Greetings, I will pre-warn everyone that I am new to the metal industry. Recently I was reading Popular Mechanics and found an ad for a CNC Plasma. I purchased a CNC plasma machine (small hobby/second business) but is wondering how to remove the cutting smoke from my 24' by 24' garage without just pumping it outside into my back ally? My CNC plasma already has a water table which helps, will those portable home depote dust collectors work? Any other suggestions?
Thanks, Dennis
"Dennis" wrote in news:VzNIb.888546$6C4.95854@pd7tw1no:
Smoke Eater, It is a commercially available unit that will filter out the smoke in the shop. They have them sized for just about any work area.
Companies like Nederman make fume extractors specifically designed for welding fumes. But they are very expensive. Have a look here for some ideas:
I don't think one can successfully use a dust collector to capture the dust and smoke from a CNC plasma cutter used for any length of time. My solution was to build a room to enclose the table and use an exhaust fan to pull the dust outside. I also built a skirt around the table so all the air the fan is moving is pulled through the table. My room is airtight enough to pull a good vacuum as to contain nearly the dust. I also use a water tray under the table but it is a pain to lose small parts in the murky water. I can turn the exhaust fan off about 30-45 seconds after I complete a cut. The health problems associated with the dust created by a plasma cutter are a good thing to shield your self from. If you have the machine out in the shop it won't be long and everything you have will be covered with a layer of fine, nasty, black dust from hell. Here is a link to a photo of my setup.
Steve Peterson Kettle River Ironworks
They are very common for big plasma cutters. Many run completely submerged.
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