Welding and grinding are two essential processes in many industrial operations. Both generate dust and fumes that must be safely controlled. A common question in these environments is whether the same filtration system can be used for both processes. It is technically possible to use a single dust collection system. However, there are several critical considerations to address to ensure safety and efficiency. Simply combining welding fumes and grinding dust without proper design could lead to significant risks.
Understanding the Differences Between Welding Fumes and Grinding Dust
Welding and grinding produce very different types of contaminants:
Welding Fumes: These consist primarily of fine metal oxides generated as a result of the welding process. Welding fume particles are typically very small (sub-micron size). Inhaling them is hazardous as they often contain materials such as iron oxide, manganese, or chromium, depending on the welded metal.
Grinding Dust: Grinding produces larger particulates and can include a mix of materials. This dust may contain metal shavings, abrasives from grinding wheels, and other byproducts. The composition and size of grinding dust can vary significantly. It depends on the materials being worked on and the tools being used.
Mixing these two types of particulates in the same dust collection system can lead to unintended consequences. For example, combining metal fumes with abrasive grinding dust may alter the dust’s characteristics, potentially making it more combustible or flammable. This risk is amplified because sparks are often present in both processes.
Fire and Explosion Risks in Combined Systems
Sparks are a major fire hazard when combined with combustible dust. Both welding and grinding produce sparks that have the potential to travel through the extraction system and ignite flammable particulates.
If mixing welding and grinding dust, the potential for combustion increases because the dust characteristics are unpredictable. This requires careful design of the dust collection system to include features like spark arrestors and fire suppression systems. Ignoring these precautions could lead to catastrophic fires or explosions in the workplace.
Sizing the Dust Collection System Properly
Another important consideration when using the same system for welding and grinding is the sizing of the dust collector. The efficiency of a dust collection system depends heavily on the air-to-cloth ratio—the volume of air passing through a square foot of filter media.
Welding fumes, being fine and lightweight, allow for a higher air-to-cloth ratio. In contrast, grinding dust, which includes larger and heavier particles, requires a lower air-to-cloth ratio to ensure proper filtration. If using the same system for both processes, it’s critical to size it conservatively to accommodate the demands of grinding dust. A system designed solely for welding fumes may not effectively handle grinding dust. This leads to reduced efficiency, increased filter wear, and higher maintenance costs.
To safely extract both welding and grinding contaminants, the dust collector should have a low enough air-to-cloth ratio to handle the larger grinding particulates without compromising on the capture of fine welding fumes.
Designing a Safe, Effective Solution for Welding and Grinding Dust and Fumes
While using a single dust collection system for both welding and grinding is feasible, it must be carefully designed to address the specific challenges of each process:
Dust Hazard Analysis: Conduct a thorough analysis to understand the composition, combustibility, and volume of the dust and fumes produced.
Proper Filtration: Select filter media that can suitably handle both fine welding fumes and larger grinding particulates.
Spark Control: Incorporate spark arrestors, fire suppression systems, and explosion vents to mitigate fire hazards.
Sizing and Airflow: Design the system with an appropriately low air-to-cloth ratio to accommodate grinding dust while still effectively filtering welding fumes.
Segregation (Optional): In high-risk environments, consider separate extraction systems for welding and grinding to minimize safety concerns.
While welding and grinding can share the same dust and fume extraction system, it is not always the recommended solution. Mixing welding fumes with grinding dust poses risks related to combustibility, fire hazards, and filtration efficiency. If you choose to use a common system, it’s essential to design it with care—accounting for the specific needs of both processes, ensuring proper sizing, and implementing safety features like spark control systems.
Ultimately, a well-designed dust collection system will not only keep your facility safe and compliant but also improve air quality, protect equipment, and enhance overall productivity. If you are unsure whether a shared system is appropriate for your operation, consulting with dust collection experts can help you make the best decision for your facility’s needs.
When it comes to industrial operations, air quality management is a crucial aspect of maintaining compliance with environmental regulations and protecting the surrounding community. A common question arises for facility managers and safety coordinators: Do I need to filter air before ventilating it outdoors? In most cases, the answer is yes—but the specifics depend on the type of operation, the nature of the contaminants in the air, and regulatory requirements in your region.
Understanding Emissions Regulations
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and local Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) agencies regulate air emissions to ensure that pollutants released into the atmosphere do not harm human health or the environment. For many industrial facilities, exhausting air outdoors requires obtaining an emissions permit from the DEP. These permits outline specific conditions under which air can be discharged. These include limitations on the types and amounts of contaminants present in the exhaust air.
If the air your facility exhausts contains harmful particulates, fumes, or chemical vapors, filtration will likely be required to meet regulatory standards. But failure to comply with these standards can result in hefty fines, legal consequences, and potential harm to the environment or nearby communities.
