Containing the Metal Shop Mess... Ideas?

[Roarvette]

I have a smaller shop, 800S.F., and I built this, it works incredibly well.
It will change (filter) the entire shop every 5 minutes.
I built this because I have an air conditioned shop and just can't have all that humid air coming in.
I use it mainly when sanding, grinding and painting. With painting you have to remember that only the particles get filtered, but the fumes stay, so keep the respirator on.

[SuperB70]

I use to have a big cyclone fan (my shop 320m2, fan max 2000m2) that blown out trought the wall to the filter barrel out side. But since we have long and cold winter and I didnt want to blown warm air out I bought one of these:
http://www.nederman.com/products/por...ors/filtercart

Actually I still have the cyclone but dont need to use it. Maybe in a emergency to chance all air in the shop.

It can be next on the job but I connected to existing ducts. I have 6" duct network with close-out on every directions so I can turn the suction heve I need it. Plasmatable, postlift, grinding or frametable.

Now all the heat stays inside and all the dust stays in the filter. Even HEPA filter can be installed but thought that is overkill in the fabshop.

This been thinking to install the curtains like Vince show'd. But I thinked that would put them 3-5ft down from ceiling. My shop inside is 10.5ft high. That way they prevent most of the airborne transfer but dont mess moving stuff like long tubes around the shop.

[GregWeld]

First you need a "DUST COLLECTOR" --- but don't forget to add a SPARK ARRESTOR (the blue piece) lest you start your dust collector on fire!!

These pictures were all taken during the build out process so nothing is tidy'd up yet.... but you'll get the drift.












Then get yourself a bunch of parts and pieces from NORDFAB DUCTING. The beauty of this stuff is it goes together with clamp bands and can be adjusted or moved or taken apart and moved... Added to or subtracted from as needed.













The 4" hose X 40' of it - allows me to put the "big mouth" (Grizzly Tools) either on a stand it came with -- or just toss it inside a car etc.... ALL of this is controlled by METAL blast gates to control the suction where I need it.





















This leg - has the 4" "big mouth" on a Y -- and then a bell mouth pick up that will be fabled into a sheet metal "tub" that is being built to go under my grinding table (has a grated top)..... shut off the 4" --- or shut off the 6" grinding table with the blast gate - and kick up the "toe kick" dust pan. This is towards the front of the Lift in my shop..... I can just grab a push broom and push the crud this direction and up she'll go!!

[GregWeld]

The Dust collector is 775 CFM -- so think a big block with a 750 Holley at WOT.... It sucks pretty good! But NOT good enough to have multiple openings going at once --- so if using multiple machines at once and not having to use the blast gates you'll need more CFM! This machine is 1.5 HP and comes 110V single phase -- we ordered the option to convert it to 220V.... as it will then draw less amperage. My trunk run and laterals are 6" ducting.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/1-1-...-Series/G0703P



I may decide to replace it with a more powerful machine.... Now that I see how great this is going to be!

[DoozerRnD]

Being religious about cleaning is key...There will always be dust and dirt and its best not to spread it. Getting the culture to change to 'clean every day' is tougher than adding vacuum systems etc sometimes.

1. change culture
2. Make cleaning as easy as possible:

-fill expansion joints in floors (we used quikcrete) and epoxy coat.
-put everything on casters
-I just got 3 knockoff rubbermaid pushcarts...each has a trashcan and paper towels on the bottom shelf, and put your current project's tools/parts on top and bring to your work area
-get hose/extension cable reels and hang them from up high (no cords/hoses laying on the ground across the shop)
-store things in clear bins with lids so dust doesnt get into all the crevices of your parts and specialized tools
-is it hard to get a broom around a certain tool pedestal or under a table? fix that (small broom for behind tools, raise lower shelves, etc)
-if it gets your hands dirty, your hands will get everything else dirty. clean everything before proceeding!
-throw things out. its hard. it sucks. but do you really need it?


if you work with a lot of people, take a picture of what a tool area should look like, laminate it, and post it next to the tool. And have a labeled space for things. Be a dick and make people clean up after themselves (culture.....).

[GregWeld]

So Sean ---- what did you decide to do - if anything???


I'm loving the vac system I put in! The dust / mess is down to almost zero! It's amazingly simple to just pick the mess up right at the source.

[barrrf]

I used to manage a fab facility that housed 6 manual welding bays, 4 robot welding bays, 1 Mazak lazer and 1 plas table - along with various saws, brakes, ect.

For the welding bays, during my tenure there, I calculated the approx. booth cu ft and purchased the appropriately sized air movers. We fabricated our own hoods. And we purchased new curtains not unlike the ones posted by Vince. The trick was keep the curtains just off the floor enough so the air movers would pull the air from the floor up through the over head hoods. That distance is also calculable.

Later on we added one more smaller manual welding booth which we build a down draft style table and portable filtration system kinda like what Greg posted. But we build the down draft system to cover the hole bottom of the table with the air inlet positioned above a trough so sparks, slag, ect wouldn't go through the filter system.

[GregWeld]

This is the downdraft table I'm building.... just haven't finished up the collector pan under the grates. I paid $5 for each grate at Boeing surplus... they weight 120 pounds EACH -- 1 foot X 3 foot.... The "heavies" should fall to the bottom of the pan - while the dust should be contained and or sucked up in the 6" ducting. I'm making 2 removable sides (the third "side" is the bead blaster)... to 'direct' the grinding dust back down into the grated area.

I don't expect to contain 100%.... But if I can keep a majority of the filth from just floating all over the shop I'll be happy.

Originally Posted by GregWeld

[Vince@Meanstreets]

I was feeling impressed and slightly inadequate thinking you made those from scratch.

[GregWeld]

Originally Posted by Vince@MSperfab

I was feeling impressed and slightly inadequate thinking you made those from scratch.

Storm drain grates. 3/8" X 3" strap built into a 1 foot X 3 foot grate - $5 Each. You couldn't buy a 10' stick of strap for the $5.

My biggest regret is not having bought the whole pallet of them. I probably could have gotten $10 each in scrap price.