Aluminium is used in a variety of products such as window frames, airplane parts, power lines, motor vehicle production, cans, foil and other items. To create these items the aluminium must undergo certain applications such as grinding, sawing, cutting, sanding and scratch brushing which can all result in aluminium dust particles being dispersed.
Aluminium particles can be highly combustible and can cause damage to the infrastructure within the vicinity, as well as harm employees. Due to the fineness of the dust, these particles are also easily inhaled which can cause scarring of the lungs causing coughing and shortness of breath, as well as lead to metal fume fever. To cause an explosion the particles need to be very fine, and come into contact with an ignition source to create a spark and set off the explosion. This can occur while the dust particles are in the air, or even settled on the equipment around the application. Once ignited the explosion will move very quickly as it moves from particle to particle.
A dust collector needs to be installed to collect all the dust that gets extracted at the source Envirox, suppliers of Nederman dust collectors, knows that to ensure a safe working area where aluminium dust is expelled, a suitable, quality dust collector is needed. ATEX certified collectors are designed to ensure that all the dust is collected correctly and are suitable to handle combustible particles.
Envirox suggests the following Nederman, ATEX certified collectors:
- Nederman LCP Ex cartridge dust collector has a large sized integral pre-separation chamber to increase its dust load capacity, therefore reducing the load on the filter cartridges. This collector is ATEX certified for explosive dusts St1, St2 and St3. The LCP is able to handle different cartridge media types so as to cater for various applications.
- Nederman MCP SmartFilter EX is a multi-purpose ATEX certified dust filtration system suitable to handle combustible dust. It can work as a standalone unit or as a multi-filter solution allowing for a longer lifespan and a lower cost of ownership. It can be used for both indoor and outdoor usage.
- Nederman Auto-M is a simple mechanically cleaned bag dust collector that is suitable for non-continuous duty within industrial, commercial and educational locations. It is compact, unobtrusive and easy to clean. The Auto-M is ATEX certified for explosive dust in categories St1, St2 and St3. It is weather proofed for outdoor use.
Envirox knows that in order to provide safety on the workshop floor when working with aluminium dust, that a suitable dust collector needs to be installed to help with dust extraction. Envi
