Page 55 - MetalForming October 2013

dust load in the connected system.
“It has exceeded our expectations,” Ferris says. “Because we can use it with our comprehensive fume-extraction system, we have been able to cut stain- less steel on the table. That’s some- thing that would be unheard of if we hadn’t put these fume-extraction meas-
ures into place.”
Mitigating the Threat
of Hexavalent Chromium
As Cleveland Tank officials were for- mulating their air-quality improvement measures, they also knew from the start of the process that they wanted to install extraction measures in the shop’s stainless-steel welding booth. Welders in this booth fabricate as many as five stainless-steel tanks per week, as well as stainless-steel straps and brackets.
“While developing our specification plan for this particular area, we dis- covered that our levels of hexavalent chromium were 1.5 times over the allowed limit,” Ferris says. “That dis- covery gave us even greater incentive to select the best available system and get it up and running quickly.”
The company ultimately specified Lincoln Electric’s DownFlex downdraft table, a dual-purpose workbench and extraction unit designed specifically to remove weld fume at the source—a must for the regulations governing stainless-steel welding. The addition of this unit made notable improve- ments to the booth’s air quality.
“The air is so much cleaner in the booth,” says welder Mike McAvoy. “It’s definitely noticeable.”
Furthermore, since installing the downdraft table in the stainless-steel booth, hexavalent chromium levels have shrunk to 100 times lower than the specified limit.
“The remediation has been phe- nomenal,” Ferris notes, adding that all three installed fume-extraction solu- tions have produced significant increases in air quality throughout the manufacturing facility. MF
Article provided by Lincoln Electric, Cleveland, OH: 216/481-8800; www.lin- colnelectric.com.
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