Why Filtration Is Necessary
Ventilating air outdoors may contain a range of contaminants, depending on your industrial processes. These can include dust, smoke, fumes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and hazardous air pollutants (HAPs). Releasing unfiltered air can pose serious risks to both public health and the environment. For example:
Public Health Risks: Harmful particulates and chemical fumes can cause respiratory issues and other health problems for people living or working near your facility.
Environmental Impact: Airborne contaminants can contribute to smog, acid rain, and other environmental issues.
Odor Control: Even if the contaminants in your air do not pose a direct health risk, strong odors can be a nuisance to the local community.
By implementing proper filtration systems, you can significantly reduce these risks while also ensuring compliance with emissions regulations.
When Filtration Is Required
The following situations typically require filtration::
Presence of Harmful Contaminants: If your operations generate pollutants like dust, fumes, or chemical vapors, filtration is necessary to remove or reduce these contaminants before the air is released.
Permit Requirements: Most emissions permits issued by the DEP will specify allowable levels of contaminants in exhausted air. Filtration helps ensure your facility meets these thresholds.
Community and Environmental Impact: Even if your facility is not strictly required to filter air under specific regulations, doing so can help maintain good relationships with the surrounding community and minimize environmental harm.
Choosing the Right Filtration System
Selecting the right filtration system depends on the type of contaminants present in your air stream. Common solutions include:
Dust Collectors: These systems, such as baghouses or cartridge collectors, are effective at removing particulate matter from exhaust air.
Fume Extractors: Ideal for capturing welding fumes, smoke, and fine particulates.
Activated Carbon Filters: Used to capture VOCs and other chemical vapors.
HEPA Filters: Provide high-efficiency filtration for very fine particles, ensuring clean air discharge.
Benefits of Filtering Air Before Ventilating It Outdoors
Filtration not only ensures regulatory compliance but also offers several additional benefits:
Avoiding Fines: Compliance with emissions permits prevents costly penalties for violations.
Protecting Public Health: Proper filtration minimizes the impact of harmful air contaminants on nearby communities.
Reducing Environmental Damage: By filtering pollutants, your facility contributes to cleaner air and a healthier planet.
Maintaining Reputation: Proactive air quality management demonstrates your commitment to responsible operations, fostering trust with regulators and the public.
In most cases, filtering air before ventilating it outdoors is not just a good idea—it’s a necessity. So whether required by an emissions permit or driven by a desire to protect public health and the environment, filtration systems play a critical role in responsible industrial operations. But are you unsure about your facility’s specific requirements? Then consult with an air quality professional or the DEP as a prudent first step. Investing in proper filtration ensures compliance, reduces risk, and helps create a cleaner, safer future for everyone.
Conducting a Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) is a critical safety step for any facility handling potentially combustible or explosible materials. The process, outlined in NFPA 654, Chapter 7, involves a detailed examination of fire and explosion risks. This includes assessing potential consequences and identifying mitigation measures. A DHA has been required for any facility that may have combustible dust since September 7th, 2020. Many facilities 4 years later still have not conducted a DHA. However, a common question arises: Who is qualified to conduct a DHA?
The Role of a Qualified Individual
NFPA (National Fire Protection Agency) guidelines require that a qualified individual conduct or oversee the DHA. But what does “qualified” mean in this context? While NFPA 654 itself doesn’t explicitly define the qualifications, NFPA 652 provides helpful guidance. A qualified person or team should have expertise in the following areas:
Familiarity with Processes and Operations – They should understand the facility’s operations, including handled materials, equipment, and the specific risks associated with these processes.
Knowledge of Process Equipment and Safety Systems – Understanding how the machinery operates and how safety systems function is crucial for identifying and mitigating risks.
Emergency Procedures – A qualified individual should also be familiar with the facility’s emergency protocols to recommend enhancements, if needed.
Material Properties – A deep understanding of the physical and chemical properties of the handled materials —including their combustibility and explosibility—is essential for accurate risk assessment.
Who Can Be Considered Qualified?
Based on these criteria, several types of individuals or teams could potentially conduct a DHA:
In-House Experts – Facilities with experienced safety professionals or engineers may conduct the DHA internally. However, these individuals must have a robust understanding of the guidelines and all relevant aspects of the operation.
External Consultants – Many companies choose to hire third-party experts who specialize in dust hazard analysis. Consultants often bring broad experience across various industries. This can be beneficial for identifying risks that in-house teams might overlook.
Interdisciplinary Teams – Combining expertise from different areas, such as process engineering, maintenance, safety management, and emergency planning, can create a comprehensive approach to the DHA.
When Should a Dust Hazard Analysis Be Conducted?
