Earlier in 2011, Weldability-SIF entered into partnership with The Welding Institute (TWI), Cambridge and the College, to initiate foundation level welder skills training at the College. This was a first step towards a full apprenticeship programme designed to meet demand and overcome the current skills gaps in the UK welding industry and this was opened by John Hayes MP, Minister of State for Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning on 13th October 2011.

As an approved sponsor to the Weldability-Sif Foundation Charity, which has been set up and registered with the Charities Commission, to specifically encourage the development of new welder training facilities across the UK, Flextraction has installed in each of the 6 welding bays 2m standard telescopic HPD’s, incorporating black polyester coated 100mm diameter PVC 371 hoses with a coated mild steel 100mm diameter flared hood and mesh guard. Each HPD was supplied fully assembled with wall mounting bracket, control damper and with no internal components. Each bay was also fitted with an electronic airflow indicator attached to each hood to monitor the extraction air flow.

In addition to the HPD’s Flextraction also designed, manufactured and installed the spiral galvanised sheet steel ductwork needed to safely extract the welding fumes and dust from the welding bays to a point outside the building. It was designed with inspection/access doors, flexible hose connections and supporting brackets, as well as being sized to give a good conveyance velocity throughout its length.

Flextraction’s HPD’s all use mounting brackets, hoods and hoses specifically designed for the capture and extraction of industrial dusts and fumes including hazardous and corrosive fumes at the point of source in surface grinding, welding, product tipping and drum filling, as well as food processing and all manufacturing applications where dust and fumes are emitted.

David Stevenson, Welding Tutor at NHC said: “The Flextraction equipment is used daily to extract dust and welding fumes from 6 purpose built teaching bays with the latest Weldability-SIF 300A MIG welders and 200A AC/DC HF TIG inverters. At the present time we have 204 welding students and we are looking to double this number in 2012 and we will build additional teaching bays to accommodate this number.

We have very strict Health and Safety criteria and all the equipment we have, including the Flextraction installation, meet these requirements. When we were ordering the equipment we specified that the arms had to be flexible with the ability to keep close the point of extraction, which the Flextraction equipment has met in all aspects.

We have found that the equipment is very easy to maintain and clean as it has no filters, also it is easy to operate and the students have no problems in moving the extraction hood close to the work they are undertaking, making the overall environment in which they are welding very pleasant at the same time keeping their lungs clean.”

The Weldability-Sif Foundation Charity is currently looking for additional complimentary sponsors and further details can be found when you register at www.weldability-sif.org

This new comprehensive range of vehicle exhaust extraction systems includes mechanical and motor-driven exhaust hose reesl for use with static vehicles in garage and fleet vehicle workshops where the hoses are required to be stored way when the extraction system is not in use.  These systems are available in various sizes with nozzles to match, meeting and handling nearly every type of vehicle found on the market today.

Products available in the range include wall and ceiling mounted spring driven hose reels for use with motorbikes and cars, for workshops with high ceilings and working on high sided vehicles, wall and ceiling motor-driven exhaust hose reels with a push-button control to roll and unroll the hose complete with a safety stop and remote start/stop of the centralised fan.

Flextraction can also supply complete exhaust extraction system with Extruded Aluminium Track (ETK) and sliding carriages. Fan and adjustable sliding fixing points are also available. Included in this new product portfolio is a wide range of sheet metal fans with inlet and outlet flanges.  Additionally, there are a range of zinc plated sheet steel floor traps equipped with elbows for under the workshop floor or for use with internal hideaway hoses.

Lee Darton, Managing Director, said: “This is our own range of vehicle exhaust extraction systems which complements perfectly our existing range of Flextraction fume, dust and fluid extraction systems. Our business covers a very wide range of industrial sectors including the vehicle repair sector and these new systems will give us a more competitive edge in a large market sector.”

