3D Analyzer Software Woodworking Tip: How to choose a dust system for a safe woodworking environment

A decent dust extraction system is a necessity for safe working conditions in a woodworking company. While single bag systems may work fine with one or two machines, a larger setup will require a lot more.

Removing dust from machinery and from the air circulating in the woodwork workshop contributes not only to better health of workers but also improves productivity. Besides, if dust gets into machine parts and bearings, the cost of repairs could eat into a woodworker’s budget. Wood chips that are not removed from planing machines properly get carried around with the rotating cutterhead and can damage the planed surface of the object being worked on.

Dust collectors are available as single stage or cyclonic collectors. Dust is extracted and drawn directly into a collector by a fan or blower in a single stage collector. The collector has a drum and a filter on the top. Dust settles into the bag or drum while the air escapes through the filter bag.

In the cyclonic system air is drawn into a cyclone through a pipe and the dust falls to the bottom of the collection drum. The fan on the top of the cyclone draws out the fine dust into the filter with a smaller collecting bag situated below the filter.

In general, the more powerful the motor, the more air can be moved and the more dust and chips will be collected from the woodwork shop. For instance a 1hp motor will motor will generate enough power for one machine in a woodwork shop, while a 2hp motor will generate enough power for three or four machines. A 3hp motor is adequate for drawing dust from four or more machines.

The surface area of the filter bags on the system chosen for the woodwork shop is also an important consideration and should be 300mm x 300mm for every 10 cubic feet a minute (cfm).  Power is also affected by the type and configuration of the extraction pipes. The pipes should either remain the same size or increase in diameter as they get near the cyclone. The friction caused by the air as it moves along the pipes decreases efficiency and smooth plastic or steel pipes generate less static pressure than flexible plastic ribbed pipes. Also the fewer bends there are in the system, the smoother the airflow.

Woodworkers should also consider the collector on the machine. Just as a vacuum cleaner only vacuums where the nozzle is located, the tighter the collection hood on the tool, the better the collection of the dust.

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For more information on how 3D Analyzer Software can help improve your company please have a look at our website www.3danalyzersoftware.com

3D Analyzer Software was created by woodworkers with a lifetime of experience in the woodworking industry.

Close to the top of every woodworkers wish list is the seamless transition from solid model to CNC program.  3D Analyzer has made this goal a reality. With the ability to import solid models from CAD programs such as AutoCAD, 3D Pytha and Solidworks, 3D Analyzer is ideally suited to help any woodworker.

3D Analyzer Software is a customized woodworking software program that has been evolving since 2000, to enable woodworkers to produce and deliver individual pieces with dramatic time savings and near perfect accuracy. The Idea for the software program began as the owners sought practical solutions for their own woodworking manufacturing problems, needing software that would translate 3D images into specific manufacturing data.

We are proud to say that our software is now being used across the woodworking industry by:

- Architectural joinery companies
- Custom furniture manufactures
- Office fit-out suppliers
- Store fixture companies
- Exhibition companies
- Suppliers of display cabinets and
- High-end kitchen cabinet manufactures

Our Company is based in Sydney, Australia and has customers in Australia, and around the world in New Zealand, Europe / UK and the USA.