Thread: Fume extraction

Lappa
I have a small laser machine and use the standard fan to suck out the smoke and smell of the perspex and wood when cutting. I also try not to open the lid when cutting. Ventilation is to outside the shed. I would guess that 90% of smoke would be sucked out. Smell is not so bad, for me

Kel

Short of a proper fume extraction/filter unit (like those available for welding fumes), a fan that vents outside is probably your best bet. Much cheaper too.

Thanks folks. This unit vents outside but the odour is quite noticeable to the point that the neighbours have noticed it. It had a very expensive filter originally but they didn’t last and there was still odour. Thinking of charcoal filter for the odour but with pre- filters for the particles but was wondering if someone has done this before.

Maybe you could just buy a filter for a fume extractor and integrate it into your current vent?
W270 - WE-100 Welding Fume Extractor | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse Head down the page to the spare parts section. The price adds up pretty quickly though.

Thanks for the Elan. Not a bad price seeing the original filter was nearly twice that price. I’ll do some calcs. on the flow rate.

I'd be wary about the claimed flow rates especially through a 63mm corrugated hose.

Depending on amount of fumes and particles, Maybe look at the next level up
W2710K - S-H13 Mobile Welding Fume Extractor - Single Arm | Hare & Forbes Machineryhouse it uses a 160 mm smooth walled duct.
Also the two armed unit - $6k but looks like the ducks nuts.

Not that hard to make if you can get hold of the filters,

The guy has been looking at designing one using a ISO-max 315 fan and a charcoal cylindrical filter

im2501480

It will need pre filters so he may be able to adapt the filters in the machinery warehouse units Elan and you linked to - thanks to you both.

i was hoping someone had done it before as it would be easier to install or build a known working unit than designing one which may be a bit of trial and error.

Cheers

Interesting take on gasses emitted from laser cutting Acrylic here
Environmental and health impacts from the fumes when laser cutting acrylic

It appears that almost all the particles emitted are acrylic OR methyl methacrylate (MMA) and its not that bad for you (it's a certified food safe material) while the gasses produced are CO2 and water vapour.
My guess is you are probably more at risk from the CO2 produced and as the capture of CO2 is technically tricky this is best done not by filtering but by simple ventilation.
This is what commercial laser cutting people appear to be doing in Europe.
MMA manufacturers also exhaust via an incinerator where any residual MMA is burnt completely into CO2 + H2O

Subsequent disposal of any (even clean) activated charcoal filters used in "smoke" capture are likely to be a more significant environmental hazard that the MMA itself.

Based on this I'd be setting up exhaust/ventilation rather than any capture.

The problem is the odour ( as stated in #4) and the neighbours, so just exhausting is not really an option

Originally Posted by Lappa

The problem is the odour ( as stated in #4) and the neighbours, so just exhausting is not really an option

I could be a matter of exhausting with lots of air to dilute the odour. A couple of my Italian relatives own and operate a commercial plastics printing and welding factory in a small village. Their set up produces a lot of plasticky odour but still exhaust using high air volumes and it cannot be smelled outside, Admittedly they do use a 10m high chimney stack.