Lee has many years experience in the Fume and Dust Extraction equipment industry and has been with Flextraction for over 12 years as Sales Manager and most recently as General Manager (Products).  This promotion comes at a time when the Company continues to further develop its range of products, aiming to increase its market share both in the UK and in Europe.

 Wally Gilder, Chairman of Flextraction said: “Lee has played a significant role in the development of this company and has created a fully focussed and committed sales and after sales team.  Under his guidance we have seen our market share continue to increase and this appointment comes at a time when the Company is experiencing improved trading conditions and the introduction of a wider product portfolio.  It is just reward for all his commitment and endeavours.”

Lee said: “Flextraction has a comprehensive range of dust and fume extraction products that cover a multitude of industries, which we continually strive to improve and develop.  Our marketing strategy has led to increased order books both from the UK and from new markets in Europe.

Working with the UKTI (UK Trade and Investment) in order to find defined partners in Europe has led to the recent appointment of a distributor in France for our range of Hood Positioning Devices (HPDs).  This in turn has resulted in increased production of HPD’s at Melton Mowbray.

We are continuing to drive our export business forward and are currently looking at defined partners in Germany and Spain.  My appointment as Managing Director will help us take the Company forward as part of our on going marketing and investment strategies, both in the long and short term.”

Lee lives in Grantham, Lincolnshire, is married and admits to being an avid Arsenal supporter and a lover of fine foods.

Fume Extraction Cabinets from Flextraction

A new range of fume extraction cabinets (FEC) are now available from Flextraction, the UK supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) systems. 

The cabinets are ideally suited for use where operators are exposed to low dust emissions and small quantities of solvents and chemicals.  They can also be used to perform weighing operations.

The range comprises of 6 models;

FEC 350

FEC 500

FEC 600

FEC HD

FEC LD

FEC SD

Each is made from extruded aluminium profiles in a corrosion protected anodised natural finish with clear polycarbonate infill panels. 

The cabinets are supplied fully assembled with the spigot location normally at the rear of each cabinet and with a spigot size to suit the customer. 

The FEC 350, FEC 500 and FEC 600 feature an open frontal face access, ranging from 350mmm x 230mm to 600mm x 325mm. They are connected to separate fans or mobile filters with airflow velocities ranging from 0.3m/s (90m³/hr) to 1.0m/s (700 m³/hr).

The FEC HD, FEC SD and FEC LD all have a hinged door to provide an open frontal access. The standard FEC HD measures 800mm (length) x 500mm (width) x 600mm (height), with a working access of 720mm x 560mm when open.

The FEC SD and FEC LD models are two angular cabinets, which can be designed and manufactured to suit the application.

For more information on the Fume Extraction Cabinets call one of our team on 01664 - 410 641.

HPDs for the French Market

Flextraction Ltd, supplier and manufacturer of Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products has appointed Wattohm Equipement based in Charnay les Macon as their distributor of HPD dust & fume extraction products within France.

Wattohm was established 25 years ago as a distributor and supplier of dust & fume extraction arms, hoses and filter systems to a multitude of resellers and end users throughout France.

Wattohm will be responsible for the marketing and selling within France of the Flextraction range of totally self supporting Hood Positioning Devices (HPD), including the Flextractor HPD, Extended HPD, Mini HPD and Flextender HPD which are all available and certified as ATEX compliant, being coated with an anti-static paint so that they can be used in hazardous area zones.

HPD’s incorporate 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 in surface grinding, welding, product tipping and drum filling as well as food processing and all manufacturing applications, where dust and fumes are emitted.

Lee Darton, Managing Director, Flextraction said: “We are very pleased to announce the appointment of Wattohm as our distributor in France. We have been working closely with the UKTI (UK Trade and Investment) to seek defined partners in Europe with France being our number one priority, as we look to drive our export business forward. Recently we have been successful in exporting to Spain, Romania, Canada, USA and Oman.

Wattohm is very well placed to sell our products through their market and product expertise and we are confident that this relationship will reap rewards for both parties in the near future.”

