As with most industrial manufacturing processes, metalworking generates dust that you must deal with. But metal dust can have unique properties which make it especially dangerous. Metal fires in dust collectors are not unusual and can certainly explode. Let’s discuss why metal fires start as well as what you can and must do for fire safety in metalworking environments. Then we’ll cover what to do (and not do) in a real metal fire emergency.
Flammable Metals in the Workplace
Fires with burning metal are categorized as Class D fires. To begin with, all of the alkaline metals in their solid state will burn easily, even spontaneously combust at low temperatures. Some examples are sodium, lithium, rubidium, and potassium. Then there are a few other metals like titanium and magnesium which in solid form ignite only under extreme heat. But once ignited, they can quickly and easily spread into a very dangerous and destructive fire.
The most common industrially used metals in Class D metal fires are aluminum, magnesium, and titanium. Therefore, these metals in dust form are extremely hazardous in dust collection systems. However, most metals in a fine dust form can ignite and produce dangerous situations in confined dust collector systems. The finer the dust, the more likely it is to burn.
Common Metal Fire Causes
Most Class D metal fires occur from processes that create metal dust like cutting, drilling, and grinding. These can produce metal dust fine enough for combustion. As mentioned, a common metal used in manufacturing is aluminum. In its solid form, or even as larger chips created by manufacturing processes, aluminum can remain inert. But finer aluminum dust can be highly explosive when exposed to oxygen and an ignition source.
Metal dust collection should never be mixed with other materials or dissimilar metals. For example, metal dust should never be combined with a wood dust application. A simple spark can easily ignite wood dust, causing a potentially dangerous metal dust explosion.
Aluminum dust should never be combined with a ferrous metal dust system. Machining of ferrous metals can create sparks resulting in a metal dust explosion. Ferrous metal dust (iron) can quickly oxidize. It will create sufficient heat to spontaneously combust. Aluminum dust can also react with water to form highly flammable and explosive hydrogen gas.
Fire Safety Starting Point
When setting up a metalworking operation in your plant, you’ll need an evaluation assessment. Make the first call to your insurance company as they want to make sure that the plant is safe. They usually require that a third party come to your facility to perform an evaluation. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) now requires a risk analysis.
They’ll identify the minimum requirements and develop a plan to meet them. In their report, they’ll tell you what issues to address and what steps to take to resolve them. This will include everything from equipment requirements to employee safety training.
Dust Collection System Design for Fire Safety
There are important considerations in selecting and configuring a dust collector for a metalworking application to ensure fire safety. But before we can start looking at any equipment or options, we need to collect some data.
Dust Sample Analysis
The dust collector supplier needs a good, representative sample of what will go through the dust collector. That’s for analysis to determine how flammable it is and what the Kst value is. The higher the Kst, the more explosive it is. Metal dust types with high Kst values are very volatile and very dangerous. With this report and information about the challenges of the application from the customer, the dust collection system design can begin.
AHJ Collaboration
AHJ stands for authority having jurisdiction. You will need an AHJ to approve the dust collection system you’re submitting for installation. The NFPA defines an AHJ as an organization, office, or individual responsible for enforcing the requirements of a code or standard, or for approving equipment, materials, an installation, or a procedure. This could be a fire chief, your insurance company, somebody with the NFPA, or someone else. Again, call your insurance company first.
The AHJ will review the dust collection system that you intend to install for the application. They’ll tell you if anything needs to change in order for it to be approved. In addition to the dust collector, there may be other requirements they’ll bring up like special fire extinguishers.
Fire and Explosion Protection Components
The AHJ may require installing a dry chemical system to extinguish a fire inside the dust collector. A chemical system recognizes a rise in temperature or a rise in pressure. It has fast-acting dampers on the inlet and outlet that isolate the fire. Then it immediately floods the collector with a chemical suppressive that smothers the flames. The chemical system contains the fire and keeps the dust collector from exploding. It does this by taking the oxygen away and absorbing the heat. The collector cannot have a typical water system in it. Water can cause further reaction to metal dust. It can act as an accelerant and add more fuel to the fire.
If the dust collector doesn’t have a chemical system and has explosion vents, the vents will blow out with a ball of flames. It’s going to burn the collector and potentially anything nearby. Therefore, isolation is the best thing you can do for a metal fire. Imperial offers another, NFPA conforming option to isolate a deflagration and stop a flame front. It’s the CMAXX with the proprietary IDA (In-Line Deflagration Arrester) DeltaMAXX filters. There are other combustible dust and fire accessory components as well. Spark traps, explosion-tested drum kits, and flameless explosion vents are a few.
Best Prevention Practices for Metal Fire Safety
Here are ways you can avoid metal fires in your plant. So far we’ve discussed potential fires inside your dust collector because that’s where you’re most likely to have one. But metal fires are also possible in metal processing areas throughout a facility. You should develop safety procedures and follow them when performing any manufacturing process on metals (cutting, grinding, drilling, etc.).
Segregate the Metals
All combustible metals should be separated and stored in secure locations or containers. This is especially important for metals that combust at low temperatures. More so, it’s critical with highly reactive metals like sodium, which burns on contact with air or water.
Metal dust should never be combined with anything else in the dust collection system. Earlier we talked about the hazards of collecting metal and wood dust together. If you have aluminum machining, that’s all you should be pulling into the collector. Nothing else should be going in there. Do not combine metal dust with anything else. Even aluminum and steel should not be mixed.
Yes, that means a separate, dedicated dust collector for one type of metal dust. This is a hard truth to hear because naturally, you don’t want to pay for two systems. Even aluminum chips will catch fire down at a certain size. The finer metal dust gets, the more it’s susceptible to burning.
Keep Up Good Housekeeping
Clean up work areas and do not allow metal dust to accumulate on any surfaces. That includes the floors. If you’re running a machining process that’s creating dust, it’s going to build up. That includes the rafters. This is especially important because you typically don’t see the dust piles up there.
The danger is in the accumulation, which can be the source of a secondary fire or explosion, ignited by the first one. Good housekeeping practices should be routinely performed.
Periodic Fire Safety Evaluations
This is the very best way to prevent a fire from happening. Have a qualified company come into your plant and perform a full risk assessment at regular intervals. They’ll advise you of any problem areas that you need to address. This is an NFPA code requirement of every commercial manufacturing property. Its purpose is to identify and eradicate potential fire hazards in the workplace. Insurance companies usually enforce these periodic evaluations.
Dealing with a Metal Fire Emergency
Despite your diligence and prep work to prevent a metal fire, it’s still always possible that you may have one. An ember or spark can find its way onto a flammable metal dust pile if good housekeeping isn’t maintained. It could also find its way into the dust collector if a spark trap isn’t installed. You would be surprised how easily an ignition source can inadvertently occur at an inlet suction point. Besides obvious employee evacuation, what should you do in the event of an actual metal fire at your plant?
Use Extinguishers Specifically for Metal Fires
We learned earlier that metal fires are classified as Class D fires. These are extremely dangerous because most people do not know how to properly fight them. Typically, the first thing people want to do is throw water on a fire or use a regular extinguisher. However, that’s the worst thing you can do for a metal fire. It just fuels the flames. If there’s a pile of metal dust on the ground that’s burning, water is not going to put it out. It’s just going to wash that flame into different areas of the plant.
