Almost all materials that are marked or cut by a laser generate some form of fume during the marking or cutting process. These fumes consist of one or a combination of vapours, gases and/or dust . In some circumstances these fumes can be toxic to the operator, especially if inhaled in concentrated amounts, as well as being corrosive to the machine.
To ensure the safety of the operator any fumes that the system generates must be effectively removed from the system and ultimately the workplace. This is a requirement of law.
As well as protecting the health of the operator removal of the fumes also protects the health of the machine by minimising corrosion and system maintenance.
Unfortunately, inadequate fume removal from laser systems is common. Inadequate fume removal jeopardises the health of the operator, degrades system performance, increases the likelihood of system failure and ultimately breaks the law. The consequences for inadequate fume removal are potentially catastrophic, so when considering a fume removal system please ensure that you take advice from a professional recognised as being very experienced in the subject.
It is very IMPORTANT that the professional that you take advice from is not only familiar with extraction but specifically with extraction from the type of laser system that you have purchased.
The specification and design of an adequate fume removal system will be determined by a number of factors such as:
Essentially there are two methods of fume removal:
Each method has differing advantages and disadvantages.
Generally speaking most industrial installations use the extract to atmosphere method. Filtration is used where site circumstances do not allow for an extract to atmosphere system or where the installation requires a degree of mobility.
Regarding the environmental issue: arguments can be made for and against both methods. In our view there is little to separate the two as far as environmental issues are concerned.
In terms of overall costs the extract to atmosphere system will always cost more at the point of installation but over time the filtration device will ultimately cost more money as the user will incur significant running costs that are not associated with an extract to atmosphere system.