The NFPA mandates that facility owners ensure a DHA is completed in the following situations:
For Existing Facilities – Even if a facility has never experienced an incident, this is not a valid reason to avoid conducting a DHA. It serves as a proactive measure to prevent potential disasters. If a facility has never had a DHA completed, NFPA mandates that they get one.
For New Installations or Upgrades – Any new installations, expansions, or upgrades to existing systems require a fresh DHA to assess potential risks introduced by the changes.
Periodic Reviews – Review and update a DHA at least every five years, even if no significant changes have occurred.
Documentation and Action
Thoroughly documenting the results of the DHA is mandatory, along with actionable recommendations for improving safety. This may include changes to process materials, operational practices, or facility layout.
While NFPA guidelines don’t dictate a specific individual for conducting a DHA, the emphasis is on expertise and thoroughness. Facility owners must prioritize this critical safety measure by involving qualified personnel—whether internal or external—to ensure the long-term safety and compliance of their operations.
Back at Fabtech Donovan sits down with Chris Phillip from AKS Cutting. Chris gives us the rundown on how the show is going. Chris talks about new features and programs being offered at AKS to help with your maintenance and service on your cutting tables.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dusty Job podcast. We’re sitting now with Chris from AKS. How’s it going, Chris?
Chris: Good, it’s going well. Day three of the show and we’re about wrapped up and I’m excited to get back home, honestly.
Donovan: There you go. Have you guys had a good show so far?
Chris: Yes, so far we have had almost 200 leads scanned.
Donovan: Oh, wow.
Chris: A lot of people interested in self-cleaning systems, tube systems, bevel cutting, and really I think it’s cutting out the shell and making sparks that just attracts a crowd.
Donovan: There you go, making sparks but not making any smoke.
Chris: You got that right.
Donovan: ‘Cause we’re helping you out with that.
Chris: Yeah, you got that right.
Donovan: So there you go. But, so one of the things you said people are interested in is, did you say self-cleaning system?
Chris: Yeah, so it’s a new thing that other people have had it for many years and how we’re doing it is a little bit different. On our unitized system, our Accu-Kut, we put a motor with a drive shaft on one side, some chains and some blades that are made out of angle iron. And it just slowly scrapes out the inside of the table and it keeps all that debris from building up inside of the system.
Donovan: Right, so it just kinda pulls it all down to a trough?
Chris: Yep.
Donovan: So I, well, I can say from my side as more of the dust and fume collection side, that’s gotta help with the airflow through there as that happens.
Chris: It really does. It really does. We’ve seen that often people that have tables over the years, they slowly let it fill up more and more. You know, at the end of the first month, you clean it out. And at the end of the third month, you clean it out again. And then at the end of the first year, you clean it out. And it’s way too much, right? And it’s impeding your airflow throughout the system. And by continuously having this system clean out your table, you’re optimizing the airflow throughout the whole table. And you’re not relying on the operator to take the time to pick out all that debris themselves.
Donovan: Yeah, yeah. And that can get tricky. And honestly, you wanna be paying that guy to be cutting.
Chris: Yep.
Donovan: You don’t wanna be paying him to do the cleaning.
Chris: 100%
Donovan: So the fact that the machine does the cleaning for you, just, that’s just another time saver, money saver, money maker, really in the end, isn’t it?
Chris: It’s our leading idea right now with our new Cut Everyday campaign, that idea of keeping yourself up and running and cutting all day long.
Donovan: Say this again, Cut Everyday.
Chris: Yep.
Donovan: Okay, so what’s the idea behind this?
Chris: It’s a way to try to promote the integration of service, sales, and aftermarket support to our customers, and try to showcase in particular success stories that we’ve had with our service techs over the last six to 12 months, some special projects that they’ve worked on to really keep people cutting every day.
Donovan: So Cut Everyday means let’s eliminate downtime.
Chris: Right.
Donovan: What’s, when you’re talking about service, what’s some of the things we could expect from AKS service? What’s the number one thing you see people go down because of?
Chris: Well, the number one thing that I see people go down, it would have to be gas pressure.
Donovan: Really?
Chris:Yep, gas pressure. You need to have between 115 to 125 PSI. Consistent air flow, air O2, N2, Argon, whatever gas you’re using, and it’s a 10 PSI range. You go outside of that range, the Hypertherm XPR unit starts getting a little funky, it gets a little upset. And without a doubt, whenever somebody calls in, the first thing we ask them is, what’s your gas set to? And 80% of the time, that’s the fix.
Donovan: So we have a lot of things like that too. You got some go-tos in it. So part of the Cut Everyday campaign, you might get an email or a text message that says, hey, have you checked your gas pressure lately? Is that kind of what you guys are doing?