So, you really need a dry chemical type extinguisher that is specifically designed for Class D fires. This smothers the fire and the oxygen fueling it. It also absorbs heat within the fire, leading to its extinguishment and reducing the chance of the fire spreading to other areas. Have Class D-rated extinguishers ready for use and train your employees on when and how to use them.
Leave a Burning Dust Collector Alone
More than likely, if you have a metal fire it will start in your dust collector. You or your employees may be tempted to try and extinguish it. Stay away from it. Here’s why.
If the collector has a chemical suppression system installed on it, that will isolate and extinguish the fire as explained earlier. This is the best scenario. Let the chemical system do its job. Do not open the doors to try and extinguish the fire yourself or check it afterward. We know now that oxygen will fuel any metal dust flames, so don’t open the doors. Leave it alone and call the fire department.
We’ve already discussed a collector that does not have a chemical suppression system but does have common explosion venting. The temperature and pressure will build up, eventually blowing out the vents. A ball of flames will be released. With properly sized explosion venting the collector likely won’t burst apart from the explosion, but it will continue to burn. In any case, you don’t want to be near it when that happens. Leave it alone and call the fire department.
The worst-case scenario is if your collector doesn’t have a chemical suppression system or explosion venting. It’s going to explode and burst apart from the rise in heat and pressure. Essentially, it is a bomb. Don’t approach it or try to relieve the growing pressure by opening the doors. Leave it alone. Evacuate according to plan. Call the fire department.
Keep Fire Safety a Priority
Avoiding metal dust fires has special challenges. Determining the danger potential of your specific metalworking application takes effort. So does cooperation and compliance with authorities. It’s a tough decision to buy an additional, dedicated dust collector just for metal dust. After all, dust collectors don’t contribute to your production output. Plus, over time it’s easy to become neglectful of good housekeeping, recurring safety training, and periodic inspections. Decide to keep your employees safe and your plant running with proper preparation and procedures for metal fire safety.
Imperial Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of industrial dust and fume collectors, has recently opened a new office location in The Colony, Texas. This expansion will allow Imperial Systems to better serve the vast array of manufacturing companies thriving in Texas. “We hope we can continue to grow our footprint in the South-Central area of the United States.Having this office will also better position us to work with our local partners, contractors, and dealers of dust collection equipment in that area,” said Justin Ferrainola, the South-Central Territory Manager at the new Texas branch.
Imperial Systems has already had the pleasure of working with many companies in metal, wood, and other industrial industries in the Texas region.With the new branch office, we will be better positioned to expand our focus into the many other markets throughout the territory.
The Colony is situated in the ideal location for the growth that Imperial Systems has in mind. “It is close to Frisco and McKinney, which in the greater Dallas area, has seen the most rapid growth in manufacturing” said Ferrainola. The Colony is only 30 minutes from downtown Dallas, and 40 minutes from Fort Worth. Beyond that, Oklahoma City, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio are all within a five-hour drive.
This is the first Podcast for the third season of the Dusty Jobs Podcast. In this Episode Donovan talks with Diane Cave, an expert in the field of dust collection. They discuss explosive dust and how to keep an eye out for safety with your collector. They also talk about the importance of vessel strength and the overall future of dust collection. To learn more about Element 6, the company Diane Cave works for visit: https://www.elmt6.com
[Intro]: Welcome to the Dusty Jobs podcast from Imperial Systems industry knowledge to make your job easier and safer.
Donovan: Hello and welcome to the Dusty Jobs Podcast. This is our first episode of our third season and we’re excited that you guys are still with us. Today joining us is Diane Cave from Element 6. How are you doing Diane?
Diane: I’m good thanks and you?
Donovan: We’re doing great. It’s a little cold down here in Pennsylvania with the snow. You’re from up in Canada correct?
Diane: Correct.I’m in Halifax Nova Scotia Canada, where it’s probably colder today. Here it’s pretty chilly. It’s like minus 12 celsius.
Donovan: Yeah, we’re not quite there so. Well thanks for joining us, we appreciate it. So, not a lot of people might know you from our podcast but you have done a lot of work and have been in the Dust Industry for quite some time. Is that correct?
Diane: Yeah, this year I have the big milestone of 20 years. I don’t know if that officially makes me old or not, but yeah 20 years in the Dust World. I don’t really know where the time’s gone.
Donovan: Right, it definitely makes you a veteran in the dust world for 20 years. I’ll tell you that much.
Diane: So, yeah for sure.
Donovan: How did you get started in this whole thing 20 years ago?
Diane: So,20 years ago, I was a recent graduate at a university. And I was working at the customer service desk at Canadian Tire which would be like Lowe’s or Home Depot. A guy came in and he wanted to know if this is a very random story but it all plays in, he wanted to know if a spark plug matched the picture that he had drawn on this diagrammatic so that he could fix his truck, his bronco. I was like I don’t know man, like take it out of the package. He didn’t want to. He threw the package at me and I caught it with my left hand. In Canada, you, I don’t actually have mine today because I burnt my hand, wear an iron ring on the pinky of your working hand. I’m left-handed and so I caught it with my left hand. He was like, oh, you’re an engineer. Then I made fun of him and I was like, oh, aren’t you smart and he hired me.
Diane: I worked for him for 15 years. Then it was just kind of a decision and what he did was combustible dust, dust collection, industrial ventilation. So then it was just kind of a decision after I’d been there that you know kind of under his wing for however long. I wanted to prove to myself if I could, you know, make it on my own two feet as opposed to always being under. So, then about three and a half years ago I guess it would be I left and went to Element 6 to kind of start a dust adventure here.
Donovan: Yeah.
Diane: So, I’ve been here since. Yeah.
Donovan: So that’s a very different path to get into dust collection. But I’m not sure I’ve ever talked to anybody who had a real straightforward one honestly. So it’s a unique industry where people come from all different ways and shapes to get involved in it. So now you’re at Element 6 though, right?
Diane: Yep.
Donovan: So tell us more about Element 6. What is it? What do you do there? What’s the company? Tell us more about what’s going on there.
Diane: So, in general Element 6 is a much larger company than just the entity group that I work with and the overall company. So, we have an office just outside Toronto, Ontario, and Georgetown, one up near Ottawa, one in London, Ontario, and then here in Halifax. I think we’re starting one soon in the states somewhere.
As a whole, we’re kind of a multi-faceted engineering company that focuses somewhat more on the chemical industry. We have a particular workflow that starts with 3D design and 3D scanning. So we’ll start with 3D scanning and then develop it all from moving forward in the 3D world using all sorts of 3D packages. We do all sorts of mechanical, computational fluid dynamics, piping layouts, designs, pressure vessels stuff, and then electrical and civil so kind of anything and all. We do like big plant designs right down to smaller projects. Then the group that I work with, here in Halifax, we just focus on dust.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: We do kind of, I always say to everyone that, so if it involves dust then we do it. So starting with dust collection system assessments or DHA’s right through to you know like installation commissioning, troubleshooting, design packages, finite element analysis for vessel strength to make sure that a lot of places don’t do is determining the P Red of a pre-existing vessel.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: Yeah, hood design, which I just did my personal plug, just did a webinar on. Yeah and I like training so kind of anything and all stuff right across the board dealing with dust.
