Dust, Mist & Fume Collection for Aerospace and Aviation
With the new advancements in technology, the aerospace and aviation industries are some of the largest and most powerful in the world. Recent demands for higher production of airplanes and airplane parts have produced a rising number of challenges in maintaining safer air quality controls. The industries' use of exotic metals such as aluminum, titanium, and magnesium, add the element of explosive metal dust to most applications. As production schedules increase, it is harder for managers to consistently monitor a safe and clean workplace. For example, metal cutting machines turn at higher speeds creating an increasingly smaller mist particle, which makes the old centrifugal separator technology useless when collecting the particulate. Also, the exotic metal dust needs to be collected, which requires the use of wet dust collectors and is an area of expertise at Hastings Air Energy.
Common Risks of Aircraft Processing Dust
Sanding, grinding and deburring aircraft parts produce larger amounts of dust that are toxic when inhaled. The dust and particles created from sanding certain materials such as carbon fibers can seep into the skin causing severe irritations. Performing these processes on explosive metal dust can cause an explosion hazard, but Hastings Air Energy’s line of wet dust collectors meets all of OSHA’s and the NFPA requirements. Sanding and finishing can wreak havoc on computers, industrial motors, and cause a housekeeping nightmare by allowing explosive dust to build up on rafters. Hastings can provide many different options for sanding and finishing processes.
Air Cleaning Systems For the Aerospace Aviation Industry
Health Problems Associated With Thermal Spraying Are Similar to Those of Welding
Thermal spraying, a coating process, uses molten materials like metal to create the coating using a spray gun or torch. The aviation and aerospace industries rely heavily on thermal spraying and hundreds of key components in the aircraft's engine that require a thermal coating to operate efficiently. Health problems associated with thermal spraying are similar to those of welding. Breathing in metal fumes from several toxic metals like nickel and chromium can put workers at risk for serious health-related concerns like parkinsonian syndrome.
Other issues that arise when not maintaining dust, fume, and mist collection include:
- Liver damage
- Central nervous system damage
- Various types of cancer
- Excess fluid in the lungs
- Lead poisoning
- Eye, nose, and throat irritation
- And More!
Advantages of Dust Collectors for Aerospace Aviation Industry
Hastings Air Energy Control offers several types of extraction arms, dust containment booths, wet dust collectors, cartridge dust collectors, and explosion protection equipment to collect the metal fumes and dust from thermal spraying. A DHA (dust hazard analysis) should be performed to select the proper explosion protection and collector type. Products include:
- cartridge dust collectors
- specialty hoods
Our team takes pride in our ability to provide reliable and easy maintenance dust collection systems for the aerospace and defense industry. Contact us today for more information on our aerospace and aviation industry mist collection!