Chris: Exactly. –
Donovan: Other tips like that to help people just maintain their table.
Chris: 100%.
Donovan: So I’d look at that, you got another tip for anybody who’s listening out there on something that can help keep you running every day?
Chris: Yep, run your consumables longer.
Donovan:Your consumables? Okay, so what do you mean by that?
Chris: All the parts that go inside of the torch body themself. There’s a stack up of your electrode, inner cap, outer cap, and a couple others. A lot of people, I walk into shops all the time and I look at their bucket of spent consumables, and half of them aren’t fully spent. And that’s money right down the drain. We actually recommend using a pit depth gauge indicator, a little gauge that will–
Donovan: Okay, say this one more time, a pit depth gauge indicator.
Chris: Yeah, pit depth gauge or pit depth indicator. I combine the two, but yeah, pit depth gauge. And what all that does is it measures the top of the electrode, there’s a little indent on the top of there. And every time you turn on the torch, it liquefies, there’s a piece of material in there called hafnium. And every time you turn on the torch, it liquefies that hafnium. And then when you turn off the torch, it solidifies. And it spits out a little drop of the hafnium. So that pit gets deeper and deeper and deeper until it’s fully spent.
Donovan: Gotcha.
Chris: Well, a lot of people, they just look at that and they go, okay, my cut quality’s gotten a little bit worse. I should go ahead and change it. That’s not the thing to do. Take it out, check it with a pit depth gauge and see if it’s truly spent or not. And you can probably increase your consumable life by 20, 30%.
Donovan: Well, and then that just helps you make more money.
Chris: 100%.
Donovan: Right, and then we’re not throwing away things that are still good. We don’t wanna be doing that. Well, that’s, those are, so if you wanna learn more stuff about that, contact AKS for the next 60 days. It could be, I don’t know when you’re listening to this, but if you missed it, you can probably still get ahold of ’em, they’ll still give you a lot of tips.
Chris: Yeah, we’ve been around for 120 years, so at least another year or two. We’ll be around.
Donovan: So, but when you’re listening to this podcast or watching us on YouTube, if it’s past 60 days, past Fabtech, you can still reach out to AKS. They’ll still give you a bunch of tips on how to keep your table running, keep it going good.
Chris: 100%.
Donovan: And then, if you’re really having some issues, you guys got service teams, right? Come out, help you out.
Chris: Yep. We have third party techs across the country, another seven out of Cleveland, Ohio. And also, we have several that are across the country as direct employees as well.
Donovan: Now, Cleveland, Ohio, that’s where you guys are based, right?
Chris: Yes.
Donovan: Now, I’ve been reading a little bit, and I guess there’s a lot of industry starting to move into Ohio.
Chris: Yeah, yeah. In particular, the Intel plant in Columbus.
Donovan: Oh yeah.
Chris: That’s a big deal.
Donovan: Yeah.
Chris: That job right there, we have several customers in the structural steel space in particular, that are prefabricating the entire modules of buildings for Intel. And they’re fabbing those up, out of structural components, welding them together. And then shipping them to the job site to be installed as a modular construction of the factory.
Donovan: Well, that’s great. I mean, that’s all that’s great. You know, that’s great for you guys. That’s great for America. It’s great for our workers. We’re bringing some of these jobs back.
Chris: Definitely.
Donovan: Which is, which is just gonna be good all around. And so, you guys are helping build some stuff. We’re trying to help you guys make sure that those guys are going home healthy and safe to their families.
Chris: You got that right. The smoke is a big deal. It’s, I see it every day, walking into a shop, but there’s little plumes of smoke coming off their table and people look at it and say, ah, what can you do? You can do something about it with good techniques, a clean table.
Donovan: Right.
Chris: And making sure that you’re a properly sized dust collector as well.
Donovan: Yeah.
Chris: That’s, that a lot of people have undersized dust collectors. That’s for sure.
Donovan: Yeah, yeah. And there’s some, yeah, if you’re having issues with your dust collector, you can reach out to AKS. We’ll help you support you guys in that. You guys have a wealth of knowledge in that field too. So if you don’t know the answer, you’d get ahold of us.
Chris: A hundred percent.
Donovan: Yeah. But, so Chris, you guys have anything, you got your cut everyday campaign coming up. You guys have, do you guys have anything else coming up down the line that we should be looking out for?
Chris: We’re always looking for new things. We’re always on the search for new products to innovate on. In the last year, we’ve released a small drill to go on our Accu-Kut and Dura-Kut.
Donovan: Oh really?
Chris: Yeah, for small holes in plate. We’ve integrated the Telesis pin stamping system.
Donovan: Wait, you’re gonna have to say that one more time.
Chris: Sure. Telesis, that’s a company.