Donovan: Gotcha. Now do you guys focus a lot more on new projects or do you focus a lot more on existing spaces? Which one would you say is more of?
Diane: It just kind of depends on what the client needs. Lately, it’s been a whole lot of DHA stuff, everyone, trying to catch up with that DHA deadline, because we’ve already exceeded it. Then helping the end-user the client figure out kind of where to move on next and how to implement the things that need to be in to be safe. But some new projects as well. Lately, I’ve been living my life in breweries. It seems like I’m doing a lot of work in breweries.
Donovan: Yeah.
Diane: Has its pluses and its minuses. A lot of beer but then there’s a lot of beer. But I would say predominantly it’s more existing systems or replacement of, determining if an existing system is viable to go through a process change or something like that and then upgrading it. So that would be what it is.
Donovan: So, Yeah. So when I’m okay. So, if I was a customer and I’m coming to you and I have an existing dust collector already. What are the things that I’m looking for or what you would be looking for to say this is acceptable now for this combustible dust application or it’s not? Well, how do you guys actually go through and look at that evaluation? What would that look like step by step?
Diane: I guess the first thing would be to determine if they’ve got an adequate collection. Because a lot of times, clients just want dust collectors worn out and we’d like to just replace it with whatever is already there.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: It’s notorious in the dust collection world that everything is undersized because it’s the people who are selling it to be the cheapest. But in the long run under-sizing, just causes costs more money in the end. So the first thing is always to assess whether or not they’ve got adequate flow and collection for what they need not for what like what is currently installed. Then from there, they’re going on and then sizing to make sure that the ducting is sized correctly. Then make sure the dust collector is adequate for the application. Then look at the fan to see whether the fan can do what they actually need. Because more often than not the fan is grossly undersized in terms of static pressure requirements.
Donovan: So a lot of what you’re seeing first is possibly an undersized collector with an undersized fan and then people are saying why do we have problems and you guys let them know it’s because they have an undersized collector and undersized fan.
Diane: Yeah like there’s a lot of forgiveness in with a system if you’re if your fan is oversized. I’m not saying go out and oversize your fan but if your fan is bigger than what you actually need there’s a whole lot of forgiveness there because you’re pumping way more air through. So you’re not going to be having problems with stuff collecting in your ducting you’ll probably get way better suction at your hood so even if your hoods are designed poorly your oversized fan will kind of makeup for it.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: Then even if you don’t clean your dust collector, you have substandard, is that a play way to say it, some standard maintenance on your dust collector, and your static pressure gets high in your dust collector well your oversized fan is going to take care of it.
Donovan: So still overcome that challenge.
Diane: Yeah well to a certain extent so if your fan is oversized then there’s a whole lot more forgiveness in there but more often than not you know it’s the bare minimum. So then the second you come into one little hiccup or one problem in the system, so your bags don’t get changed or your cartridges don’t get changed as often as they should then that’s just enough of a static pressure bump to then cause your fan to the technical term “crap out”.
Donovan: So I like what you’re saying here. So if you’re looking at an old system and you’re having issues it could be you have a smaller too small of a system too small of a fan and at that point, the thing that you guys might recommend is to go into a larger system or get a larger fan on that on that system. So those are so if somebody out there is listening right now and they’re thinking man these are some of the issues I’m seeing dust settling in my duct, my filters are you know everything’s just underperforming it could be those two aspects. Right?
Diane: Yes, yeah more often than not it’s, I’m using that term more often than not a lot today, but I mean the fan is a good place to start looking if you have problems. Because it’s the fan’s a workhorse of the whole system right. So if your fan’s not sucking then your system probably sucks.
Donovan: Yeah, I do or it doesn’t suck. Right, that’s the problem.
Diane: Right, yeah so.
Donovan: Yeah so that’s one size of collector size of the fan so that’s one of the things you look for. So you said ductwork layout is possibly another culprit that you guys look at. Is that correct?
Diane: Yeah so a lot of people really like to run, really small ducting really far. And what that does is it drives a static pressure up. So a lot of times, not everyone a lot of people really like to just kind of oh we put this new piece of equipment in we need dust collection well we’ll just slap in a line slap in a line slap in a line.
Donovan: Right. Yeah sure.
Diane: I’m sure you’ve seen it where you end up them with like the octopus of ducting all over the place.
Donovan: Oh, yes.
Diane: There always seems to be one line or somebody decides to use it as a vacuum system. Oh, let’s just put this inch and a half hose on here, and then we can use it for housekeeping. You’ll look at it and you’re like well that’s what’s causing the static pressure drive in the whole system. So if you just take and lop off that kind of one gangly limb that’s hanging out all over the place then a lot of times it can change the whole flow of the system. Then all of a sudden everything…
Donovan: Comes back to life.
Diane: Yeah I was gonna say perks up but yeah comes back to life and then your flow can take off. So then if you kind of look at what the ducting layout is and what’s going on then you can a lot of times work with what’s there. So it’s not always I’m not a big pro always a proponent of oh rip it out start again.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: Because not everyone has the, well, first of all, you want to try and not throw as much stuff in the landfill as possible but there isn’t always the time, capital, or even ability to rip it all out. So it’s you know okay well if we change this or change that and we get rid of this ducting or hey if we just even improve these hoods or get rid of your as I always like to call them the elephant trunks, which are just like rounds of duct if you get rid of the elephant trunks and put hoods on there that might even be enough to reduce your static pressure to then get your fan to bring it back to life as you said.
Donovan: Yeah. Okay, so we’re looking at a system we have a couple of things that you’ve mentioned that you guys use to kind of troubleshoot or evaluate. What would be the thing when you get to a point you’re like I’m sorry this is it, yeah you have to change your system out? What would be a couple of those things that no matter what the old one has to go and we have to get a new one? What would cause that?
Diane: I would say, and you mean like the whole like because it’s kind of different for different things. So like if you’re looking at the hoods and you’re like all right these hoods have to be ripped out because you just look at them and you’re like and they’re doing nothing they’re in the wrong spot. They’re held together with tape. You know binding tape has many uses and apparently one of them is to hold ducting together. With ducting, I would say that the to like go with the rip out and tear apart or rip out and do again would be that if it’s really just slapped together like if you look at it and you’re like okay this like it’s undergone a lot of morphing over the years right and has all kinds of new branches and lines and nobody there’s never been any thought or care taken to it and you just kind of stand there and you’re like it just has to go. It’s just…
Donovan: Right. So there might have been an initial design but that has gone out the window years ago and many things have been placed and put into there that shouldn’t be there.
Diane: Yeah.
Donovan: They were never initially considered.
Diane: yeah or if you’re dealing with sometimes if you’re dealing with really combustible dust and you’ve got spiral ducting or really heavy loading or abrasive dust and it’s all spiraling you’re like you know it’s in your best interest and you’ve got a poor design then it’s in your best interest to just replace it and then put in some smooth-walled single seam ducting.
