Industrial Dust Extraction Systems

Benefits of Industrial  Dust Extraction Systems

Effective dust control is a priority in any industrial setting.

Whether manufacturing, processing materials, or just handling vegetables, wood, metal and/or chemicals of any sort, the movement and operations involved will generate nuisance dust. This dust may not be visible, but it will be there, and as it is the dust you cannot see that is the most damaging to human lungs, companies engaged in any type of material handling must address dust extraction system on some scale.

Well designed Dust Extraction systems capture the nuisance dust before it can drift and settle in other areas of the workplace, and affect employee air qualility. Usually once extracted, the dust is conveyed to a filter which will remove the particles, and most systems then collect the dust particles for removal via bins, collection bags or similar. Some dust that is a byproduct of one process can be reused for another purpose, and a competent dust professional will advise the best way to deal with this re-processing.

The benefits of a well designed dust extraction system are extensive but mainly worker health is improved, (less sickness due to respiratory irritations), your company will be compliant with the latest regulations governing employee health and safety, (no issues when WORKSAFE call to inspect your premises),  and finally your productivity will be improved with clean surafces and work areas not requiring constant down time to vacuum up. Money will be saved where any machinery with sensitive calibrations is used as these costly items will perform longer before needign recalibration.

NZ DUCT+FLEX specialise in  providing complete dust extraction system solutions, and our 20 years experience in industries all over NZ means we understand dust. 

Why Dust Extraction Systems Matter

With an ever increasing awareness of workplace Health&Safety, as well as more robust enforcement  by WORKSAFE, benefits of a dust free environment ie a system that efficiently removes visible dust, as well as the harmful invisible dust, is well documented.

Health risks of dust exposure to workers is due to particles not seen with the nake eye i.e. <1micron. As well as occupational asthma and likely increased risk of heart and lung disease later on in the employees life, there is increasing awareness for specific dusts eg. silica, proven to be dangerous and resulting in irreversable diseases eg. silicosis. 

Harmful dust particles in the air are generally defined as those less than 10 micrometers (μm) in diameter. These are often further classified as PM10 (10 μm or less) and PM2.5 (2.5 μm or less). PM2.5 particles are especially dangerous because they can penetrate deeply into the lungs and even enter the bloodstream. A micron (μm) is 1/1000 of a millimeter. 

 An estimated 600-900 people die each year from work-related health issues in NZ, and thousands more are hospitalized due to dust and airborne contaminants, (according to SiteSafe). Cancers and respiratory diseases from airborne substances, including dust, make up at least 31% of work-related harm, causing approx. 650 deaths/year, (according to WorkSafe NZ). Silicosis, the lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust, resulted in 140 claims lodged with ACC as of early 2023, according to Stuff). 25% or employees who worked with engineered stone bench tops in Australia developed silicosis or related diseases. In NZ efforts are in place to raise awareness and improve management of risks related to dust exposure in the workplace: effective LEV i.e. dust capture and extraction installed by competent personnel being the best way to improve these statistics. 

Apart from the risk to health, many dustlike substances pose a danger of fire or explosions. 80% of all dusts are combustible and even a layer as little as 1mm settled on surrounding surfaces is sufficient to trigger an explosion if it starts to swirl around, and inadvertently gets ignited.

The quality of your finished product and longlevity of your processing equipment are both compromised by dust not captured. Ask for advice now to ensue your workplace is compliant and future proofed for any changes you may make to your processes in the future.

Key Components of a Dust extraction System

Many componenets make up an efficient dust extraction system that improves air quality now, and can be enhanced if your business grows.

• Capture of Dust: Hoods and Enclosures

Different processes require different capture methods dependent on dust type and it's properties and the processes occuring. Many so called experts  get bogged down in the detail of the design of the dust hood when in reality it is the correctly specified dust filtration unit that will ensure everything flows and doesnt block ansuring the dust is captured continuously.

• Ducting and Ductwork

Often duct design is completed by well meaning HVAC companies whose expertise in air conditioning means they have little undertsanding of dust behaviour at the velocities  used in a properly designed dust extraction system.  An expert in dust extraction knows how to factor friction loss and size the duct diameter to give the optimum flows introducing branches at 30deg not at right angles! One of the biggest advantages of using our LIPLOCK modular ducting, as opposed to cheaper spiral, is that when your layout changes everything can be reused, and additions are easily clipped onto the original run using the LIPLOCK connectors.

•  Dust Collection Units

There are many different types of dust collection units available in NZ and industry is saturated with modular baghouse type products that have not changed in their features since the 1950's. The technology surrounding dust extraction systems has moved on and there are safety and energy saving features available from key European suppliers (who lead the world), with their advanced benefits of for example VARIpulse cleaning and VFV ( Vertical Flameless Venting). 

