Dust Extraction and Fume Extraction specialists. Whether it's Downflow Booths, mobile filter units, or Hood Positioning Devices (Extraction Arms), flextraction have products to suit your dust and fume extraction requirements.

New Hood Positioning Devices For Better Fume and Dust Extraction

Posted January 5th, 2010

flextraction Ltd, supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products has launched a new range of totally self supporting Hood Positioning Devices (HPD), the ‘Flextractor HPD, Extended HPD, Mini HPD and Flextender HPD, all incorporating new mounting brackets, hoods and hoses for the capture and extraction of industrial dusts and fumes including hazardous and corrosive fumes at the point of source.

These HPDs have been designed to be used in a multitude of industrial applications, including surface grinding, welding, product tipping and drum filling as well as food processing and all manufacturing applications, where dust and fumes are emitted.  Importantly, they meet HSE requirements for the correct positioning and design of LEV hoods and are totally self supporting mechanisms providing stability and accuracy in the carrying and positioning of a wide range of hoods in different sizes, weights and designs including individual customised hoods plus hose combinations.  Without any internal obstructions, there is no wear, corrosion, flow restrictions or solids built up within the hoses.

The twin support mechanism incorporates two springs to provide a much greater return force than in previous models, producing a lighter as well as a more balanced feel to the arm, especially when manipulating it into the correct extraction position.  This increased return force, as well as an increased surface area around the central pivot, enables the design of fully customised hoods to be added to the HPD.

The NEW Hood Positioning Device from flextraction Ltd

Other features include a rear casing that is fully enclosed giving an improved aesthetic appearance and protection against dirt ingress, a rear boom extension gives a 270° working radius and a new 360° rotating swivel hood enables more accurate hood positioning, whilst quick release clips are used to attach a range of flexible hoses such as standard PVC, FD approved polyurethane, high temperature, chemical and solvent resistant as well as ATEX certified hoses.

Options include tubed, ATEX compliance and stainless steel models plus a fitted electronic airflow indicator.

Flextractor HPD’s are suitable for standard wall or stanchion mounting, as well as upward and downward swivel, joist and ceiling mountings and are available in five standard lengths between 1,5m and 4m.  Optional solid tubed sections in the same diameters and with flexible joints are also available to further reduce the risk of solids build up.

The Extended HPD provides the user with the additional option of a longer reach up to a maximum 8m. The wall or bench mounted mini HPD is available in three standard diameters – 75mm, 100mm and 250mm with either 1m or 1.5 m reaches.

The Flextender HPD has a telescopic extraction arm giving the user a 1,200 – 1,650mm reach, especially useful in low headroom or limited space applications. Flextractor HPDs and Flextender HPDs are available in either 75mm, 100mm, 125mm, 150mm and 200mm diameters.

A range of hoods is available in a wide variety of designs including bell mouth, flare, fish tail, flat screen and custom designed. These are available in epoxy coated, stainless steel, polypropylene and ATEX versions.

HSE Recommend Air Flow Monitoring Devices for all Dust and Fume Extraction Hoods

Posted July 7th, 2009

The Health & Safety Executive now recommend that companies fit airflow monitoring indicators to all Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) hoods to ensure that airflow is adequate to control exposure.  Employers have legal responsibilities in law under Health & Safety at Work etc Act (HSWA) 1974, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Heath Regulations (CoSHH) 2002, as amended, and the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR).  Additionally, there are special provisions for employers in Safety Data sheets under REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of CHemicals).  

Section 106 of the H&S document, Controlling Airborne Contaminants at Work (HSG 258) states:  “Employers need an airflow indicator at every hood because the operator needs some simple indication that the hood is working properly.  It becomes critical when the operator has to adjust a damper to get adequate airflow. The airflow indicator must indicate simply and clearly when the airflow is adequate…..” 

flextraction is offering to visit your company to give you a ‘free of charge’ assessment and advice on how you can meet this HSE recommendation.

To take up our offer of a free on site survey with regards to meeting the HSE’s recommendations, then please call one of our team on   01664 - 410 641   and quote “HSE Monitor Offer”.                                                                                         

The Air That I Breathe…

Posted May 26th, 2009

Lee Darton, Sales Manager at flextraction Ltd, a supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products for industrial dust, fume and oil mist extraction, looks at why manufacturing and fabricating industries should seriously look at the filtration efficiency of their LEV (Local Exhaust Ventilation) equipment.  He also believes that equipment suppliers should offer sound, practical, educational advice to industry regarding the testing and marking of air filtration systems for the extraction of welding fumes.