Donovan: Right yeah because that could you know that spiral duct could potentially be a spark hazard. Right?
Diane: Exactly. Yeah or even have an increase of static pressure because it all comes down to static pressure. But yeah, it could be an increase for spark hazard, and then it’s known that spiral ducting doesn’t quite handle internal pressure as well so if you do have some sort of deflagration event you want to make sure that it doesn’t unwind your spiral ducting.
Donovan: Right. So now we went from the hoods to the duct to the collector so what would be something on the collector that you’re just like listen this is one you’re gonna have to just abandon and get a new one.
Diane: If you can poke your finger through the side of it that’s usually the start. Or if patchwork has been done where it’s like oh we just tarred this whatever here that’s usually another sign so like the physical appearance of it if it’s past gone then you’ll have to replace it. If it’s a combustible dust application and there’s and you’re not certain of the vessel strength so you do the vessel analysis on it and you do a finite element analysis and it’s just going to have to put way more reinforcing on it in order like it’s going to cost more to do the reinforcing and to actually buy a new one then that’s usually you know the time to put in a new one. or
Donovan: If you’re going to be building a new collector around the old collector it’s probably time to get a new one. Right?
Diane: Exactly when you’re like well we got to put on a thousand pounds of angle on this sucker…
Donovan: Right.
Diane: Then you know it’s probably not worthwhile. or if the like if the requirements of the air that are needed drive the air to cloth ratio to a really high level where it drives your static pressure up or if it’s a baghouse and then you have some a very high interstitial velocity or whatnot where you’re not certain if the dust collector will actually function for what the application is you know what I mean where the dust won’t fall out then it’s usually time to at that point to get a new one.
Donovan: To get a new one, yeah. So when you get to a collector and you determine that it is combustible dust that you’re dealing with and now the collector initially wasn’t set up for combustible dust. How do you determine you’ve talked a couple of times about determining the vessel strength to see if it actually can handle that? Then what are the steps you do to do that and how would you actually go about maybe trying to retrofit that collector because I know that’s a little bit of a tricky area to do that?
Diane: Yeah, so the first thing is in terms of determining a vessel strength. Basically, we’ll take a scan of the vessel like a with our like a 3D scanners and then also because the scan is good for overall bigger measurements. But we’re looking for the kind of precise stuff, size of bolts and bolt holes, and whatnot. You can likely get it with, people will argue that you can get it with a scanner but I’m a little bit old school in certain things and then I know that we’ve got the information.
So you go through and then make sure you get all the information, as in like the size of angles and where they are on the unit and then we create a 3D model and do a pressure analysis on it. Then from there determine what’s going to go…
Donovan: Right.
Diane: And what it’s going to hold so we like to work to two-thirds yield but it’s not always the case on some older vessels. You don’t always get the option to then reinforce it to two-thirds yield. So sometimes it’s to two-thirds ultimate and then it’s just creating a package so creating a design package that says okay well this is where you’ve got to put your reinforcing and this is what you have to do. There have been cases where we’ve gotten so far and just been like you can’t like the pressures that you want to get to we just it’s to the point of being ridiculous. It looks kind of like I don’t know…
Donovan: Like a Mad Max version of a dust collector.
Diane: Yeah I was going to say like the Shredder Technodrome or something like that from the Turtles. Yeah like it’s just it’s this is just unbelievably ridiculous and you’re like oh this is stupid. So then you just kind of have to approach the client and be like okay so this is what you know this is what it’s going to look like ish you really want to proceed down this route and if they do then okay then we’ll go that way. Or you end up being like okay well we’ll do it to two-thirds ultimate and then knowing that the dust collector will be not usable but you know we’ll be able to make the changes needed for you know it’ll be safe until you…
Donovan: You’re saying two-thirds ultimate is that correct.
Diane: Yeah so two-thirds yield strength versus two-thirds ultimate strength of the material. So the difference between it is that at two-thirds yield you basically if you have a deflagration event and that’s two-thirds of like the material strength based on whatever your p red will be on right on
venting or you’re I always get the letters wrong tsp for suppression basically your p red for suppression. So two-thirds ultimate you won’t have deformation in your vessel so you can have an event a deflagration that will happen but the dust collector would basically be like all right change the filter media carry on right yeah but with two-thirds ultimate, you’ll have deformation but not rupture so your square dust collector might go from square to roundish.
Donovan: Right gotcha so those are pretty important things to know as well.
Diane: Yeah and you’d be surprised there are all kinds of things that you run into when you’re at sites that people don’t know or end users don’t know because they’re making whatever it is. So whether they make granola bars or tires or brew beer or whatever it is that they do that’s what they do they’re not aficionados in the world of dust collection and explosion protection.
Donovan: Right, they don’t have 20 years experience.
Diane: Yeah, so then that’s why they bring in trusted consultants to handle all that right but I would say that one of the biggest things that I see gets missed in terms of explosion protection is vessel strength. So often you’ll be like, oh can I see the venting calculations for this and then so you get the venting calculations and they’ll say that you know it’s the P Red is I don’t know I’m gonna pick a number six-bar and then you’re like, oh let’s look at the vessel strength and the vessel strength is you know 2.9. You’re like oh sorry your P Red I got the [inaudible] six-bar but six psi and then your vessel strength your P Red will come out to be like 2.9 psi and you’re like whoa so this it’s the vessel is going to blow long before…
Donovan: Yeah it’s not going to be able to contain the explosion or be directed in a safe way.
Diane: Yeah and it’s and that’s one of the biggest things that gets missed. Then people will just put vents on a dust collector without even thinking about oh well it’s got to be good and it’s like oh this is basically you know aluminum foil stretched over a frame it’s like it’s not going to hold any pressure. A big one is bucket elevators so bucket elevators are supposed to be designed to a strength of like half a bar and most of them are lucky if they do one psi.
Donovan: Right, yeah so they’re just yeah so people are there’s a and this is all I would say recently more education on this a lot more people are coming to this understanding and unfortunately it’s probably been through a lot of the events that have happened but I think that’s what’s happened in the past and it’s helped get people closer to a safer work environment. The goal is to get there every day closer and closer to better safer so that you know people can go home to their loved ones at night because their dust collector didn’t blow up and I know that’s what you guys are doing and that’s what we’re trying to do here so so that’s a little bit of the past. What do you guys do? What do you think’s gonna be like in the future as you guys are doing more of these DHAs and do you know what’s going on out there? What’s your finger on the pulse of where you think the industry’s going and what people are doing?
