Ductwork & ductwork cleaning
John Cavanagh Airmatic’s technical sales manager
www.heatingandventilating.net
O
ver 40 years ago, I found myself as a young, qualified engineer, having completed a recognised, four-year apprenticeship. This led
to working as a skilled fabricator on a shop floor and gaining site installation experience. I became fascinated with fabrication and discovered
the many professional routes I could take if I applied additional learning. By doing so, I calved myself a meaningful career path, seeing me into various professional roles in coded welding, fabrication inspection, production control, health and safety coordination and quality assurance management. I’m now the technical sales manager of Airmatic, based in Bury, Greater Manchester, which offers a unique extraction service through designing premium ductwork systems, fabrication and bespoke solutions for challenging workspaces. Having acquired a wealth of knowledge in ferritic and austenitic materials and experience in quality assurance, I assist and advise in creating bespoke design ducting systems and general fabrications for customers across the United Kingdom. We believe that our input at the earliest stage of a
project is valuable, identifying the right ducting size, material grade, parent metal thickness and welding process that stipulates the right design that serves our customer’s needs. As technical sales manager, I must consider several
factors to fulfil my role, which are incredibly important when crafting a bespoke system. Here, I will shed light on these factors and how my encyclopaedia of knowledge advances the customer journey.
Seek a specification
Our in-house sales team manages every incoming enquiry and involves a precise evaluation procedure to establish customer requirements. In the first instance, we seek any known specifications and gather as much detail as possible, helping us fully understand and visualise the project’s scope and identify how we can add the most value as a team. Sometimes, I speak with customers with a firm
technical understanding, and in a separate instance, they may need me to fill in a few gaps to ensure the system or product design is fit. In every circumstance, Airmatic’s knowledge translates into a complete and reliable solution.
Pinpoint the solution
It’s essential to identify the operating environment in which a ducting system will perform. My expertise contributes towards a unique element of our service offering, involving a thorough review of the
14 October 2022
Bespoke ductwork the right way
Airmatic’s technical sales manager John Cavanagh explores five things to consider when creating a bespoke ductwork system
specification and highlighting the most suitable method of manufacture whilst maintaining the all- important quality of those materials. To achieve this, I ask questions about the pressure,
operating temperature and what particles the system will be exposed to, which often raises additional construction considerations that need to be factored into the planning stage of the customer journey. Once addressed, we can move towards building a
correctly designed ducting system to eliminate risks such as dust, fumes, vapours, and heat. This lends itself to controlling occupational hazards in today’s workplace, thus creating a safe and comfortable working environment for all. Alongside this, we consider all known contractual obligations, related codes of practice and mandatory legislation requirements to ensure that the design system will work to the highest standards and comply with the customer’s workspace or site.
Material selection and quality assurance
The lifespan and effectiveness of any ductwork system ultimately come down to the quality of materials and techniques used in the manufacturing process. The environment is a prominent factor when selecting the right materials for the required ducting, which is why I ask our customers about where the system will be based. If it were an external environment near the seaside, for example, I would know to supply 316 stainless steel as it would withstand the weather conditions and salty air. We rigorously test our ductwork and fabrications
in line with the related specification to ensure the system withstands the environmental challenges of that workspace. As a seasoned quality assurance inspector, I conduct appropriate tests to ensure that the finished product is built with full compliance.
Welding techniques
Applying the correct welding techniques will sustain the purpose and longevity of a build system. I often advise on the two most common types of arc welding: metal inert gas (MIG) and tungsten inert gas (TIG), which complement systems differently. The application of MIG welding is suited to larger,
thicker materials and offers lower production costs than TIG. The benefits of MIG welding are also prominent in large, general areas of fabrication work. TIG welding is a manual process that involves
feeding a wire into a weld pool, created using an electric arc sealed by an inert gas such as Argon. This discipline is often used as a more concentrated arc when working with stainless steel. This welding technique aligns well with small and thinner types of material as it is easier to control and ultimately provides a high level of accuracy to mirror the customer’s specifications.
Pool knowledge and expertise
My final and ever-present consideration is how I can utilise the knowledge of Airmatic’s diverse and expert team. Our capabilities and industrial heritage are the foundation of our ability to assist various sectors such as chemical, recycling & waste and manufacturing.
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