Exclusive interview
of education in the market. Some think if they can’t see a mist cloud they don’t have a problem, but certain mist is almost invisible to the human eye. It comes in different particle sizes and volumes.” According to Filtermist, machine tool manufacturers and their dealers are stepping up on this issue by recognising the requirement and taking responsibility. The company works very closely with machine tool suppliers, while also serving machine shops directly through retrofit applications. “The latter business area is particularly busy at present because of the HSE campaign,” says James Stansfield. “We can usually offer machine shops an instant price to supply and install oil mist extraction as we have a huge database of machine tools. As part of HSE requirements, extraction requires fitting, commissioning and testing by a qualified engineer. If customers prefer, we have experienced engineers who can visit to perform spot tests and see what mist
level is present. Where there is exposure to mist, it’s a legal requirement to carry out health surveillance even when preventative controls are in place. Businesses will need to involve an occupational health professional and workers should be encouraged to report any health symptoms that occur.” Clean air solutions There are three main types of oil mist extraction system, all of which are available from Filtermist. First are centrifugal units that spin the oil out using centrifugal force. Here, a perforated drum with special vanes rotates at high speed. The unit draws oil mist inside where it impacts on the vanes at high velocity. Drum pads assist the coalescing process and filter out stray particles. Centrifugal force pushes oil to the unit’s outer case where it drains back to the machine for re- use or collection, with clean air returned to the workshop through the top of the unit. The second option is static media solutions
Machinery & Manufacturing 14
Powered by FlippingBook