Diane: What I hope anyway is so in as you know in this world of dust collection there are very few people that do it and do it well. Therefore it puts a demand well I assume you know so and therefore puts a demand on a lot of people and I hope that the industry is moving so that there are more knowledgeable people that understand things like that they don’t just like sign off on stuff because it’s like oh whatever this will never happen yeah sure fine. That’s where I hope the industry is going. It seems to be that there are more and more people that are taking an interest in things like if we’re dealing with combustible dust in terms of explosion protection and whatnot there are more people aware and educated in that field. I think it’s because like you said there’s been so many there’s been more incidents and instead of people wanting and the push to be in a safe work environment as opposed to being like oh whatever it doesn’t matter it’s fine right it blew up today so it’s not gonna you know we got another 20 years before it’s going to happen again you know lots of lots of statistics. So I think, that though I hope anyway in terms of combustible dust I hope that that’s the way that the industry is moving because of education and awareness because of things like this were to bring the information to people. Or like what Chris Cloney is doing right. It does safety science so making people aware of what the hazards are because I think a lot of it in terms of dust collection a lot of it dusk so when I say dust collection I also include like combustible dust in that umbrella. I think a lot of it is just education and so the way I see it going is that people want to do the right thing now as opposed to just wanting to check the box and wanting it to be whatever that you know we just need a solution yeah whatever this will get us by for now people are…
Donovan: Right
Diane: We want to do the right thing.
Donovan: Yeah, yeah I see that too. I see a lot more people not just concerned about getting it done to check a box but they are concerned with their workers and the health of you know the people around them and the health and the environment.
Diane: Yeah.
Donovan: I think we’ve seen a lot of that change over the last 20 years. Probably in the time you’ve been in this industry there’ve been a lot of people changing in that regard. It’s good. I don’t think hopefully we don’t go backward at all in our industry. We continue to make things safer and cleaner for everybody who’s involved, especially people who are out welding or the people who are out working in those workshops that we want to help them have a better life.
Diane: Oh, for sure but I don’t see how it can go backward.
Donovan: Right.
Diane: Because going backward would be, I don’t know, getting rid of dust collectors and then we just have to do a dollar thing. Yeah, it would be and I don’t think the people working in those environments would let it happen in this day and age.
Donovan: I think you’re right I hope that you did. So we’re both saying we’re hoping for a brighter future with a safer work environment I think that’s what we’re seeing.
Diane: I think yeah. I think that’s where we’re going. I think a lot of things are pushing the trend that way because people don’t want their companies to be in the headlines. You know company XYZ had an incident where whatever. They don’t want to be the imperial sugars for lack of a better way to say it I mean that’s a bad way to analyze it but that’s what it is they don’t want to be that one in the headline that you know
Donovan: We had negative things first
Diane: Yeah we had so many mortalities and however many you know injuries on-site because of because we…
Donovan: something that’s preventable, something that’s very preventable.
Diane: Because we didn’t have inlet isolation or because you know our explosion vents were appointed at the company daycare which I’ve seen more than once.
Donovan: Yeah, so well Hey Diane, we’re so glad that you guys are out there helping people solve this and figure it out, and do what you do. If someone’s interested in getting a hold of your company or learning more about you guys or they’ve heard something here they’re like man she could really help me out. What would be the best way for them to get a hold of you?
Diane: You can google me. It’ll probably pop up there are not too many Diane Caves out there. I’m on LinkedIn. You can email me at dkave@elmt6.com. You can give me a, yeah if you are on our company website which oddly enough I don’t know off the top of my head. We’ll put a link to your website in the notes for the podcast so if anybody’s listening or on Youtube watching this they can just look at it there so we’ll do that for you don’t worry about it. Perfect, because I was like I’m not sure if it’s Element 6 Solutions or if it’s shortened down. I probably should have remembered that beforehand but it’s not a big deal. I’m sure if someone Element 6 Dust Collection they’ll figure out explosive dust it’ll come up if you googled it. Put in Element 6 Dust Collection you’ll probably find me, yeah we’ll find you guys.
Donovan: Hey, I just want to say thanks so much for coming on. We really appreciate it. Hopefully, we get to talk to you again sometime because I feel like we just scratched the surface of the knowledge you have. If you’re interested in learning more about us here at Imperial Systems and Dusty Jobs you can follow us on Youtube Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or learn more about us on our website. So thanks for listening to everyone out there and stay healthy, stay safe. Thanks so much.
Diane: Thanks for having me.
[Outro]: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better work safer.
Over the last few years, there have been significant shifts in the manufacturing industry. There has been a steady increase in the need for skilled workers and high demand for productivity. Due to these changes, some companies have been exploring options using cutting-edge and modern technology to help to adapt to today’s business model and industry needs with the use of cobots.
What is a ‘Cobot’?
Collaborative robots, also known as ‘Cobots’, are robots that collaborate and operate in conjunction with humans that help create automated solutions within a shared space. The first cobot was invented in 1996 by J. Edward Colgate and Michael Peshkin. Over the years, cobots have been adapted and created by several companies to help change the way that humans can use robot power to help their businesses and productions.
Cobot vs. Robot
Historically, classical industrial robots have been too large and dangerous to work around humans. Cobots are changing that. They allow for human-robot collaboration, working in close proximity with no barriers or fences. Many industries are quickly adopting cobots, including the manufacturing realm. By 2026, their use is expected to grow by almost 42%.
How Do Cobots Work?
The exact shape and size of a cobot will depend on the task that it is programmed to complete and the manufacturer that creates it. However, some cobots are created with features like mechanical arms that can complete tasks in a wide range from welding to painting to drilling. Some cobots may have two arms to increase their productivity and the range of tasks that they are able to complete.
The possibilities are becoming endless for the use of these collaborative robots within multiple industries. They are quickly allowing businesses to adapt their working models to be better suited for the industry’s needs and demands.
Cobot Coworking Benefits
There are many benefits to adding a cobot to your workspace. Cobots are able to fulfill tasks that would have otherwise been dangerous or monotonous for a human to complete. Due to its small, lightweight design, it can carry out tasks where there may be a difficulty for a human because it can be placed in areas where there is little space and can remain stationary for an extended period of time. This can help automate processes within a business and minimize any errors.
Cobots can also provide a solution to labor shortages and increase productivity. Since the beginning of the global pandemic of Covid-19, many industries have struggled to fill open positions and find workers with the skills and knowledge to adapt to the growing needs of product demands and production. With cobots, businesses have been able to not replace workers, but instead, place the robots alongside their workers to help strengthen the production operation and create flexibility in human workload. Cobots take over the mundane and tedious workload while others are able to complete more complicated tasks.
Cobots are easy to install, safer than industrial robots, and allow for flexibility in the workplace as they are adaptable to perform multiple tasks within one operation. Adding a cobot to your workspace can ultimately lead to a more efficient and better performance within your business.
Dust Collection Is Essential for Cobots and Humans
Having a clean, collaborative environment for humans and robots is vital. Dusty air is a hazard to the health of both your workers and your robotic equipment. Not only does it pose a health risk, but unwanted dust and debris from your facility can also cause costly repairs, damage to your machinery, and interrupt operational productivity.
By adding more equipment to your operation with cobots, dust collection is essential for this application. You can extend the life of your cobot by ensuring that they are a part of a safe and dust-free environment alongside their human counterparts.
A dust collector may be essential to keep your cobots running efficiently and to keep their human counterparts healthy. Cobots may work on a fume exhaust hood or downdraft table to help collect the debris and keep it contained. The Shadow Compact Fume Extractor and Air-Port Fume Exhaust Hood were designed to work together seamlessly for applications such as these. The Shadow’s compact design allows it to fit in small spaces next to cobots or robots, and the Air-Port stands on two legs designed to straddle a cobot or robot cage.
