Purex Fume Extraction Systems

Purex supply machines to many industries and blue chip manufacturing companies worldwide. Applications include:

Laser Coding and Marking
Continuous Ink Jet Coding and Marking
Laser Engraving
Wide Format Printing
Dye Sublimation
Reflow & Wave Soldering
Manual Soldering
Laser & Robotic Soldering
Underfill & Conformal Coating
Cleanrooms & Laboratories
Education & Engineering
 

Fume Extraction Systems

Local and international health and safety legislation (such as COSHH, NIOSHH, OSHA etc) states that it is the employers responsibility to protect the health, welfare and safety of their employees. Failure to do so can result in expensive legal action, potential fines and poor employee relations.

The Need for Fume Extraction
Many types of dust and fume are hazardous to health if inhaled. People can become permanently sensitised to fumes which means that continued exposure, even to very small amounts of fume, may cause asthma attacks or other respiratory diseases. A high performance fume extraction system will help to:

Protect employee health
Ensure compliance with Health & Safety regulations such as OSHA, NIOSH C.O.S.H.H, MAK, AFNOR, or equivalent
Increase production speeds
Reduce complaints by operators due to odours, dust and vapours
Avoid possible cost of health compensation claims
Reduce the cost & time to cleaning laser lenses, conveyors, guarding, soldering machines and other equipment
Reduce product contamination
Provide a better working environment
Reduce downtime

Which Extraction System?
These are usually two types of extraction system available:-

External - pump contaminated air into the environment outside the building
Internal - at source capture and filtration or LEV (local exhaust ventillation) system
In our opinion the best system to use is an LEV system such as a Purex. These capture fumes at the source thereby preventing fumes escaping into the workplace. They also filter hazardous particles and gasses which would otherwise be pumped into the outside environment causing pollution.

Using an internal filter system also avoids issues with environmental regulations and potential complaints from neighbouring businesses about fumes and odours.

Purex LEV systems sit next to the process and the extraction rate can be altered precisely to suit the application. Purex machines are also easy to move if the process moves.

LEV systems have additional benefits over external exhaust systems

How Purex fume extractors capture particles
Different applications produce different types and different amounts of particulates and gases so a variety of filters and extractors is required. Purex machines deliver the correct combination of components to do the job correctly. These include:

Cabinets and coatings
Blowers
Reverse airflow
Pre-filters
Main filters
Blowers

Purex blowers have been designed to deliver high performance and long service life. Special features include:

High pressure development to give longer filter life and good extraction rates.
Compact size means Purex machines keep a small footprint.
Brushless design means they are continuously rated for 24/7 operation.
The speed of the blower is electronically adjusted which means "Flow Control' is possible.
Filter Features:

Maximum airflow - The filter design allow the use of high pressure blowers to overcome the resistance to airflow through a filter for much longer as the filter begins to block. This means the filters last longer.
Guaranteed unburstable - By employing reinforcing.
Design - The size, design and production technique gives more filter media surface area than in many other filters, thus extending life span.
Maximum filtration - In independent tests, these filters remove 99.997% of all particles above 0.3 microns and 95% down to 0.01 micron.
Flow equalisation plates - Help to distribute the airflow over the filter media and make the whole filter more robust.
Precise and rigid construction - Helps ensure that no fumes are allowed to pass around the filter and escape into the workplace. 
 
Laser Coding & Marking
CO2, YAG and Diode lasers are commonly used to code and mark components or products which are manufactured from a variety of materials. Hazardous fumes and dust are produced when the substrate, lacquer, paint or coating is marked or cut. Purex systems not only help ensure compliance with International Health and Safety Law but also deliver actual cost savings to the production process.

Materials lased include:

Plastics (PVC & PET etc.)
Ceramics
Metals
Paper & Cardboard
Foil
Enamel
Wood
Glass
Rubber 

Purex Solution
Purex fume extraction systems are designed in conjunction with some of the worlds largest laser coding & marking system manufactures to:

Prevent damage to the laser and components
Protect personnel from harmful fumes
Reduce product rejects due to poor laser performance
Maintain a constant extraction rate
Deliver long filter life
Interface with the laser 
  

Fume Extractors for Inkjet Coding & Marking
These fume extractors are designed to capture and filter harmful solvent vapour from inkjet printers then return clean air to the workplace without the need for an expensive and disruptive vent to atmosphere ducting system.

Inkjet printers are used widely throughout manufacturing and packaging industries to apply information, identification codes and best before dates etc. onto products made from various materials such as glass, card and metal.

Various organic solvents are used as carriers for the ink pigment such as Methyl Ethyl Ketone (M.E.K.) which can cause eye irritation and CNS depression, it is also a skin irritant and can be harmful by ingestion or inhalation.

Purex Solution
The Purex extraction and purification system effectively captures fumes from both the print head and the vents in the control unit, therefore protecting personnel from inhaling the solvent fumes.

