Following the purchase of a second site for his growing fire door manufacturer business, Adrian Goldsbury, Owner of Door & Joinery Solutions Ltd, commissioned experienced wood waste extraction specialist, Dustraction, to design, build and install a new and highly efficient wood waste dust extraction system for his new factory and purpose-built spray room in Burton upon Trent.
Dust Extraction needed for Second Site
Already running a dust extraction system and filtered spray area in his Leicester-based factory, Adrian had clear objectives on what he wanted his new extraction system to achieve. “Our second site is a complete replica of our unit in Leicester and includes the same machinery, manufacturing processes and materials list as its sister site,” he explained. “This put us in a good position to fully understand the kind of system we needed and the size of the fans and motors required by our machinery to fulfil the job well. It also gave us a good insight into the areas we wanted our new dust extraction system to improve on.”
Future-proofing the business was a key consideration for the 15-year-old company. “We had the foresight to purchase a second site off-plan three years ago. The business was growing and we didn’t want to start extending our lead times and turning business away,” admits Adrian. “We currently have the ability to manufacture 120 doors on an eight-hour shift. The introduction of our second site means we have the opportunity to double this figure. We needed a system that could not only cope with these numbers but would also continue to work just as effectively if we were to expand our production facilities and add more machines to our extraction system. We were also keen to see a reduction in running costs.”
Dustraction Win the Contract
After contacting three well-known extraction companies, Adrian was keen to work with the Leicester-based specialist, Dustraction. “Each company approached the brief very differently, opting for different motor sizes, booster options and varying energy consumption rates, but we’d worked with Dustraction before and we knew the level of knowledge and understanding they brought to the table. We also have an on-going relationship with them as they COSHH test our equipment and have proven to be extremely thorough, consistent and reliable.”
Dustrax Series Filter System Installed
The design of the extraction system, which will handle a total air volume of 13,550m³/hr, consists of a Dustrax No 27 RV Series filter system. It features a tubular sock type filtering system and automatic shaker cleaning mechanism for the removal of surplus dust from the filter sleeves. The system’s V-belt-driven fan has also been specifically designed to handle woodwaste and thanks to a 37 kW TEFC motor, offers an energy efficient alternative to larger motorised system whilst maintaining a high level of performance.
Dustrax Fans also Installed
A further two Dustrax 700 heavy duty V-belt-driven axial fans and disposable paper filters were also positioned in and around the company’s spray room to offer efficient filtration of paint ladened air.
“From quote to completion, the project took just seven weeks,” reflects Adrian. “The site was still being built when Dustraction started the project. They were able to visit the building, take measurements and conduct surveys without having to disrupt the business. They were also able to complete the initial ducting before the new machines arrived on site, and didn’t have to work cranes or cherry pickers around any machinery or have to worry about downtime caused by the installation.”
Adrian adds, “Dustraction worked meticulously to plan around our agreed completion date, and kept us well informed with technical drawings and updates on the build. The whole team was easy to work with and approachable. In fact, during the machinery installation, we realised that we needed to move a few of the machines on the factory floor. This meant the team had to adapt the design to work around our changes and move some of the ducting they’d fitted. There was no hassle involved. They were extremely accommodating and were happy to work the changes into the design.
Money Saving on Energy Bills and Maintenance
“Now the factory is fully up and running, I can confidently say that we chose the right extraction company to work with. We now have a system in place that works effectively with our current production needs and, thanks to the medium-sized motor and the potential to add boosters onto the system in the future if new machinery needs to be added, we have the infrastructure behind us to grow. We’re also saving money on our energy bills and maintenance costs thanks to the technology behind Dustraction’s wood waste dust extraction design. Our paint booth only requires the paper filters to be changed every so often and the dust extraction system requires a three-year service on the main bagging unit to make sure it is drawing the right level of air. Like all units, it is recommended that you change the filter but the system is a driverless motor that requires little interference. The complete system is a great addition to our factory and we will continue to use Dustraction to service and test our equipment on both sites.”
