robotic welding.
With four heavy-duty casters, the ProCube II can be easily moved by one person, so welders can stay highly mobile while working on large weldments. This makes ProCube II ideal for welders using fume guns to weld large infrastructure components. ProCube II is also a great solution for welders working in tight spaces or remote areas where traditional source capture is not possible or practical.
Its small footprint makes it easy to fit wherever weld fume extraction is needed. Hi-vac extraction protects workers and helps facilities ensure compliance with OSHA regulations and meet ACGIH guidelines for exposure to hazardous weld fume components such as hexavalent chromium or manganese. What’s more, the unit generates just 82 decibels when in use and has additional noise-reducing features to improve operator comfort. It also features simple dashboard controls for ease of use and minimal maintenance due to the built-in filter cleaning system and easy-clean metal dust trays. It can also be configured with an automated start-stop option, so that it comes on automatically with the weld torch and turns off to save energy when not needed.
Intelligent Airflow Control Technology Enhances Performance
The Nederman-The Clean Air Co. (Charlotte, NC) offers the new SAVE technology to metal fabricators and welders to optimize their filter performance. Nederman SAVE uses intelligent airflow control to save energy, enhance performance and track process utilization on new or existing industrial filtration systems.
Nederman SAVE is a flexible technology that adapts to most existing dust collection systems including baghouses (reverse air or pulse jet), cartridge collectors, systems with multiple fans and more. In addition to energy saving, retrofits can breathe new life into underperforming systems and or create additional capacity for machine expansion.
Nederman SAVE directly integrates with the cloud-based IIoT platform Nederman Insight that provides real time monitoring, visualization and tracking of system performance, including customized dashboards, alarms and reports. Live data is accessible remotely via the web and mobile devices and stored in the cloud for trending and performance analytics.
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