Donovan: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
Chris: And they have a pin stamper, a high speed pin stamper. That you position it and then it can scribe and to steel letters and numbers and lines. It’s a good way for, especially if you have to keep track of heat numbers or something by the part. It’s a really good way to make sure that you can do that effectively.
Donovan: So the machine will just do it for you there so you don’t have to rely on somebody else to do it after the fact.
Chris: Exactly.
Donovan: Oh, that’s great.
Chris: It can be right on the program, right on a scribe layer in the program. And it’ll operate the Telesis and mark your parts for you.
Donovan: Oh, that’s awesome. So you guys have been around for a long time, innovating for a long time, you’re still doing it. And yeah, like you said, you guys aren’t going anywhere. So, and we’re gonna be here to help you out. Keep partnering with AKS to make sure everybody goes home healthier and safer. And I’ll tell you what, I don’t know if we have anything else to talk about right now. I can’t think.
Chris: Yeah, I think we’re good.
Donovan: It’s been a long show. It’s been a good time.
Chris: Yeah.
Donovan: We’re glad to have you guys as partners.
Chris: Definitely.
Donovan: And if you have a question about tips, need a table, you can check out AKS.com. You guys have a YouTube page. You guys have LinkedIn and all that, right?
Chris: Yep.
Donovan: Yeah. And same with us, come check us out on our social media, on LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook. And until the next time we get to talk to you guys, stay healthy and stay safe out there.
Chris: You got it. Thank you, Donovan.
Donovan: Yep.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Drops podcast. Breathe Better, Work Safer. (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]
We have Beau back for the Three-Peat! This is the third time Beau Wigington has graced our podcast at Fabtech. He sits down with Donovan and talks about what he has seen at the Orlando show for new tech and people. He also discusses new content and happenings at @Welddotcom . They also talk about how dust collection works in other parts of the world.
Narrator: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems. Industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello, welcome to another episode of the Dusty Jobs podcast. Still at Fabtech, still meeting people. We got Beau from Weld.com on again.
Beau: Three Pete baby.
Donovan: Yeah, third year in a row.
Beau: Yep.
Donovan: Yeah, I love catching up with you because a lot of times I’m here at the booth and I’m meeting people, talking to people about fume collection, but you –
Beau: I’m a nomad.
Donovan: You get to go out and see the whole show.
Beau: Oh yeah.
Donovan: So you’re going to be the man on the beat for us this year.
Beau: Alright.
Donovan: And tell us what is Beau seeing at the show so far that you’ve learned about, maybe it’s interesting to you. We’re all about learning about new things.
Beau: So the first thing I learned about this year was we visited a company called, they have a machine called the Beam Champ. And it has the ability to lift like girders you find, like you put in the ceilings and everything. Like these giant beams, it can roll it like nothing and place them. And so we went and saw that in action, which was pretty cool.
Donovan: That’s awesome.
Beau: Like I didn’t know what that was all about. I didn’t know it was something that happened, but they build like all the like Amazon facilities and everything, like using these crazy, crazy contraptions they have. We’re going to hopefully go check out that in action next year. And then saw, I learned about markers. I just did a podcast with Markal.
Donovan: Like a marker, like the thing you…
Beau: Yeah. No, there’s a lot of science that goes into markers because like in welding you’re going to deal with not just a clean surface every time. Sometimes you’re going to have an oily surface. They have a marker for that. Like you can write right through the oil and it just runs away from it. It’s really wild. They have glow in the dark markers. They have ones that can go over course surfaces and not like break up. It was… I really learned a lot on that podcast.
Donovan: Yeah. Well, and that’s the crazy and great thing about Fabtech that, you know, people who are in the industry, you can come here and learn about new things, different things, an oil marker. You could be having a problem. You didn’t know the answer was two.
Beau: And it’s here.
Donovan: You could find it here.
Beau I did a podcast with Gentex. They make all of the helmets for… Or most of the helmets for the military. But they also have a PAPR system, but it’s all one. Like it’s just one piece. There’s no like backpack or anything like that.
Donovan: Oh, it’s all in the helmet.
Beau: Mm-hmm.
Donovan: Oh, that’s great.
Beau: I know that might not be something I’m talking about because we’re fume extracting over here.
Donovan: Well, you and I were talking a little bit earlier about this too, how it’s like, you know, we want… We’re all about the health and safety of workers going home better to their families. And sometimes you can’t capture everything with a fume collector. You got to have… And sometimes people get into welding some stuff that’s nasty stuff.
Beau: Yeah.
Donovan: And, you know, you need that personal protection at that time. But what happens when you take that helmet off, right?
Beau: You’re right back in the blue fog.
