Welding Fume Extractor Equipment Keeps Welder's Air Safe

2007-03-08 10:33:40

( Automobiles )



Welding is a skill that takes many years to acquire. Workplace managers should not waste all the resources spent to train welders by exposing them to poor working conditions and job hazards including welding fumes.

You should regard all welding fumes as potentially dangerous, and therefore should have welding fume extractor systems in place. Welding fumes, like Teflon fumes, can contribute to Parkinson's disease, which affects the nervous system. Welding fumes can also cause chemical bronchitis.

There are two basic types of equipment: the transportable type that is self-contained and mounted on wheels, and the fixed welding fume extractor system installed permanently in the welding shop. In both cases, you normally have an extractor nozzle or fume hood, air hose, fan unit and discharge system. The discharge system may dispose fume-laden air to the outside atmosphere or filters it for recirculation, similar to ductless fume hoods in chemical laboratories.

An overhead fume hood may be appropriate for fixed welding positions. However, most welding jobs often shift position and welders need to have mobility. Some welding guns have integral welding fume extractors, but these are more bulky and make the welding gun difficult to manipulate.

A more effective welding fume extractor device may be a portable hose attached to a floor standing cabinet containing a powerful motor and fan and a filtration-recirculation system. You can position the collecting nozzle, to achieve an operating radius of more than a meter, through a pivoted cantilever arm attached to the cabinet.

When used properly, this welding fume extractor setup is very efficient. It can cover a large work area, but it requires positive action from the welder to move and position the fume hood correctly. Too often welders neglect this, resulting in poor extraction efficiency or, worse, in the fumes moving by convection currents toward the welder's breathing zone.


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