In the 60’s ‘The Air that I Breathe’ was a big hit for The Hollies, although the lyrics are not related to the working environment, the title of the song is very relevant to industrial health and safety.

In industry, it is relatively easy to extract fumes and dust particles from the workplace and filter and return them as clean air safely and efficiently back into the workshop, by using the correct and certified extraction equipment with visible and/or audible warning devices to warn the operator if equipment is not working correctly.  In the 60’s it was normal practice to discharge fumes directly into the workplace or outside without any fear of repercussions, to-day that is not possible.  If companies do not abide by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (CoSHH) regulations and Environmental legislation, then they are not fulfilling their duty to control the risks and could face costly compensation packages to employees, whose health has been affected by the actions of employers by not providing the right equipment for their safety and welfare.   A costly error for both the employer and employee.

It is important that everyone must help the environment and protect the air that we all need to breathe to sustain life.

“In the UK to-day, there are still many thousands of workers, dying from lung disease or getting asthma because of contaminants in the air that they breathe at work” says Lee Darton.  “When flextraction was set up just over 10 years ago, we took the strategic decision to market LEV products that would not only meet all the standards but exceed those required by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

I have represented the BSI British Standards as UK representative for ISO15012-2:2008 specifying the health and safety requirements concerned with the separation of fumes from welding and allied processes. It also covers the testing and marking of equipment for air filtration and describes a method for determining the particle separation efficiency of welding fume separation equipment.  In addition, it deals with the major hazards caused by the emission of welding fume particles from welding fume extraction equipment, when operated correctly and as foreseen by the manufacturer.

This is the efficiency standard we would like to see every manufacturer abide by and put forward to users, sometimes however the cheaper option is easier and we see welders being exposed to re-breathing contaminated air due to poor or inadequate filtration.

As part of our education program, every time we visit a customer, our engineers always produce a written site survey - a 4 page document with over 22 important questions. The very first question we ask is ‘what does the customer expect us to achieve’? That answer is of paramount importance and only when we have analysed all the answers are we able to put recommendations forward that meet or in many cases exceed all the customer’s requirements and expectations.”

BGIA Certificate & Filtercube Unit

Because of this, we believe as a manufacturer and supplier we should help educate and advise manufacturing companies who are looking to invest in ventilation systems or improve their existing systems. We are UK representatives for TEKA GmbH, Germany, LEV products manufacturer, whose filtration efficiency is tested and certificated by the German BGIA (Berufsgenossenschaftliches Institut für Arbeitsschutz) to DIN EN ISO 15012-1 giving welders assurances that air being re-circulated back into the work space is filtered to >99%, or welding fume separation class W3. All filters that we supply, either in fixed equipment or mobile units, are approved and marked accordingly. We also recommend that the user carries out annual maintenance and to document his actions.

Education is a by product of sales and the extraction of welding fumes away from the operator was one of the first applications for fume extraction. Since the industrial revolution in the early 19th century, steel has become one of the most common products seen in to-day’s world, whether it be in ships, buildings, washing machines, to name a few. To join it together you need to weld, rivet or bolt it together. Welding is a process that produces dangerous fumes, more so when the operator is using stainless steels and other exotic materials, all of which are being used more and more in the UK as our manufacturing base moves from high volume mild steel welding to manufacturing high tech, high quality specialised products.”

It is important that all users of welding equipment are aware of ISO 15012-1:2004(E), the European standard as a starting point.  With escalating energy costs UK companies are keen to reduce these costs and one way is not to extract contaminated warm air out into the outside atmosphere, but to re-circulate clean and warm air back into the work space, however it must be filtered correctly and efficiently so as not to cause harm to the employees.  If it is not, it produces another cost – sickness and time off.

Lee Darton concludes: “Good working practice, including regular product maintenance, will reduce the payback time of a Company’s health and safety investment as well as reduce energy costs. It will also help to ensure that employers do not receive claims for compensation due to ill health at a later date. With education, industrial fabricators and manufacturers will start to ask the right questions, so that they do not receive second best”

Flextraction to exhibit new fume and dust equipment products at MACH 2008

Posted March 3rd, 2008

Flextraction Ltd, supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products for dust and fume extraction in the workplace will be exhibiting a number of new products as well as existing products, on stand nr 4440 at MACH 2008, NEC, Birmingham.

