Founded in 1978, Powercast Manufacturing Inc. is a leader in the field of permanent mold aluminium castings. Powercast specialises in the production of aluminium castings of various complexities made to customer specifications, and was the first aluminium foundry to introduce the permanent mold and semi-permanent mold process to Eastern Canada.
Challenge
Powercast approached Airex Industries and asked to replace their non-conforming, inefficient dry dust collecting system. Using a dry dust collector to handle aluminum dust comes with significant safety concerns, primarily due to the high combustibility of aluminum dusts. Aluminum dust is classified as a “combustible metal dust”, which can ignite or explode when suspended in air if an ignition source is present. Quebec follows strict safety regulations set by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) to prevent hazardous conditions, often a wet-type dust collected is what is rated for combustible metal dust such as aluminium.
Solution
Airex Industries fabricated and supplied multiple WDDT and WETREX (wet dust collectors) to the client to replace their outdated and non-compliant dry dust collector. The wet dust collector is the best option for aluminum dust because of its effectiveness at mitigating the risks or fires and explosions. Wet dust collectors use water to capture and settle dust particles, significantly reducing the chances of aluminum dust remaining airborne which is crucial as airborne aluminum dust can create an explosive atmosphere and the client’s main problem is to prevent this from happening.
Product: Wetrex Wet Dust Collector and Wet Downdraft Table
Model: 1 Wetrex 04 and 2 WDDT 3-2 and 1 WDDT 4-2
Application: Aluminum Dust
Installation date: 2023
