FILTER SUPERSTORE

While being primarily used for military services in the beginning, nowadays lasers have become a useful tool for industry, medicine, communication, science and entertaining media.

The biggest share of that is in the industrial field, namely the treatment of materials by lasers.

Reshaping, Separating/Abrading, Connecting, Coating, Marking, Printing

The distribution of materials is as follows

Steels Non-Iron Metals Synthetic Materials Wood Ceramics Paper Composites Glass Acrylates

Fume and dust emissions from laser processes

We distinguish between two different kinds of emissions. Metallic dusts often appear in the form of aerosol (solid or liquid particles) that gets mixed up with the surrounding air or other gases while the treatment of organic materials like wood or artificial ones like plastic cause a thermic reaction, called pyrolysis.

1. Working on Metal

Particles and gases like metalloxidic dusts are the main part of emissions. Nitrogen oxides and ozone often can be found besides several genetically hazardous and carcinogenic substances like chrome, nickel, iron oxide, aluminum, mangan and zink.

2. Working on other (mainly organic) materials

Often the highly energetic laser treatments of these materials cause a pyrolysis. Chemical and physical reactions lead to the emission of harmful substances. They can be highly toxic and caustic. Especially the treatment of halogen compounds like PTFE and PVC are hazardous. Hydrochloric and hydrofluoric are the the results which are extremely dangerous and caustic. Equally problematic is the treatment of products that were treated with fire retardants leading to emissions of dioxins and furans.

What are welding/cutting smoke/fumes?

Welding smoke and fume are toxic metal smoke/fumes produced during welding operations. They usually have different compositions, depending on the metals that are used for welding. Therefore they contain several contaminants.

It is important to differentiate between the welding fume and the pulverized coal. 95% of the welding fume addict to the filler material as the conductor or the electrode. Pulverized coal is different to welding fume. Here it is the other way around: 95% of the pulverized coal depends on the material you cut.

Attention should be paid to welding fume which is no gas but rather basically particle. This is the genuine risk at a work place.

Some of the most toxic are: Aluminium, Beryllium, Cadmium oxides, Chromium, Copper, Fluorides, Lead, Manganese, Iron Oxides, Molybdenum, Nickel, Vanadium, Zinc Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, Hydrogen Fluoride, Nitrogen Oxide, Ozone and Hexavalent Chromium!

Welding and cutting smokes/fumes pass our lungs and thus the whole body. We inhale them with the air we breathe.

Health effects:
• Irritation of eyes, nose, and chest
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Bronchitis
• Fluid in the lungs (Edema)
• Inflammation of the lungs (Pneumonitis)
• Loss of appetite
• Cramps
• Nausea / Vomiting
• Chronic lung problems (such as Bronchitis, Pneumonia, Asthma, Emphysema, etc.)
• Lung Cancer
• Cancer of the Larynx
• Cancer of the Urinary Tract
• Parkinson disease
• Skin diseases
• Hearing Loss
• Gastritis, ulcers of the stomach
• Kidney damage
• Infertility
• Heart disease

The most dangerous and frequency of gases is active oxygen. This is most damaging. But it is possible to avert the accumulation. For this purpose it is essential to partition the work place. To eliminate the acquisition of the UV radiation it is important to cover or to put away reflective objects. This is feasible with vertical blinds.

Ventilating a complete workshop does not prevent the welders breathing zone from hazardous substances.

Local point extraction is the most effective method. The hazardous substances are captured right at the source/torch before they reach the welders breathing zone. This is the only guarantee of a sufficient protection to provide clean breathing air for welding and cutting applications.

General ventilation like open roofs, open doors and windows or simple roof and floor fans only spread the hazardous materials all around the workplace and working halls.

In co-operation with local German and European Health and Safety Organizations we recommend the following approach to protect workers according the legislation according to DIN and EN- ISO norms/laws.

One of the most important tools to handle an adequate extraction solution is the German/ European guideline “Schweissen ohne Rauch” (Welding without smoke) of the German association of machine manufacturer. (VDMA)

This guideline provides some important inputs how to handle a proper filtering and extraction system. The VDMA worked out these inputs together with the European administration for Health and Safety according to the most important laws, standards and norms:

TA Luft (Technical Guideline of clean air)
TRGS 900 (Technical Guideline for hazardous substances)
BGR 220 (Welding smoke guideline of the administration for Health and Safety)
BGR 121 (Ventilation guideline of the administration for Health and Safety)
Gefahrstoffverordnung (GefStoffV) Ordinance on Hazardous Substances

Most important according the BGR 121:

Paragraph 3.1.1 General information:
The air of the breathing zone at a work place must have a quality which is not dangerous or hazardous to the workers health.

Paragraph 3.3.2 Action to protect:
The employer has to construct the working application according to the “(GefStoffV) Ordinance on Hazardous Substances“ in a way that no dangerous gases, smokes, fumes or dust could be discharged into the working area. According to the technical possibilities!

Paragraph 3.3.2.2 Collection/Extraction of the emissions: If it is not possible to keep the working environment of a working application free of gases, smokes, fumes or dust, you need an adequate extraction/filter system to capture all hazardous substances directly at place of production and delete them without an danger for humans and environment. According to the technical possibilities!

Paragraph 3.3.2.3 Room ventilation
If it is not possible, according § 3.3.2.2 to extract directly at place of production you need additional ventilation actions to assure clean and fresh air. According to the technical possibilities!

Ventilation systems according to these requirements are complete room ventilation- or filtering devices providing an effective changing or attenuation of the air in a workshop. Completely and/or partly.

The given technical possibilities:

Today it is possible to filter nearly all toxic welding/cutting smoke/fumes according to DIN EN ISO 15012 (Separation of welding fume according welding fume class W3) and recalculate it back into the working environment.

A certification of a filter unit according to DIN EN ISO 15012 ensures the user’s security. The duct collection efficiency of the filter units is > 99% corresponding to the welding fume class W3.