Conclusion
A decade ago, people feared that robots would replace them in the workforce. In recent years, cobots are being welcomed to the working space because of the growing benefits that they offer to a working operation for both employees and employers.
The cobot robots are providing concrete, affordable options for businesses to automate their processes, increase their productivity, and create safe, shared environments that allow their business to adapt to industry needs. Collaborative robots in manufacturing are here to stay.
Imperial Systems Inc has acquired a new facility formerly occupied by Reznor, a company that produced heating and cooling equipment. The former Reznor manufacturing building will be used for Imperial Systems’ rapidly growing division, Imperial Filtration. The facility will be completely renovated within a few months and is expected to bring an additional 50 new jobs to Mercer County in 2022.
We are very excited about the acquisition and renovation of the former Reznor heater factory. This will bring new life to Mercer County and offer the people of Mercer and the surrounding areas an opportunity to work for a world class company with the best wages and benefits. We have a passion for taking old factories and repurposing them into modern facilities. Four years ago, we purchased and refurbished the 95,000 sq ft Chevron building on 62 between Mercer and Sharon. That building is probably the most well-known manufacturing building in the area. With the purchase of the Reznor and Chevron factory, we have revived two of the most iconic buildings in Mercer County. With the two factories we are planning to be operating with over 200 employees over the next 4 years. We are building this new division based on the same high morals and values that we have built the world-renowned Imperial Systems brand. All of the products that we build are designed to improve the health, safety and quality of people’s lives in factories around the world.
President and CEO Jeremiah Wann
The Imperial Filtration division will focus on manufacturing cartridge filters for industrial dust collection equipment. Imperial Filtration takes their superior technology already used in the CMAXX’s DeltaMAXX filters and makes it available in filters for almost all industrial air filtration equipment. During the renovation of this space, Imperial Filtration will also house a new state of the art ASHRAE Standard 199 test lab and rig. This equipment will allow Imperial to further push the bar as the most innovative company in the Dust collection and air filtration market.
The former Reznor factory owned by Nortek once employed 300 employees, but they closed this facility in 2019. The building is 90,000 sq ft and sits on 14 acres of land. The building has 14 loading docks and is located within minutes of major highways. This location allows quick shipments to most locations across North America.
A few organizations provided a lot of support to make this happen:
Gary Dovey, the Vice President of Penn Northwest Development Corp, says he is “Thankful to work with such local businesses and members. In fact, Imperial Systems is a homegrown local business with Jeremiah as a visionary leader who continues to grow this business and hire talented individuals. Further, Jeremiah and Imperial Systems exemplifies the American Dream by Starting It, Making It, and Growing It In Mercer County, PA”.
Lucy Wann, Realtor, Coldwell Banker “Jeremiah and Imperial Systems, Inc. are defining the American spirit and innovation in bringing this facility to life by rehabilitation and adding many new jobs! It is my pleasure to be part of the team closing on this 90,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Mercer Borough, Mercer, PA. This is fabulous news for 2021 and Mercer County! Congratulations on rehabbing the Chevron Building and now the Reznor Building! This is something to celebrate with your passion and state of the art Dust & Fume Collectors making our community strong and prosperous”!
Diane M. McNaughton, the Chief of Staff for the Office of State Senator Michele Brooks “It’s a pleasure to see Imperial Systems and other businesses in Mercer County grow and succeed!” Senator Michele Brooks said, “I congratulate Imperial Systems, Jeremiah Wann and his employees on helping to create a healthy and safe work environment in properties across the nation and the globe, while creating many local manufacturing jobs, and a more vibrant Mercer County. I thank him for his innovative approach to indoor air quality, which will produce an additional 50 jobs in the next two years and 100 in the next four years. Thank you, also, to Mercer Borough for their partnership with completing the access bridge to this property.”
Tim Bonner, State Representative for the 8th District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, is pleased to join in the announcement of the sale of the Reznor plant to Imperial Systems, Inc., a company owned by Jeremiah Wann of Mercer County. Representative Bonner stated, “It is exciting news to learn that Imperial Systems, Inc. is expanding its operations in the Mercer area through its purchase of the Reznor facility. Imperial Systems already operates out of the former Chevron facility manufacturing industrial air filters and this expansion will allow it to become an international supplier and to increase its employment rolls to 200 workers over the next four years. Fantastic news for Jeremiah Wann and the Mercer County community.”
In this new episode of the Dusty Jobs Podcast, Donovan talks to Corbett Hefner from Formation Ag. Formation Ag specializes in making equipment for processing hemp. They talk about the budding industry of hemp and everything hemp can be used for. They also talk about the importance of being nimble and being able to adapt for new ways to process hemp. To learn more about harvesting and processing hemp visit Formation Ag at their website: https://formation-ag.com/
ANNOUNCER: 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 Jobs Podcast. We’re glad to have you guys with us today. Today, we have a really interesting guest: Corbett Hefner of Formation Ag. How are you doing today, Corbett?
CORBETT: Excellent. How are you guys?
DONOVAN: Doing good, doing good. So, Corbett’s going to be here talking to us about the hemp industry, right?
CORBETT: Correct.
DONOVAN: Now you guys are based out of Colorado, is that right?
CORBETT: Right. Monte Vista, Colorado, up in the mountains.
DONOVAN: There you go, there you go. So, Corbett how did you get started in this whole interesting world of agricultural products? And where did you get started and how did you end up here?
CORBETT: Well, I’ve been in agriculture my entire life. My family was in the fertilizer, and we had some farming, little bit of farming on the side, and I’ve always farmed. My degree was in Plant pathology so, I’ve always had an interest in agriculture in one shape or another, but I was in the flexible packaging industry, plastic mesh and fresh produce bags for 25 some odd years. It was in Texas and Wisconsin, for the bulk of it, Wisconsin.
And we decided to move back to our home area to be by our family in in 2016, 2015, I don’t remember now, but anyway, about that time I started with Power Zone Equipment/Power Zone agriculture in mid 2016 as Engineering Manager/Hemp Person because Power Zone Equipment made petroleum fluid moving products, you know, large industrial pumps, the watering for mine saltwater kind of things, huge pumps.
And in 2015, when oil went kind of south, they were looking for other things to keep their staff busy and one of the salesmen said, “Hey, you know this hemp thing is just starting to take off where we live in Monte Vista’s, in the San Luis valley of Colorado, which is a very large agricultural area. I think there’s 150,000 – no, it’s more than that 150-170,000 square acres of, might be square miles, of farm ground here it’s all irrigated farm ground. This is a very large potato area, second or third largest potato area in the country. And hemp, because of its water consumption, is a really good rotation crop to go into. Potatoes, Coors barley is grown here a lot of other vegetables like spinach, or lettuce, some carrots, etc., quinoa, a little canola. Hemp fits into the rotation strategy because of it’s very easy on water. It does not need a lot of water. It’ll do whatever you want to eat it, but it doesn’t need it. And that’s a major issue in our area.
So, in 2016, they hired me on as that managing position and I was supposed to do a little double duty. There for a while was about 80% engineering and 20% hemp and that made it about 6 weeks when CBD and the hemp industry just exploded.