Donovan: Yeah, you don’t want that all floating around you. So there’s situations that… What are you going to do? You want to pump it outside? You want the neighbors to breathe that, the kid playing the ball down the street? You don’t want that. So that’s where we come in with those companies to help make sure that the worker’s safe and the environment’s safe and it’s not drifting into the office space or whatever. So we want to not just make sure you’re safe while you’re welding, but when you’re done or that piece of equipment that’s running beside you, even though you take it off, that could be producing stuff. And we just want to keep everybody safe. So that’s not… There’s all types of safety out there that we’re just one part of it.
Beau: Yeah. Well, it never really clicked to me, like before you said it, that you don’t want to pump it outside because a lot of people will have a box fan in their window just pumping it out. But I never even thought about this isn’t pumping outside.
Donovan: No.
Beau: I thought I was like pumping it out.
Donovan: No.
Beau: It’s collecting it?
Donovan: It’s collecting it. So ours is a fume collector. It’s taking all the things that we shouldn’t be breathing in, you shouldn’t be breathing in, it’s not good for anybody. We’re collecting it into that filter and then we’re taking that air and we’re pumping it back in so that you have a clean air in your shop or clean air outside for everybody else who’s living around the facility.
Beau: Hey. Win-win.
Donovan: It is. I mean, I don’t think, you know, back in the day we used to have smog filled cities and things like that. I don’t think anybody wants to go back to that. I think we all want to have cleaner air. And I know it’s not something that’s glamorous or makes the company a lot of money, but in the end it’s probably better for everybody who’s involved around it.
Beau: Yeah. Well, that’s been a hot topic with all the podcasts I’ve been doing this year. Everyone wants to talk about safety. That one was about respiratory safety and all the things that… I mean, I meet a lot of welders. I go and visit a lot of welders and overseas, like, PAPRs are mandated. It’s like you have to have a PAPR on. Over here, they’re not. And we do a bunch of videos where we don’t have a PAPR on and we get a lot of people saying, “Hey, hey, you guys aren’t cowboys. You’ve got to protect yourself.”
Donovan: Right.
Beau: Because it’s just so different out here. I don’t think people in America are quite as educated to the negative effects of welding that comes from the fumes. Or if they are, they just don’t care, man. It’s weird.
Donovan: Yeah. I know I wouldn’t want my children to breathe in a lot of that. So to anything you can do to try to help clean that air up. In not every situation you can have that or whatever, but at least you could start cleaning the air in your shop to make it better. And that’s what we’re trying to do is help the health and safety of the factors. I like to always say, in Imperial Systems, you come to our place, you’re going to look across the way and you’re going to see a cornfield.
Beau: Or you’re going to see a big old model of your entire thing.
Donovan: That’s true. But it’s literally just a bunch of middle class guys that are welding equipment together for other middle class guys that we’re all just trying to go home better to our families at the end of the day. So tell me more about Weld.com. Now we were talking, you said there’s been some stuff you guys started shifting last year.
Beau: Mid-shift. We shifted. So traditionally Weld.com was like, we would teach you how to passing certification tests or getting started in MIG and TIG and all the different processes. We still make those videos, but we added another element where we’ve been, I think we’ve been on nine or ten trips this year traveling to different cities.
Donovan: You’ve been busy, man.
Beau: Yeah. It’s been real busy. But we’ve just been traveling, doing many tours. Welding tours, I like to say. But we, so we’ll go to a town for a day, make a couple videos with one shop, and then we’ll go and visit another one. Because we’re trying to show people where you actually take these skills after school or after learning. Because a lot of people, I know I probably have said it every year, I’ve been on the podcast, but a lot of people in the industry, they think you could be in manufacturing, you could be in structural welding, or you could be in pipe welding. And that’s the narrow scope that people have when they get into the industry. Right. And so my goal with Weld.com has always been show people everything else you can do so that more people might be interested. You know, not every kid out there is like, you know what, I want to go and weld pipe. You know, that’s not every kid.
Donovan: Yeah.
Beau: Some people are like, I want to go and weld spaceships. I want to go and weld boats. I want to go and weld like phone case, like phone components with a laser welder or stir friction welding. You know, there’s all kinds of different things that it’s not the dirty, gross job that everybody used to think it is.
Donovan: Right.
Beau: There’s a lot of different pathways. And then on the other side, you know, outside of welding, there’s endless supplies of jobs at companies like this where if you’re a welder, you have a particular skill that maybe you don’t know about. You know, it’s like how do you like what process is going to produce the most smoke, you know, like welders will know that.
Donovan: Yeah. And I have been seeing, I don’t know if you guys have been seeing this, but a little bit too that the robotic welding is a thing. It’s here.
Beau: Big thing. Big, big thing.
