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Ten Myths About Industrial Air Filtration

ICAN distributors are committed to offering America's industries the very best in air cleaning information and quality systems. Getting the facts can help in selecting the best equipment to achieve optimal air quality with safety and efficiency.

  • Myth #1: Dust collection and air cleaning are only for big companies with big budgets.
    Fact: Many dust collectors have a very reasonable payback period due to the energy savings of recirculating (rather than exhausting) cooled or heated air.
  • Myth #2: Air-to-cloth ratio is the sole criterion for sizing a dust collector.
    Fact: In addition to air-to-cloth, selecting a dust collector for maximum performance should include consideration of cartridge geometry, media permeability, the filter cleaning method, and cabinet can velocity.
  • Myth #3: All dust collectors require separation of hazardous metal grinding (such as aluminum, titanium, and magnesium) from steel dust.
    Fact: Mixed metals can be safely collected when drawn directly into the water filter of a wet collector.
  • Myth #4: Vacuum system pick-up is the most effective way to clean up all kinds of industrial dust.
    Fact: Aluminum dust is particularly hazardous in a high-vacuum system because the build-up of static electricity can be a source of ignition.
  • Myth #5: Dust control booths cannot keep up with heavy dust loading, such as occurs in blasting operations.
    Fact: For heavy applications the most current booth technology offers a pneumatic system, which automatically and continuously conveys the dust to any size disposal container.
  • Myth #6: Ambient air cleaning units always use less energy than source capture systems.
    Fact: While cartridge dust collectors use more energy per unit of air filtered, source capture systems filter only a fraction of the air in the entire room, often resulting in a lower overall cost of operation.
  • Myth #7: It is not common or necessary to collect machine tool oil mist.
    Fact: The ever-increasing number of shops utilizing mist eliminators have discovered that filtration of oil mist improves the work environment in three important ways: it (1) reduces the sticky build-up of all kinds of dirt, making general housekeeping easier; (2) facilitates worker comfort and productivity; and, (3) reduces cancer risks which have been associated with long-term exposure.
  • Myth #8: Switching to a water-based machine tool coolant eliminates the need for mist collection.
    Fact: When water-based coolants are not sufficiently collected, the rise in humidity creates worker discomfort and can damage sensitive electronic controls.
  • Myth #9: Robotic welding stations require little or no weld smoke collection.
    Fact: The fine metal oxides in welding smoke dust are very conductive and can permeate and interfere with the circuitry of sophisticated computerized equipment.
  • Myth #10: OSHA is a small town in Wisconsin.
    Fact: The Occupational Safety Health Administration sets the industry standards that ICAN distributors help their customers meet and exceed.