DONOVAN: Yeah.
CORBETT: We had out of the engineering manager thing and then started the just only focused on hemp equipment
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: We built the cortication first because we thought that was a bottleneck in the industry because we fully, and from since the onset of the industry, thought the grain fiber herd aspect of the hemp business is where the bigger uses are. And definitely from and acreage standpoint and a viability for helping farmers be a little more autonomous that this was the approach.
We got into CBD harvesting because we found there just wasn’t a very good CBD harvesting solution, so we built the clean-cut harvesters for whole plant, horticultural style farming. We have the clean strip machine for bud type harvesting when you’re on narrow spacing for growing CBD, it also works for hemp grain. We’ve got the…
DONOVAN: Corbett, I’m going to have to pause here because you’re telling me so much information, I’m not catching it all. Hold on. So, this so the first thing you guys developed was what because I’d love to know. So, the first thing you guys built was the cord machine.
CORBETT: The cortication equipment – separating the fiber from the herd.
DONOVAN: Gotcha, okay.
CORBETT: Right. That’s where you get your opportunity for textiles, cordage, or cellulose, or insulation.
DONOVAN: Okay.
CORBETT: Fiber herd is your animal bedding, hemp tree, you know for the two big ones that people are probably most familiar with it which is why I’m talking to you guys…
DONOVAN: Yeah, yes.
CORBETT: …because when you decorticate, you create an enormous amount of dust.
DONOVAN: Gotcha, gotcha. So you have a big dust plume when you do that process, right? So that is the first machine you guys worked on. So, what was the next thing? I heard you say it, but I’m still trying to learn about this.
CORBETT: CBD harvest.
DONOVAN: CBD Harvest.
CORBETT: So we went from the cortication, we were probably five years early on the cortication. We’ve never stopped working on the cortication.
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: Yet long line fiber, which is the goal of our equipment and very good cooling herd, we’ve never stopped working on it the whole time. But we got into CBD harvesting because we have a custom machine shop and people asked us to build it and we did. It works well.
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: We’ve developed, basically now, we have four different harvesters.
DONOVAN: Okay.
CORBETT: Four, two that are more focused on CBD. One for grain/CBD and now we’ve got a dual head one that we’re building in conjunction with Bish Enterprises that mount on any combine that allows farms to basically dual crop grain and fiber and do the harvest at one pass without having a dedicated very expensive monster of a machine. We can implement this machine on pretty much any piece of equipment, take it off of that combine, and let it go back to any other harvest crop that it wants to do without modifying the machine.
DONOVAN: So, it’s just a new combine head that’ll go into any combine, but it’s good for harvesting. Now is that just for the fibers or is it harvesting the CBDs? Or will it do both?
CORBETT: Grain. It’s more geared towards grain which is your…
DONOVAN: Gotcha.
CORBETT: …hemp parts and cold press oil seeds, etc., but underneath that grain head is the fiber head, so we’ve got this patent on this thing because it’s unique. The only approach in dual head harvesting at the moment are European and they’re not autonomous. You can’t take this head off and you can’t take the existing head off a machinery and put them back to use in other crops easily.
This one is literally an attachment for a combine, then we can collect the chaff out of the back with our grasshopper collection cards and we’ve got 20 some odd different types of machines that we’ve either adapted or engineered from scratch for the hemp industry. Whether it’s harvesting, processing, or decortication of the fiber and herd grain cleaning equipment for CBD, we can separate the flower from the stock without destroying the trichomes and we’ve got a lot of different machines. We’ve had engineer and innovate from scratch to help support the industry.
DONOVAN: Wow, that it sounds like you guys…
CORBETT: It’s a lot of stuff.
DONOVAN: Yeah, like you’ve kind of taken the process from the beginning, almost the whole way through here for someone. So, if someone is looking at getting into this, if there’s a farmer out there who is looking to get into this, they would, I mean, it sounds like you guys might just be able to walk him right through the whole thing.
CORBETT: Well, we started a consultant group and a processing group so we’ve got everything from phonetics all the way to off take finished good products out of fiber and herd that we can help collaborate with these farms and make it a viable crop for them.
We had places to take the crops so, we had to – we saw that as a necessity we had to get basically vertically integrated from seed to sale, if you will, to make the industry move forward. It just wasn’t moving at the rate that we thought it should because we want to make a lot of machinery for people because our overall goal here is to help support these farms. They needed another crop that they can get some revenue off and get a little more control over their debt and hemp was a perfect crop to do that with.
DONOVAN: Yeah, yeah, and like you said it’s definitely been a growing industry and it’s taken off. So, what would you say are some of the biggest challenges that you guys have seen that you’ve innovated to overcome? I mean, we talk about dust, we do a lot with dust here and yeah I know with you guys, you guys also help manage that process on your plant so that it’s a safe environment for the farmers and for the workers, but what are some other things that might be a challenge that you guys have just innovated and overcome?
CORBETT: Definitely having off take for these different crops. Because of this, there’s so many uses for this plant finished use, finished good uses for it. It’s kind of hard to put your finger on something to say, “This is what I’m going to go after”. So, trying to build equipment that is easily adaptable and flexible to help the customers put out the most flexible finished good they can was definitely a challenge because different genetics, different farming locations, different farming conditions, agronomy wise, you know, latitude, longitude, fertility, moisture, all can affect how the hemp grows and definitely can affect how you process the hemp stock. I’m talking stocks for dust collection. It definitely affects that so to engineer these machines to be flexible and adaptable, we’re building our systems modular. So, if you don’t need really high-end clean fiber, you don’t have purchase those machines. If you want really good controlled and milled herd down to small sizes, then we have, you know, your dust collection systems integrated with the dual vacuum hammer mills because we can grind the herd down to 20 microns, 50 microns, but the smaller you go with particle size, the harder it is to handle it. We struggle with the dust collection. I mean, it is tough. It is so small it’s tough create a draw to get everything out of the machinery.
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: Every lock can be different, every set of bales can be different so, that’s a real challenge is how do you engineer for every single eventuality. And you just camp at some point in time. We learn constantly so, we pivot constantly. The big major scenery manufacturers hate that. They want to draw something and just make it over and over again, and we haven’t had that luxury yet. We’re getting to where the main machinery design hasn’t been changing, but some of these ancillary pieces of equipment to finish it, we keep modifying changing because we learn all the time the different technique
DONOVAN: It sounds like you guys are like able to be nimble and reactive to what your customer needs are and that’s sounds like a big thing in this industry. That you know, depending on what direction someone is going to take that product you guys are able to help them come up with a solution for it if I’m hearing this right.
CORBETT: Right, we have to be flexible. That’s the biggest challenge is how do you engineer to provide a flexible platform with flexible piece of machinery to break the products down into what people are asking for. If you don’t have a home for the product, if you don’t have a sale for your goods, then it’s kind of hard to stay in business so…
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: That’s been one of our biggest challenges, really, is how do you tackle everything and do a good job at it so…
DONOVAN: Yeah, well, it sounds like you guys are working hard at it, and you keep figuring it out as it goes along here and continuing to innovate. You kind of touched on this a little bit, where do you think the future of the industry is going? What do you think is going to be the realm where…is it going to be genetics? Where you know it helps make things more universal, or more common or what do you see being in the industry? Where is it going to go?