Mme Virginie Sauze from Wattohm said: “We are very happy with our new partnership with Flextraction.  We appreciate the quality and the professionalism of their management as well as the quality of their product range. Therefore, we are assured that the Flextraction HPD’s will contibute to a significant market share in the French market. We believe in the success of this relationship which helps to complete our range of products”

The ergonomically designed 75mmØ Fumex ME has an energy saving very low pressure drop, producing a number of benefits to the user including, reduced ventilation noise measured in accordance with ISO standard 3643, no need for a larger diameter extractor, and it can be integrated with other extraction systems.

With its unique joint construction this system allows air to pass through the joints without creating any unnecessary turbulence, with the variation in pressure drop between the extractor in the working position and a full retracted extractor being minimal.

This system can be rotated round 360º without the need for special sleeves or double wall brackets. Both the ceiling and wall mounted brackets are made of anodised aluminium for stability and easy fitting. The ceiling bracket, available in 8 different lengths from 0.25m – 2.0m, functions as a duct, thereby avoiding the need for expensive external ducting.

Another feature of the ME system is the internal spring located in the first articulating arm joint to support the weight of the arm and provided stability. For a 2m length arm, the ME system can be fitted with a gas spring to support it.

To meet customer requirements this system is available in a number of configurations, including:

• Standard - with polypropylene joints and aluminium tubes for most laboratory environments

• Polypropylene - with both joints and tubing in polypropylene for use with corrosive contaminants

• ATEX - with joints and tube in conductive polypropylene to meet ATEX directive 94/9/EC, for use with contaminants in explosive environments

• ESD - with joints in conductive polypropylene and aluminium tubes to meet EN61340-5-1 for use in the electronics industry. 

A number of hoods are available including:

• suction nozzles
• metal hoods incorporating a working light
• dome hoods
• square hoods
• flat screen hoods.

Designed for round the clock 24 hours use in a multitude of cleaning applications including buildings, laboratories, fabrication shops, food and bakery environments, as well as woodworking and pharmaceutical facilities, it is available in both single phase and three phase versions.

This new vacuum cleaner provides an excellent ratio between power, suction performance (250 m³/h) and energy saving. Complementing the existing 202 DS models in the Mistral range, this new cleaner has a 100% steel construction, detachable container with dust collection disposable bags, outstanding 1 micron, class M filtration efficiency, a high Teflon coated polyester filter surface of around 30.000 cm² and inbuilt filter cleaning mechanism that makes it suitable even in the toughest extraction applications, involving very fine, clogging and also hazardous dust.

It is also available in H (hazardous dust), ATEX Explosion proof and stainless steel AISI 304 construction versions. Another feature of this cleaner is that it is supplied with a new suction inlet made of die-cast aluminium, replacing the PVC version found in previous models. This modification has been designed to improve the sturdiness of the suction inlet, improve the user friendliness of the hose connection and making the switching to 40 mm or 50 mm hoses and accessories easier.

A vacuum indicator allows constant checking of the suction performance and checking of possible clogging of the filter, whilst all vacuumed material is sucked directly into a 20 litres capacity, drop down bin which is easy to unload as the material is collected directly into a disposable bag.

Network Rail Fume Extraction System

Network Rail has training facilities throughout the UK, with the older ones being replaced by new modern facilities to create a learning environment that simulates the real world, whilst at the same time is conducive to learning and providing a sheltered area to allow the trainees to maximise their learning potential.  At Bristol, Network Rail train and re-certify staff employed in rail welding operations and also in the handling and using of small plant and inspection training.

The system ordered by Track Line Contracts Ltd, a Network Rail contractor, was specially designed for aluminothermic welding.  It comprised a TEKA Filtercube 4H filter module with a 100m² filter area that is designed as a central suction unit for several welding points.  It extracts polluted air using a ventilator to a filtering section;  here any toxic particles are deposited on the surface of filter cartridges, which are de-dusted automatically using compressed air.  The toxic particles are then collected in a tank and clean air is recycled to the workplace.

