Resources

Putting regulations into practice with Festool. In order to protect worker health, an ideal solution for the body shop worker is to prevent dust particles from entering the air by extracting dust where it originates at the surface of the vehicle while sanding. This is one of the reasons why a sanding machine needs to achieve high material removal so that the work is efficient, while as few particles are released into the environment. In order to achieve this, the sanding tool will have very specific requirements related to the sanding pad and the dust extractor. Festool is a German power tool manufacturer who developed the first orbital sander with dust extraction more than fifty years ago. From the day the orbital sander was introduced, Festool has not manufactured any new handheld machine without a dust extraction device. Festool is also the only power and pneumatic tool manufacturer in the world that produces their own dust extractors that can be customized for different systems and application fields. Before an extraction system is introduced to the market, it is rigorously tested. Only when the system has proven efficiency, robustness and durability is it released for sale. How dust extraction devices operate. The containers of the Cleantec-dust extractors from Festool cover a volume of 10 to 48 liters and the dust classifications L, M and H which are mainly used in Europe and are differentiated by the degree of filtration. The more dangerous the dust, the higher the degree of filtration must be. There are only minor differences between the classifications from .0 to .995% which illustrates how tiny particles can have such a big impact. The dust extraction filter uses a continuous volume of air flow from the dust extractor device which helps prevent the filter from becoming clogged or caked. Depending on the configuration, the Festool dust extraction portfolio has a volume of air flow options between 3,400 to 3,900 liters per minute. Together with the Festool sanders, those motions speed range from 3,000 to 10,500 revolutions per minute, resulting in a powerful tool that combines high performance along with ergonomics and health protection for workers. The importance of HEPA filters in dust extraction. Originally designed to prevent the spread of radioactive particles, the HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter is a high standard accessory for sensitive manufacturing processes. Because of the randomly arranged fibers and the adhesion of the fibers, small and even microscopic particles are trapped by HEPA filters. This is why they are used in trapping toxic dusts. HEPA filters in accordance with the US EPA Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) – rule (40 CFR Part 745) are also available in Canada for use with Festool dust extractors. They are required to have a 99.99% degree of filtration for particles up to .3 micrometers. To illustrate this: the human eye can see objects that are bigger than 30 micrometers only – and a human hair is approximately 100 micrometers. 9 9 http://www.rrphepavac.com/hepa-vacuums/features/hepa/; downloaded at 09/06/2020.

• Cover