CORBETT: I still think the fiber and herd market is probably the bigger sector of this business. Just because there’s so many uses from plastics to textiles, I mean, and everything in between. That’s the bigger acreage consumption of this crop because, you got to recognize the more acres we plan to hamper, the more acres we pull out of nutritional grain crops, you know, corn, wheat, barley, whatever it is. That’s going to help those commodity prices stabilize too and provide a little bit better of the financial future for these farms.
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: That’s probably the bigger one. I mean, everybody wants to do textiles, but that’s probably one of the harder endeavors in this this industry. We’ve successfully made fibers to do that, but we’ve lost the infrastructure in the U.S. to finish the fibers and get it into that state so we’re having to do quite a bit of work now on reinvigorating that and getting that equipment either back, or innovating because, you know, when we lost that equipment 40, 50, 60 years ago, 80 years ago, the way that machinery ran with the number of people that it took to run it, I don’t think we can duplicate today today’s market. It would be too costly. You just can’t find that amount of people anymore. Labor is becoming a very scarce resource so, to just say, “Okay, I’ll just bring all that infrastructure back”. I don’t know if that’s going to work, we just don’t have the number of people to run it
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: So, we’re going to have to do a lot of innovation in there to close this gap. Once they’ve got the fiber into a thread, then I can do a lot of different work in it. You know, from textiles, cordage, whatever the case may be, but from clean fiber to a thread. Filaments, that’s what I call him. That’s the plastic name for an individual piece, but there’s still a lot to be learned there and that’s what we’re working on right now, or I am personally. I still do a lot of the development and R&D for the company.
DONOVAN: Well, that’s great. I didn’t even know that the hemp product could be used as a plastic supplement. Is that what it would be used in, in that realm, to help eliminate the plastic? It would be more of a hemp plastic?
CORBETT: At some point in time, when people have done, on lab scale, a little isolation work and they believe they can make a resin pellet in essence and make a truly degradable plastic out of it. At the moment, when we use the the micronized product, you know, 50 microns or less, you can actually blend it into plastic now as an additive. It’s not a true biodegradable, but it’s a source reduction technique bring that lets you be a little better. I mean, you don’t have to, it be awesome if we could have 100% biodegradable in plastic today, but I’m also pretty realistic and know that it’s going to have to be a slow roll approach. Adaptation and acceptance of those products is going to take them a little bit. Performance is everything in plastic. So, if you make a mesh for filter media spun blown filter media stuff, it’s got to perform.
DONOVAN: Right.
CORBETT: So, you know, to get people to switch from what they’re doing today that’s known and established, you can produce to a standard is one thing and putting in a substitution, that’s completely different. It takes a little while to accept that so, you’ve got to be realistic about it but it’s going to happen. I mean, there’s some sharp people out there working on that. Really excited to see what they come up with it because I used a lot of plastic, and I would love to see that happen.
DONOVAN: Yeah, I think that would just be great for everybody. Great for agriculture, great for the environment, great for everybody if we can start to find clean renewable resources that help eliminate some of these other areas that we’re struggling in a little bit right now so…
CORBETT: You bet. Paper pulp might be an easier one but it’s large scale, but I have seen 100% machine made hemp paper done in the U.S. It’s a little narrow webbed, 24 or 28 inches wide, but what the heck of a start. It’s a really beautiful style.
DONOVAN: Yeah.
CORBETT: I’m excited to see what they do in the paper industry.
DONOVAN: Right, yes instead of having to harvest a tree that takes, you know, 20 to 30 years to mature, if you could have a crop that is every year, that would be another great area that we could use it in. This is all exciting stuff. We’re glad that you guys are working on it and helping innovate, not just for you know the health and safety of the people working on, but, man you’re helpful with sounds like the health and safety of everybody in the general population to with the innovation in this this world.
CORBETT: It’s all tied together.
DONOVAN: It is.
CORBETT: You can’t have one without the other. We’ve got to keep taking those steps
DONOVAN: Yeah, yeah
CORBETT: Yeah, it takes a while.
DONOVAN: Yeah, well, nothing simple is done overnight right
CORBETT: No, never is, but we’ve lost some of our patience in the country so innovation and true paradigm shifting technology takes a little bit.
DONOVAN: It does, it does, but we’re glad to have people like you guys working on it and you know that’s kind of what we do here too at Imperial is try to continue to innovate and help people like you whenever you guys are trying to make a cleaner environment for the workers. That’s what we’re doing here and it’s glad it’s great to see other people working on innovating for the health and safety of not just those that are working, but you know the overall environment and providing resources for people to be able to do that.
Well, Corbett, I don’t know if you have anything else that you want to say or touch on about you guys, but I mean I really appreciate the time you’ve given us here. Is there anything else you want to say?
CORBETT: No, you know if they wanted, if your audience was to look at what we’ve got we could go to ourformation.com website and look at some of the machines that we’ve got, you know, LinkedIn stuff. I post different stuff that that we do in the industry and you know right, wrong, or different it’s all out there. And take a look at it and if you learn something from it, great if you got questions, let us know. We’re always happy to talk about agriculture farming and farming of hemp and equipment for that and solutions for people’s problems. That’s why we’re here is to help them solve their problems.
DONOVAN: Yep, and what was your website one more time?
CORBETT: formation-ag.com
DONOVAN: Formation-ag.com, that’s great. You guys are on LinkedIn and probably all the social media platforms, correct?
CORBETT: Everything.
DONOVAN: There you go.
CORBETT: A bunch of engineering kind of guys so we’re probably not as good at it as we should be, but we got it out there
DONOVAN: You guys aren’t working worried about as much the Instagram, as trying to actually come up with the solutions for the problems, right?
CORBETT: Yeah, I mean during harvest I didn’t put anything out there for probably 6 or 8 weeks. We got busy with, a couple of us got Coronavirus, and that really screwed up our harvest plan and season, so we didn’t do very good at it. Yeah, but we worry about other stuff before that, well then. Now we’re worried about supply chain issues.
DONOVAN: I think that’s everywhere, but if we are able to start figuring out some of these things with hemp, and then we can bring that all back to the states, and be able to produce those products here locally, that’ll help us as a country, as an economy too so…
CORBETT: Absolutely. There’s no reason we can’t do filter media for these your collector kind of machine. It’s going to take it
DONOVAN: There you go
CORBETT: Very viable solution.
DONOVAN: Yeah, yeah so, well, hey I just want to say thanks again for coming on today. We appreciate it.
If anybody out there is interested in finding out more about Imperial Systems you can find us on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Apple, Spotify, you can look us up on all of those things. Corbett, once again thanks for coming.
We appreciate all the information you’ve given us; it’s just a wealth of knowledge. We’re excited to see where you guys are going. And everyone out there, thanks for listening. Stay healthy and stay safe and we’ll catch up with you next time. Thanks so much, appreciate the time.
ANNOUNCER: Thanks for listening to the Dusty Jobs podcast. Breathe better, work safer.
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