New products include a brand new TEKA plasma cutting table with integrated fume extraction, TEKA’s new ‘ZPF9’ central de-dusting cartridge filter system with 9 long life BGIA M filter cartridges and a dust collection efficiency of > 99%, with the filtering device being equipped with PULSE-CONTROL for easy use and programming.

TEKA’s new high performance ‘Wet Dust Separator’ with a high dust collection efficiency for a wide range of applications, including difficult dust conditions will be demonstrated.

Other new products on show include a new grinding bench from TEKA for simple disposal of grinding dust, where dust is extracted through to the back and to the bottom of the table. 90% of the particles collected are separated immediately by an integrated pre-separator.
Other dust and fume equipment on show will include TEKA’s ‘Caremaster SF-W’ Stationary welding fume filter for almost every type of industrial fume extraction problem. It is equipped with a durable filter cassette, pre-filter unit, filter monitor, sealing face lifter, hour-meter, wall bracket and protective motor switch for wall mounting. Alongside it will be TEKA’s BGIA: 200520840/1140 approved ‘Cleanmaster’ mobile, high-performance welding fume filter for industrial fume extraction. It has a visual and acoustic filter monitor, sealing face lifter, hour-meter, cable reel and castors with brakes as standard.

TEKA’s BGIA: 200520840/1140 approved ‘Strongmaster’ mobile cartridge filter for industrial fume extraction comes equipped with a separator, durable, de-dustable, large-surface filter cartridge and PTFE laminate will be shown. The filter cartridge stays in the unit during de-dusting preventing dust from entering the workroom.

Other equipment on show will include Kiekens ‘Mistmaster’ centrifugal mist separator for the filtration of oil mist at turning lathes, milling and other production machines and iekens centralised vacuum system for on welding gun fume extraction and a TEKA ‘Handycart’ mobile portable high-vacuum extraction unit with manual de-duster or fully-automatic pneumatic de-duster and infinitely adjustable speed control as well as a downflow extraction bench and extraction equipment for print processing equipment.

Industrial cleaning equipment will be highlighted by Kiekens ‘W192 / Wet & Swarf’ cleaner for the suction of slightly contaminated liquids, swarfs and accompanying coolants, lubricants and wet industrial waste. Characterized by a strong suction power with a low noise level, it contributes to dust free and safer working conditions.

Flextraction’s new web site goes live!

Posted January 23rd, 2008

Flextraction Ltd, the Melton Mowbray, supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products for dust extraction and fume extraction in the workplace, has launched its new website www.flextraction.co.uk which has been structured to enhance the Company’s identity in the market place and greatly improve its usability, as well as providing faster access to information on the company, its products and services.

 The company’s products are divided principally into 6 groups comprising extraction arms, filter systems, vacuum systems, extraction fans, downflow booths and other products, along with accessories. There is also a section on Services and Support that the Company offers as well as a Latest News section with all the company’s press information and images, including application stories.

 Lee Darton, Sales Manager at Flextraction said: “This new website replaced our old site at the beginning of January.  It has taken a considerable amount of painstaking work to complete, but in the end the information that is now available to visitors to the site far exceeds anything we were able to do with our former website.”

Flextraction Move to Larger Premises

Posted October 4th, 2007

After 10 successful years in the centre of Melton Mowbray, Flextraction Ltd, the specialist solution provider capturing at source all forms of airborne contamination – dust, fume and oil mist has moved to larger, more modern premises on the outskirts of the town.

The Company had outgrown their town centre site and the new facilities on the Leicester Road Industrial Estate, enables the company to have a larger products display area for customers as well as an expanded manufacturing area and more office space.

Lee Darton, Flextraction’s Sales Manager said:

“We have enjoyed considerable growth over the last few years and have literally outgrown our town centre premises. The new premises are more modern, spacious and with room for further expansion. We have also installed a brand new telephone system, which will allow our customers and suppliers to have improved communications with us. This move will enable the Company to continue its growth in the fume, dust wet and swarf extraction markets. This is a multi-million pound market covering a wide variety of sectors including welding and general fabrication, foundries, educational institutes, medical laboratories, hospitals, commercial offices, printing, food production to nail bars and hairdressing. Health and safety of the workforce in the workplace is statutory in 2007 and will continue to be even more so over the coming years.

Not only do we design and manufacture our own range of fume and dust extraction equipment, we are also sole UK representatives for Kiekens Products BV, Holland, industrial high vacuum cleaning systems, TEKA GmbH, Germany localised extraction arms, portable and fixed filter systems manufacturer and Fumex AB, Sweden extraction arms and filter manufacturers.”