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MACHINE SAFETY
DRIVING PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY THROUGH EFFICIENT FILTRATION TECHNOLOGY
By Geoff Sagar, product manager, BOFA International
As automation takes hold, there are significant opportunities for enhancing productivity, but this also depends on the reliability of machinery and the enabling process control systems. One key component of production that can sometimes be overlooked is the role that effective fume and dust extraction plays in helping keep manufacturing lines moving and workplace environments healthy for employees. In the UK, the COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations stipulate exposure levels to potentially harmful airborne contaminants and these are expressed as workplace exposure limits (WELs). The same regulations also require that local exhaust ventilation systems, such as dust extraction units, should be thoroughly tested annually.
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Extraction systems, such as those designed and manufactured by BOFA, help employers to meet their obligations under these prevailing health and safety regulations by filtering airborne emissions associated with many industrial processes, such as lasering, additive manufacturing, printing and automated soldering in electronics. For large operations in the FMCG market, such as laser marking lines for aluminium cans, the pain of unscheduled downtime can be significant, which is why companies look for associated technology solutions that can be net contributors to productivity. These include extraction systems that can filter airborne emissions which would otherwise have the potential to contaminate laser lenses and impact product quality.
ime is money and downtime is definitely the enemy for manufacturers!
To help ensure a safe and efficient dust and fume filtration system is specified and installed, a number of factors need to be taken into account:
1) The materials being worked – manufacturers need to refer to Safety Data Sheets which list any known hazardous properties, physical and chemical characteristics (e.g. flammability, explosive properties), the potential effect on human health, the chemicals with which it can adversely react, handling precautions and the types of measures that can be used to control exposure, emergency and first aid procedures.
2) The type, quantity, size and velocity of particles being emitted from a process.
3) The type of production machinery being used.
4) Whether the process is enclosed or not.
5) The duration of the process – 24/7 for example.
6) Whether there are any thermal risks associated with higher temperatures.
This information, together with data- driven airflow analyses and control parameters, will help define the optimal filtration technology. Typically a BOFA
20 MAY/JUNE 2023 | INDUSTRIAL COMPLIANCE
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