• Air Moving Fan

Fans are either clean air fans placed on the clean air side of the dust filter or material handling. The best system to give your site maximum performance will be advised by our sales or technical team who are invloved with our products everyday and know exactly what works to give longlasting performance with little costly maintenance. Usually a VSD is supplied to ensure the dust extraction system will also give energy efficiency.

If you have an existing system and it is NOT SUCKING - do not be persuaded to substitute with a more powerful fan - it's the filter area that will have been wrongly sized - a larger capacity fan will just make your system block more, as the increased airflow drives the particles further into the filter socks. 

• Dust Collection bin

The best method for the dust to exit the dust extraction filter will depend on the dust type/properties and whether it is passed through a Rotary Valve then collected in a commercial waste bin for large dust loads or bag collection at the bottom may be sufficient. Sometimes the exit dust is transported to a container for reuse - we can assist making sure what ever you require will be designed effectively and delivered.

• System Controls

Along with other safety and energy saving advances in dust extraction system design, many dust extraction filters from suppliers who provide advanced features include controls that allow visual displays of any fault codes, service interruptions, differential pressures for cleaning systems etc. Some larger plants like their dust extraction filter to be part of the total site control. In our experience, dust extraction filters from our European supplier are best left out of the main circuitry as they are fundametally designed to do what they do on their own.

How NZ Duct+Flex Delivers Dust Extraction Solutions

From the moment you make your first contact with us, you will be dealing with staff who see dust extraction everyday. On top of their considerable knowledge, and experience in designing dust extraction systems, we are supported by the engineers in our major European supplier companies who sell their systems globally. We visit them for technical training and product development, and they visit us and see examples of installations of their products in NZ conditions. For example seismic considerations are not as common in many European countries but our suppliers and our local staff have plenty of experience worldwide. We can meet any specifications required by the site seismic engineer.

Our dust extraction systems are not one offs manufactured locally - they are tried and tested assemblies which allows us to boast greater product strength and safety as generally the metal guage is heavier. The scale of the production in Europe allows us to offer a better product for an ecomomical price.

An initial consultation will always include a site visit so we can assess the  way your are working and where and how the dust is being generated. Our technical sales staff might be able to suggest a ball park figure to ensure this is in line with your allocated budget and it allows us to discuss options to reduce costs, with out meaning you outgrow the system quickly when machines are added or a layout changes. A quote and visual concept design will follow with all our recommendations for the way we have sized the system as we have.

NZ DUCT+FLEX are not interested in just getting an order by offering the cheapest price, we only supply future proofed dust extraction solutions backed by our technical support and asssitance in the future.

We have completed 100's of dust extraction systems all over NZ, and this is all we do. Our focus is on providing the best dust extraction solution using quality parts, that will give long service - often at the same price as a very low spec system locally sourced.

Dust Extraction Compliance in NZ

Whilst WORKSAFE visit manufacturing, engineering and other processing companies assessing levels of airborne contaminents as one of their safety checks, often an Industrial Hygienist will be appointed to give a professional report. Inspectors are familiar with all health and safety issues but dust management is a very specific subject - dust type and properties affect appropriate air speeds to be guaranteed when a dust is conveyed in ducting, to avoid dangerous build up in pipework: most dusts are explosive to some degree. Ask us to visit your site for an appraisal of your current dust extraction system ensuring you are compliant with the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 in terms of your dust extraction requirements.

There are specific industry regulations related to control of some dust types eg. asbestos and silica dust.  NZ DUCT+FLEX can competitively quote for systems dealing with most dust types but are the ONLY company to provide dust extraction systems with VFV (Vertical Flameless Venting) and we meet ATEX Equipment Directive 2014/34/EU as listed in the Ministry of Education Guidelines to Schools 2022.  Many schools have taken advantage of our unique safety feature.

Same day despatch for in stock items

Choose NZ Duct+Flex

We have the largest stock holding of dust extraction equipment in NZ - all in stock in our 3 warehouses. If layouts change during a build, we can immediately ship anywhere in NZ. Larger system items are manufactured to order (allow 3 months) from our 3 large European supliers.

Customer Service is our priority

Enjoy European Technology with local support and expertise!

We will use our technical experience to design your system and look after your installation afterwards with our Preventitive Maintenance Program.

Call us to design your Dust Extraction Sysstem

Call us now for a FREE Consultation!

We would like to leave you and your staff with the safest most energy efficient dust extraction system available.