A TEKA ‘Spark Pre-Separator’ uses a water mist curtain to protect the filter device from fire.  Two 3-phase centrifugal, single inlet, high pressure fans equipped with silencers were installed to extract the fumes from the point of welding to the filter unit.  The four hoods, supported on heavy duty beam trolleys, were specially designed with 1000mm diameter canopies and side screens.  The complete system, including spiral galvanised sheet steel ductwork, 48m of hose with light duty beam trolleys to support the hose, was installed by Flextraction Engineers.

Network Rail at Bristol also trains operatives in MMA and semi automatic and automatic FCAW techniques, which is where another Flextraction extraction system comprising a Filtercube 4H filter module with 4 x standard 4m Hood Positioning Devices (HPD) arms, each with 1m extensions and 150mm diameter flared hoods, is also in constant use in the welder training school.

Lee Janczysyn, Training Delivery Specialist (Welding and NDT) said: “Network Rail uses MMA and semi automatic and automatic FCAW techniques, in addition to aluminothermic welding.  Both Flextraction systems are used for training purposes and the system for aluminothermic welder training has been very good, easily removing the fumes, whilst the spark box extinguishes all sparks before going through the filtration system.  This system was installed in a building that was already constructed, so there were some constraints to its location, which were overcome.

There are two tracks each with two hoods designed to be moved along the track to the correct position for welding with two of them operating at any one time;  however, we only ignite one welding portion at any time so that the welding trainer can supervise one activity at a time.  In general we find the system easy to use;  it has self cleaning filters and only requires the press of a button to start the extraction operation.

The other system in the welder training centre also works effectively and our trainees find the HPD arms easy to position.”

Lee Darton, General Manager Sales at Flextraction commented:  “With the system for aluminothermic welding, we made some modifications during the installation to meet the requirements of both the contractors and Network Rail due to the constraints of the building, otherwise the systems was delivered as required.  It is self cleaning with the filters occasionally need changing, which will be undertaken by us.  It also has a second motor as a back up allowing the system to be used if the primary motor should fail.”

RETrade Ltd based in Hinckley, Leicestershire is the manufacturing arm of Recognition Express Ltd, who operate franchises in corporate recognition and promotional products.  Recognition Express was established in 1979 and now has over 45 franchisees in the UK and Europe, in a growing market worth in excess of £3 billion per annum.  RETrade manufactures a wide range of traditional printed badges and engraved styles to full-colour digital badges with complex graphics.  The range is almost endless and includes everything from personalised name badges; ID cards; button and embroidered badges; pins and enamel badges; to conference and temporary badges for hotel and restaurant chains, as well as many well known industrial and commercial organisations.

Paul Mitchell, Operations Director at RETrade explains what was required from Flextraction: “A few years back, the company was given a project to produce a name badge with a durable wipe clean surface and enhanced appearance and we came up with a process,  now called doming which is putting a self levelling epoxy resin over the badge to protect it. The process had existed but nobody had put it on a name badge before.  Health and Safety regulations state that there are some associated risks when working with epoxy resins.   We only use small amounts on each badge but produce a lot of badges, so we put in this extraction system to comply with the latest regulations.  We approached Flextraction after finding them on the internet, they are fairly local and the only criteria we gave them was that the system had to be bench mounted.  They came in, had a look at what we do, did some calculations and came up with a suggestion as to what we needed and then they put the system in.  They responded very well to our initial enquiry and came up with a good solution.  So all in all we are pleased with the installation.”