Fumes are drawn through a Purex Solvent-Lock filter which utilises a specialised blend of filter media to adsorb and oxidise the solvent safely before clean air is returned to the workplace. Purex systems help to:

Protect personnel
Ensure compliance with health and safety legislation
Prevent medical conditions such as fatigue, headaches, nausea
Reduce absenteeism
Remove solvent odours

They are also:

Completely mobile
Compact and quiet in operation
Easily maintained
and offer long filter life 

Fume Extractors for Laser Engraving Machines
Engraving lasers are commonly used to engrave or cut products which are manufactured from a variety of materials. Hazardous fumes and dust are produced when the substrate, lacquer, paint or coating is laser processed. Purex systems not only help ensure compliance with International Health and Safety Law but also deliver actual cost savings to the production process.

Materials lased include:

Plastics (PVC & PET etc.)
Ceramics
Metals
Paper & Cardboard
Foil
Enamel
Wood
Glass
Rubber
 

Purex Solution
Purex fume extraction systems are designed in conjunction with some of the worlds largest laser engraving system manufactures to:

Prevent damage to the laser and components.
Protect personnel from harmful fumes.
Reduce product rejects due to poor laser performance.
Maintain a constant extraction rate.
Deliver long filter life.
Interface with the laser
 

Fume Extractors for Wide Format Printers
Ink fumes from printers can cause headaches and nausea but also an unpleasant working environment and so they should be controlled. Processes requiring fume extraction include:

Wide Format Printers
Dye Sublimation
UV Printing
and more...

Purex systems are available with bespoke connection kits for all common printer models including:

EFI Vutek
HP
Mimaki
Mutoh
Roland
OCE
Seiko and more 

Purex Solution
Purex fume extraction systems are designed in conjunction with some of the worlds largest printer manufactures.

There are typically three sources of fumes and odours when using a wide format printer:

1. Vapour released as the ink is applied
2. Vapour from the print passing over the heater platen
3. Vents underneath the heater platen

The Captivair includes hoods, hoses and manifolds to capture fumes from the printer’s enclosure at several key points. The contaminated air is then drawn through a special filter where the contaminants are captured allowing filtered air to be returned to the workplace.

Fume Extractors for Electronics Manufacturing Processes
The soldering process itself can produce some, if not all, of the fumes in the list below. These fumes can cause occupational asthma, long term carcinogenic diseases and other serious complaints. The result of these illnesses can be expensive compensation claims from employees, long term sickness and poor employee relations, plus heavy penalties from enforcement agencies.

Carbon Monoxide
Volatile Organic Compounds (V.O.C)
Abietic Acid
Pimaric Acid
Aliphatic Aldehydes
Hydrochloric Acid
Isocyanates
Isopropyl Alcohol
 

Processes requiring fume extraction include:

Reflow Ovens
Selective Soldering
Wave Soldering
Hand Soldering
Rework, Repair and Education
Laser & Robotic Soldering
Underfill
Conformal Coating
Printing
Solvent Applications
 

Purex Solution
Purex fume extraction systems are designed in conjunction with some of the worlds largest Contract Electronics Manufactures and Equipment Providers to help:

Prevent damage to production machinery.
Reduce downtime for cleaning and maintenance
Protect personnel from harmful fumes.
Reduce product rejects due to poor production performance.
Maintain a constant extraction rate to ensure stable temperature profiles.
Deliver long filter life.
Interface with the production equipment

Fume Extractors for Other Processes
Custom Build Fume and Dust Extractors
Purex supply systems to a wide variety of industries. These industries operate extremely varied applications that often call for custom built dust and fume extractors.

Examples of custom products are:

Specialised extractors for nitrogen reflow ovens
Solvent Recovery Units for aqueous cleaning systems
Sealed extractors for the medical industry
Extractors for organic waste recepticles
Custom made filters for cleanroom applications
Bespoke connection kits for engraving lasers
One off hood designs to capture laser fumes
Custom made downdraft benches and many more..

Fume Extractors for Pharmaceutical and Medical Applications
A variety of processes in the pharmaceutical and medical industries can produce fumes, dust and bacteria which are harmful to health if inhaled. For example:

Tablet manufacturing
Chemical production
Medical procedures such as laser surgery
Research and laboratory work
Laser marking (date and batch coding)
Medical waste storage
Powder handling
Dust and Fume in the Classroom
Practical activities such as soldering, cutting and welding are increasingly common in the classroom, lab and workshop but the hazardous dust and fumes generated are not always considered.

Indeed, the hazard may not have been identified.

A survey carried out by the National Asthma Campaign shows that over 100,000 people are admitted to hospital annually with asthma - half of these are children. The COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) regulations place a legal responsibility on employers to ensure that their employees and other persons in the workplace are protected from hazardous substances.

This legislation applies to local authority and education establishments just as it applies to industry.

View Purex Website www.purex.co.uk/