FEATURE DUST & FUME EXTRACTION
CLEARING THE AIR FOR tube manipulation processes
To support expansion a leading tube manipulation specialist installed new dust and fume extraction systems from Nederman to provide workers with a clean environment
stations and several brazing benches. The 'at-source' extraction systems remove the fumes to a single extraction point outside the building. Iracroft’s concern was the generation of acidic flux fumes that could potentially cause a carcinogenic environment. By installing the Nederman Original extraction arms with an air flow rate of 800m3/hr, the fumes are now efficiently extracted to a Nederman NCF120/15 fan unit outside the building. By project managing the entire process Nederman complemented its flexible and user friendly extraction arms with a complete ducting system that delivers the brazing fumes to the NCF120/15 fan unit. With a maximum air flow rate of
12,000m3/hour and noise level of 66.4dB, locating the fan system outside the brazing department has eliminated the continuous noise staff may have encountered with one internally sourced.
P
rocessing over 30 tonnes of tube each week, Iracroft is the UK’s leading tube
manipulation company, achieving its prominent market position through a program of continuous investment and diversification. The business has invested over £2.3m in new buildings and plant over the past five years. As a result floor space was increased from 4300 to 5770 square metres. By taking on new units Iracroft has expanded or completely moved many departments to consolidate production and improve workflow. To support this the specialist has
installed new dust and fume extraction systems to provide its staff with a clean workplace that conforms to health and safety legislation such as the EH40 Workplace Exposure Limits. Iracroft considered several potential solution providers before selecting Nederman. While household names such as JCB,
Caterpillar, Ingersoll Rand, Hitachi and Terex form a robust customer base, part of the engineering infrastructure investment has seen it diversify into stainless steel energy delivery systems and the offshore engineering sector. To cater for its organic growth and
diversification, part of the investment has 14 JULY/AUGUST 2015 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
been used to expand tube manipulation, fabrication, orbital welding and oil pressure testing departments.
BUILDING A COMPLIANCE STRATEGY One of the first departments to be expanded at Iracroft was brazing. "We needed a full range of extraction solutions and Nederman has the most extensive product line on the market,” comments director of engineering & continuous improvement Kieran Mullen. “Nederman project managed the solution with complete transparency and professionalism at every stage. Their engineers reassured us from quote to project completion with their technical expertise and understanding of our needs. Nederman worked closely with our welding and force arc vendors to create fully compliant systems that would deliver maximum extraction with minimum impact on operator workspace. Most importantly, they delivered a complete solution that required very little input and stress on our behalf." By doubling the size of its brazing department Iracroft replaced smaller, less efficient extraction systems with 14 extraction drops to 8 induction heating
By installing the Nederman Original extraction arms with an air flow rate of 800m3/hr, the fumes are now efficiently extracted to an NCF120/15 fan unit outside the building
BREATHING EASY IN THE WELDING DEPARTMENT Nederman was asked to deliver a bespoke solution for the welding department expanding from 23 to 31 working bays and a building extension to provide 8 new MIG/TIG welding bays for the production of mild steel bracket assemblies. The existing building had two roof-mounted media filtration systems to extract any airborne particulate not caught at source by the downdraft benches. By doubling the size of the department
Iracroft needed to remove the additional airborne particulate to comply with EH40 regulations. To meet compliance levels prior to the expansion, Iracroft's roof- mounted extraction needed to achieve an 'air change per hour' rate of 3 and it got close to this with existing systems. However, the area was expanded to 210 square metres and a Nederman technical study of the air quality resulted in Iracroft requiring an 'air change rate' of 14 to comply with health & safety regulations. This was comfortably achieved by augmenting the existing extraction with three 2,550m3/hr rated Nederman MF 12-15 media filters installed at high level.
Nederman T: 08452 743434
www.nederman.co.uk
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