A dust collection system is an air quality improvement system used in industrial, commercial, and home production shops to improve breathable air quality and safety by removing particulate matter from the air and environment. Dust collection systems work on the basic formula of capture, convey and collect.
This is accomplished with devices such as capture hoods, operated under negative pressure (suction) to catch dust at its source of origin. Many times, the machine producing the dust, like metal grinding dust collectors and dust extraction systems, will have a port to which a duct can be directly attached.
For proper welding ventilation, this is done via a dust collection ducting system, properly sized and manifolded to maintain a consistent minimum air velocity required to keep the dust in suspension for conveyance to the collection device. An industrial dust collection system improperly designed can lead to material settling in the duct system and clogging it, or creating a fire hazard.
This is done via a variety of means, depending on the application and the dust being handled. For a dust extraction system or metal dust collector, It can be as simple as a basic pass-through filter, a cyclonic separator, an impingement baffle or other separator system. It can also be as complex as an electrostatic precipitator, a multistage baghouse, or a chemically treated wet scrubber or stripping tower. Similarly, weld smoke collection (welding ventilation) can be accomplished through a variety of collection solutions.
