In what is increasingly a 24/7 operating environment, filtration technology is playing a vital role in helping to keep production lines moving, maintaining quality and contributing to effective workplace atmosphere management. As a result, there is an increased reliance on automation and the role that operational data can play in enhancing productivity.

Of course, we are all aware of the phrase ‘time is money’, but in the world of high-volume manufacturing, it’s probably more accurate to say that ‘downtime is money’.
In the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) market, there’s been a revolution in laser coding and marking, particularly in the food and beverage industry. It’s all to do with speed. Where once the benchmark was to code around 50,000 products per hour, today laser marking lines for aluminium cans are able to operate at more than 100,000 cans per hour. 

It’s an evolution that makes the role of fume and dust filtration even more important, because with faster processing comes a requirement for technical innovation and appropriate filter capacity to help keep production lines working at optimum quality. Extraction systems also have a role to play in helping businesses implement safe working practices in the work environment, for example by mitigating any potential distribution of airborne emissions. A properly installed and maintained extraction system can also make a positive contribution to productivity by helping to minimise the potential for downtime caused by laser system contamination.
Employers need to make reference to Safety Data Sheets to understand the workplace exposure levels and potential risks associated with working materials within a given process.

Understand the factors which compromise performance

A well-designed filtration system starts with assessing risk and understanding the factors which may compromise performance, for example ensuring that particulate does not gather around the laser area, either in hoses/ducting or in filters. Any such build-up will impact the quality of the code or shape being cut, marked or engraved. From a technical perspective, fume and dust filtration systems, such as those designed and manufactured by BOFA International, perform two primary functions: to support manufacturers in their workplace compliance plans linked to workplace environmental programmes, and to help capture particulate emitted by laser processes that might otherwise contaminate high value equipment or end product and lead to stoppages of production lines. 

This is achieved through system geometry and optimised airflow to capture particulate through multi-stage filtration.
Extraction technology has had to innovate in recent years to keep pace with increasing process speed resulting from the convergence of fibre laser technology and process automation. Automation enables the integration of lots of complementary systems to create one holistic solution – and BOFA can be an important part of that architecture, by designing technology capable of capturing particulate at the point of laser ablation.  
This helps capture fume or dust in the process area to avoid the risk of contamination of products or components, such as rollers or bearings. In this fast-moving world, unplanned downtime is the enemy, so, any unscheduled stoppage in a 24/7 operation could be quite costly.

A greater focus on automation informed by data capture
The objective of optimal productivity requires a greater focus on automation informed by data capture and analytics. For example, BOFA’s latest portable AD Oracle laser system incorporates the latest generation intelligent operating system – iQ2 – which offers access to lots of performance data. This includes extended onboard data logs and real-time system condition visualisation, along with a colour touchscreen user interface, smart navigation, enhanced alarms and remote system upgrades. 
This means that users can quickly review filter status, temperature, percentage motor running and operating efficiency, along with any visual alarms – thereby presenting a snapshot of true system pressure and percentage capacity utilisation. These data can help head-off potential issues before they have an impact on production and can also be used to inform system configuration to maximise filter life. All this information is presented using internationally recognisable icons and multiple language options.

The extended data log in iQ2 is particularly valuable for high volume manufacturing because with increasing production line speeds, filter capacity is best measured through units of product rather than units of time. Interrogating these logs can provide the granular detail needed to establish optimal filter exchange patterns in step with maintenance routines to avoid the risk of costly unplanned downtime. This combination of downloadable data and visual read-outs makes diagnostics smarter and quicker, no matter where in the world a production facility is based. It no longer relies on operator interpretation of data alone – the visualisation of system performance on the user interface can quickly help establish the overall status of each element of the extraction system. 

Keeping expensive laser lenses free from debris
This functionality provides manufacturers with better information on live filtration performance and helps enable smarter decisions to monitor filter saturation and align filter exchanges with maintenance regimes. All this is in support of the fundamental role of fume and dust filtration to help manage a compliant working environment while keeping expensive laser lenses free from the build-up of debris that could otherwise have an impact on product quality and productivity.  

In the case of BOFA’s AD Oracle iQ2 system, the portable system includes three-stage filtration consisting of a patented DeepPleat DUO pre-filter to remove larger particulate; a HEPA filter to remove particles from 0.3 micron in size; and advanced carbon filter technology for the filtration of fumes.

Some challenges go beyond fume and dust capture where, for example, filtration systems involve higher temperature thermal and mechanical processes. In these circumstances, managers should consider specifying an extraction system benefiting from fire-resistant materials for casings and filters, thermal cut-out protection and technology such as BOFA’s Spark Arrestor 2  inline pre-filter and FireBOX self-extinguishing inline pre-filter. This will help mitigate the risk of burning particulate entering the filtration system.

As operators increase their process speeds with increasing demand, it is important to stay on top of what that means for your workplace and product quality.  By utilising automated tools like the iQ2 system and the right fume extraction products from a trusted source like BOFA, you can help your supporting equipment like dust and fume extractors keep up with the increasing demands of your laser packaging and labelling processes.

Geoff Sagar is a business development manager at BOFA
For more information:
www.bofainternational.com
Tel:  01202 699444