Donovan: Its in our shop with our robotic welder, we have one of our best welders on that piece of equipment because that’s the guy who knows how to check it and make sure it runs well. Like we didn’t want just somebody who knows how to push a button. We want an experienced good welder on that piece of equipment because it’s very important to us to make sure that whoever’s running it can know what a quality weld is and what it looks like and how it should be done.
Beau: The way I like to tell people, like, because I talk to people about automation all the time and people are afraid of it, you know, and it’s like you still need someone. It’s like teaching a student every time. It’s like teaching someone exactly how to weld what you want. That’s what you have to do with a robot. Like it’s not just like, oh, let me go to program this unless you already programmed it and taught it to do that. Like you have to show it and you have to program that out. But to do that, you need to know how to make that weld. Okay. We’ve programmed it. It’s running that welder that’s experienced. They can hear when there’s maybe, oh, they’re getting porosity because they don’t have gas going.
Donovan: Right.
Beau: They can hear, oh, it sounds like the stick out’s too far and that’s raising my amperage and it’s going to give me a different type of weld. Maybe give me undercut. Like all these, all these things that a welder is used to hearing and knowing exactly what that is or seeing it. They can see that the robot doesn’t care. Like the robot is just going to complete what you tell it to do. So that’s why there’s that big, big stop button. Because if you know something’s going wrong, you fix it before you keep going.
Donovan: Yeah. And that’s where I think you’re a hundred percent right where people are, they’re probably just a little bit scared of it because we haven’t had as much experience with it. And I know in our shop, there’s still, there’s certain things that our robot can do and it’s, it’s the things that bore people to death when they have to weld all day long. And, but then all the things that take like skill and knowledge and understanding and actually the more custom work that’s more enjoyable is the stuff that we still have to have people do at our shop. So, so yeah, I think robots have their spot, but I don’t see people going away anytime soon either.
Beau: No. Well, that was one of the videos we recently did. We went out to a robotic pipe welding company. So they use these bug welders that are welding like 36 inch pipe, like pipeline pipe. And it takes two welders to run the two bugs. And we had a bunch of comments of people saying, you’re taking welders jobs. And we’re like, those are two certified welders that have to run that.
Donovan: Sit there and monitor it.
Beau: It’s, it’s not taking anyone’s job. So you still have a job. It’s just, you’re not the one, it’s not your hand doing the welding. It’s your knowledge of how to direct it. It’s that’s one of the things that really grinds my gears about people and automation.
Donovan: And I, I’ve seen those in process too, where sometimes on large circumference like that, there’s a guy who has to like lay on the floor the whole time to weld that. And so that’s really hard on a guy who’s got to lay on the floor for an hour and keep scooting around –
Beau: And keep getting all kinds of, like you’re getting burnt up.
Donovan: Right. Where they can for that weld, they can have that piece of equipment do it. And they’re sitting there monitoring it. Like you’re saying, making sure it’s right, making sure it’s not going to messed up. And in the end, that guy’s going to be able to work longer, have a healthier life because his face isn’t in it the whole time.
Beau: So when you got to think confined spaces too, right? That’s something that people, it’s a scary job to like, there’s a girl here at the show, her name’s Liv Taylor Dodge. She’s a very talented welder, but she does… She was a ship builder and cause she was small. Her job was always crawling into the like in between the walls of the ship. And she said it would be like 45 minutes of lugging stuff through there. You know, and instead of having someone crawl into these tight spaces where they’re not going to have proper ventilation and like who knows what kind of air quality’s down there. You can send a welder on a track, you know, it’s like you just send a robot down there and do the well. That’s pretty wild.
Donovan: Well, and that’s when you walk around Fabtech, that’s all the stuff you get to see the people you get to meet and hear their life stories and what’s going on and where some of this innovation is coming from. And it’s coming from good places. I don’t. So yeah, and that’s exciting. And I’m sure you guys, if you want to learn more about that, you can go to Weld.com.
Beau: Weld.com
Donovan: Learn how to weld, see what you might have a future in what kind of industries and what else what else is on there. Come on, give us some more information.
Beau: Oh man. So we got our YouTube channel. That’s that’s kind of our main thing. We passed a million subscribers this year, which was –
Donovan: Congratulations.
Beau: Pretty big thing for us. So we’re really excited. And I mean, it’s been been around since 2012. So there’s a lot of people that have helped us get there. It was cool. Last night there was a party at the Hard Rock and we got a picture with probably 15, maybe 20 people who have made videos with us throughout the years, like holding the button because it’s like it’s Weld.com is a resource for the industry. Like it’s for the welding community. It’s not really about people. You know, it’s just us all trying to help each other learn. And that was really cool. But you can go on our YouTube channel and find all kinds of fun stuff like tutorials, shop visits, all that good stuff. We have a podcast as well called the Weld.com podcast. And I talk to people. I go even deeper, like deeper than we can go in a video. I try to cover different topics of different pathways in the industry you can go. And then we have our well dap as well, where you can network with different welders. There’s a job board. There’s a marketplace. There’s a weld calculator.
