In its simplest form, a dust collection system can be described as a vacuum cleaner where the dust collection ductwork is the hose and wand that draws the dust away from the machine creating it. And the dust collector is the vacuum cleaner where the dust is filtered and the clean air returned either to the building or to outside.
The dust collection ductwork falls into two major categories: Flexible hose duct and hard, fixed ductwork.
Flexible Hose is a rubber or plastic hose with a metal grounding helix that MUST be grounded at each end to keep static electricity from building up and generating dangerous sparks. Hose is only appropriate for short runs, such as machine connections. That is because its rough interior and “floppy” nature cause significant static pressure loss, which requires higher energy use and can result in poor system performance.
Hard, Fixed Dust Collection Ductwork is usually constructed out of either plastic or galvanized or stainless steel, depending on the application. All metal construction is used on virtually all industrial and commercial applications as it reduces the chance of dangerous static electricity buildup. And the smooth rigid interior reduces static pressure loss, even over long runs.
Flanged ducting whereby two pieces of duct are joined using metal flanges. In this method, flanges are fitted over each end of the pipe and then the edge of the duct is “Van-stoned” or turned up to keep the flange in place. Then the flanges are simply bolted together to join pieces. The drawbacks of this construction are:
- Construction times are more than twice as long as clamp-together ducting.
- Unless the flanges are affixed perfectly by skilled workers, the duct segments will not align correctly. This results in an unprofessional appearance and higher static pressure loss.
- It is very difficult to move or change the ducting system. In many cases, flanged ducting is simply discarded rather than reconfigured. Keep that in mind when you design your dust collection ducting.
Clamp-Together ductwork, whereby each section of duct has a rolled edge that is joined quickly with a simple tool-free clamp. The advantages of this type system include:
- Installation times of less than half that of standard flanged duct systems.
- Nordfab clamp-together duct systems align perfectly, so long runs are even and have minimal static pressure loss.
- Clamp-together ducting systems can be taken apart and reconfigured quickly and easily. There is no need to throw any parts away.Feel free to contact us, to learn more about Nordfab dust collection ductwork.