The Flextraction fume extraction system is designed and built round 5 different sized extraction cabinets, which are designed to contain and capture of all fumes, whilst still allowing operator access.  3 cabinets each measuring 500mm x 500mm x 1,200mm are used for applying self levelling epoxy resin to each badge, whilst 2 cabinets each 500mm x 500mm x 710mm are used to store and cure the resin on the badges, which give off fumes until hardened a few hours later. PVC-371 lightweight, flexible and compressible hosing with an operating temperature range of approximately -10°c to +110°C, links each cabinet to the ducting system, designed and proportioned to provide a good conveying velocity throughout its length.  All fumes are extracted to outside the building using a floor mounted CB-1428 single phase centrifugal, single inlet fan with multi forward facing blades and running at 1,300 r/min.

Lee Darton, General Manager (Products) at Flextraction said: “We design and build a multitude of systems for a wide variety of applications and this particular application shows just how well the internet can operate in finding new business. In this application their skilled operators apply the epoxy resin to very small areas, so it is reasonably intricate work. We had to come up with a solution that took away the fumes, at the same time allowing their operators working access and this has been achieved.”

When Riley Product Handling, which exports up to 80% of its products, took the strategic decision to dispense with out sourcing their MIG, TIG and MMA welding fabrication, they needed the appropriate equipment to undertake such work.  Initially they used a portable fume extraction system with two extraction arms, before they decided to go for a fixed system with flexible extraction arms extracting fumes externally via a filter unit to save on space with no clutter and a much reduced noise level.

Tim Wilding, Engineering Manager at Riley Product Handling contacted Simon Plaister at Foster Industrial, his local welding equipment distributor in nearby Nottingham for advice.  Foster Industrial is a distributor for flextraction Ltd, supplier and manufacturer of local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) products and was asked as one of three bidders to submit a quotation.

The flextraction system was selected on the basis of design, price and communications. It comprised 5 x extended HPDs (Hood Positioning Devices) and 2 x 2m standard HPDs.  Each extended HPD consisted of a 3m standard extraction arm and a 3m extension.  All seven HPDs were equipped with epoxy painted black 150mm diameter flared hoods and assembled complete with wall mounting, control damper and with no internal components. 

A TEKA 400V/50Hz ‘Filtercube 4H-4000’ centralised filter unit with a dust extraction efficiency of >99% to meet BGIA certification DIN EN ISO 15012-1 (Health and Safety in welding and allied processes) was used. Dedusting of the filter cartridges is done using a fully automated microprocessor Pulse Control.  The ducting used in the project was manufactured from spiral galvanised sheet steel and was installed with inspection doors, flexible hose connections and supporting brackets.

The extended HPDs are used for welding, whilst the standard HPDs which are linked to a wet pre-separator system before joining the main ductwork, are used for grinding operations.

Tim Wilding said: “We fabricate our products using 1mm – 6mm mild steel and stainless steel, occasionally up to 10mm.  Typical components are frames for conveyors and machines, tracks for vibratory conveyors, guides and guards. The main welding process we use is TIG welding, however MMA welding is used for high strength welds in vibratory troughs, whilst MIG welding is used on frameworks where large fillet welds are required.

We decided on the flextraction system because with ever increasing Health and Safety legislation, we thought it prudent to install a system that did not just meet legalisation but would be future proof.  As it was, the installation was completed in a week, which was to the timescale quoted and compared to our existing portable units the fabricators’ working environments are significantly improved with reduced noise levels.  The length and type of HPD are light in weight and are quick and easy to locate for the point of extraction where ever it is needed, which is exactly what we wanted.”

Lee Darton General Manager Products at Flextraction said: “Our fume extraction system is equipped with gate valves so it can be balanced. During commissioning, the system was tuned to achieve the legislative face velocities at each point of extraction, which was easily achieved as the system is capable of 8,000m³/h over 6 extraction points. In fact we were able to reduce the velocities to meet current legislative levels to reduce noise.”

Tim Wilding continued; “The system is inspected every week by the shop floor person responsible and there have been no issues.  We encourage individuals to look after their equipment and report any faults, all of which are logged in a book, which is used as part of a safe contractor qualification.”

Overall the system was installed successfully and on time, meets all the extraction requirements of Riley Product Handling and the workshop environment has greatly improved.