Donovan: So Weld.com is not just for someone who’s learning or new. It is for all welders.
Beau: Yeah. All the way from beginner to advanced. Like we have something for you. And if we don’t tell us, we’ll make it.
Donovan: That’s awesome.
Beau: We’ll find the people like even if it’s more advanced than me or Austin could do, we’ll go find the person that can. And so because we want this knowledge to be passed down.
Donovan: Yeah. Yeah. And that’s what we need. We just need more people who are, you know, good, hardworking people in America who can go out and keep making American made products and keep us going.
Beau: And keep the infrastructure alive. That’s the main focus in the welding industry. We need a lot of people to help our infrastructure survive and be updated. You know, so.
Donovan: Yeah. Some of these bridges are to get a little…
Beau: Yeah. Bridges, power grid stuff. Pipeline, sewer systems. There’s a lot of work to be done. So got to find the people.
Donovan: Well, hey, man, I always appreciate you sitting down with us and taking some time to tell us what you guys got going on. And we got to get you up to Imperial someday.
Beau: I know. We can come and visit and do like we can do a video showing off the factory. We could show stuff in action.
Donovan: There you go. People can learn how to weld a dust collector together. Hey, that would be a fun video.
Donovan: There you go. So, well, hey, thanks again. So if you guys are listening for the first time or you just find out about Weld.com, go over there, check it out, like, subscribe, do all that on their social media, do it on our social media. But until the next time we get to talk, stay healthy and stay safe.
Narrator: Thanks for listening to the dusty jobs podcast. Breathe better work safer.
Handling combustible dust safely is a critical responsibility for facilities in industries ranging from manufacturing to food processing. Combustible dust, when mishandled, poses serious risks of fire, deflagration, and explosion. Adopting proper safety measures, guided by established standards such as those outlined by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), can help mitigate these risks and protect your workplace. Here’s a breakdown of key steps for handling combustible dust.
1. Understand NFPA Guidelines
The first step to safely handling combustible dust is understanding the specific NFPA standards that apply to your operations. NFPA guidelines provide detailed recommendations for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks associated with combustible dust. These standards often vary depending on the type of dust you handle, the processes involved, and the equipment you use. Adhering to these guidelines ensures compliance and lays the foundation for effective dust management.
2. Know the Explosivity of Your Dust
Every type of combustible dust has unique properties, including its explosivity, often measured by the KST value. The KST value indicates the rate of pressure rise during a dust explosion and helps determine the necessary level of explosion protection. Conducting a dust explosivity test provides critical information about the hazards specific to your materials, enabling you to implement tailored safety measures.
3. Install Proper Dust Collection Systems
A robust dust collection system is essential for capturing and containing dust at its source. However, not all dust collectors are created equal. Systems handling combustible dust should include fire and explosion protection equipment, such as explosion vents, suppression systems, or isolation devices. These features prevent the escalation of dangerous events and ensure compliance with safety standards.
4. Maintain Proper Housekeeping
Dust buildup on surfaces is a major contributor to secondary explosions, which are often more destructive than the initial event. Implement a regular housekeeping routine to keep dust accumulation to a minimum, especially on horizontal surfaces like beams, ledges, and ducts. Use methods that minimize dust dispersal, such as an efficiently designed dust collection system, rather than sweeping or compressed air, which will not capture or contain the dust.
5. Minimize Ignition Sources
Ignition sources, such as sparks, hot surfaces, static discharge, or open flames, are a primary trigger for combustible dust incidents. Therefore, identify potential ignition sources in your facility and take measures to eliminate or control them. For example, use equipment rated for hazardous locations, ensure proper equipment grounding and bonding, and implement spark detection and suppression systems. Furthermore, a Dust Hazard Analysis or DHA can identify many of these hazards.
6. Train Employees on Handling Combustible Dust Hazards
Employee training is certainly vital for creating a culture of safety. Workers should understand the hazards of combustible dust, recognize warning signs of unsafe conditions, and know how to respond in an emergency. Regular training sessions and safety drills ensure that everyone is prepared to handle combustible dust safely.
Handling combustible dust safely also requires a proactive approach, combining adherence to NFPA guidelines, understanding your material’s properties, installing appropriate safety equipment, and maintaining diligent housekeeping and training practices. By implementing these measures, you can minimize the risks associated with combustible dust and create a safer workplace for everyone involved.
