Downdraft Tables
Downdraft tables are self-contained, portable dust collection systems that suck harmful particulates from the workspace and return filtered, breathable air to the facility. Downdraft tables are designed to function indoors without requiring external ventilation, acting dually as both workstations and dust collecting systems.
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Applications of Downdraft Tables
Downdraft tables are an efficient and economical way to protect workers from hazardous dust, smoke and fumes resulting from applications such as chemical preparation, woodworking, welding, processing explosive materials, sanding, buffing, polishing, grinding, and finishing. By providing a cleaner, healthier work environment and facilitating improved productivity for fine hand work, downdraft tables offer advantages for both companies and workers.
Downdraft tables are ideal for such industries and applications as:
- Metalworking
- Woodworking
- Pharmaceutical
- Automotive
- Coal Handling
- Agricultural Products
- Recycling
One of the advantages of downdraft tables over other systems is that they can be customized in numerous ways to fit a particular application, without having to retrofit an integrated dust collection system.
Downdraft Table Design and Function
Downdraft tables are designed to contain and exhaust heavier than air particles, lighter than air particles, fumes, fine particulates, and powders. The top of downdraft tables is a perforated rigid grill through which airflow is both possible and uniform. Once air is pulled down through the perforated top, it enters an exhaust chamber mounted directly underneath the top. The exhaust chamber contains filters that can capture particles as small as .5 microns. Some tables are equipped with pulse-jet air blasters directed at the filter that periodically clear off the filter to improve its operation. In addition, the exhaust chamber has multiple branch ducts attached underneath with balance dampeners attached to decrease the noise level. Everything underneath the exhaust chamber is enclosed in a duct that can connect to a facility’s duct collection system or can have an output area on the side or back of the chamber for the filtered air.
Types of Downdraft Tables
There are two main types of downdraft tables: wet downdraft tables and dry downdraft tables. Wet downdraft tables employ a standard filter element and a liquid (typically water) to collect flammable metal dusts like magnesium, aluminum, or titanium. Wet dust collectors in downdraft tables feature a number of additional devices, including impellers for water reversal, sludge containers for captured metal particles, water level controls, after-filtration devices, and mist eliminators. Dry downdraft tables are simpler, employing a standard filter element to collect vapors, dust, smoke, or fumes. Besides wet versus dry, downdraft tables also vary by size, downdraft airflow, minimum particle size filtered, and efficiency.