Extraction system for stainless steel metal dust

For a historic company based in Modena and specialised in the processing of stainless steel, GGE designed and built an extraction system for stainless steel metal dust.

The suction and purification plant extracts stainless steel dust through suction inlets located directly on the operating machines (plasticising, fluting and satin-finishing machines). Dust extraction is generated by the negative pressure applied by a 75 kW centrifugal fan, with an air flow of 33,000 m³/h and placed inside a soundproofing box.

The stainless steel dusts then pass through a circuit of pipes, until they reach a Ø 2000 mm Cicl cyclonic separator: it acts as the first stage of abatement of the coarser dusts, so as to lighten the filtration work of the next filtering unit.
Inside the cyclone, the metal dust undergoes a centrifugal force, which slows the motion of the heavier particles and causes them to fall into the collection bag below. The cyclonic separator is equipped with a discharge system with motorised rotary valve and a Big Bag sac with perimeter protection gates: by means of microswitches and connected alarm systems, the operation of the rotary valve stops automatically when the gates are open, to ensure that operators can handle the collection bag in complete safety.

Then the air, loaded only with the finest pollutant particles, is conveyed into the Power Jet bag filter unit, the last filtration stage of the stainless steel dust extraction system. Here the air is filtered by passing through 231 filtering fabric bags and then fed into the atmosphere through a Ø 1000 mm chimney equipped with a silencer and a windproof terminal.
To facilitate the discharge of the filtered dust, Power Jet features a motorised auger inside the hopper, with a level indicator to warn of any clogging. Like the cyclonic separator Cicl, the bag filter is also equipped with a Big Bag sac with perimeter protection to collect the filtered stainless steel dust.

The control of the extraction system for stainless steel metal powders is done via an electrical panel with inverter, HMI panel, PLC and software for the transmission of operating data and alarms, realised in compliance with Industry 4.0 standards.