When producing wire to the correct diameter, it has to be drawn through a series of die blocks. Each die block reduces the wire by a small percentage – meaning that to get the wire down from the large starting diameter through to the final required diameter,
a wire drawing machine will usually have several die blocks present.
Inside each die block is a dry lubricant (usually sodium stearate) to enable the wire to pass through easier. As the wire passes through the die block this often becomes air born. Local Exhaust Ventilation (LEV) is therefore essential to ensure that production environments are not filled with lubricant dust. This is particularly vital when there are several wire drawing machines present in a facility.
Therefore, Local Exhaust Ventilation is essential for a workforce's safety, reducing housekeeping requirements and wasteful downtime. integratedAIR Filtration has a range of BlueClean® stand-alone dust filter units that are well suited to the wire drawing industry and offer a full turnkey system designed to keep your employees safe from air borne contaminates.
All dust extraction equipment used to control the dust must be maintained to ensure the system effectively reduces dust at the source and protects employees from inhalation and exposure. The LEV system needs to be examined and tested at least once every 14 months as per HSE guidance (HSG258). LEV records must be kept for at least 5 years.
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