Sticky Soldering Fumes
U.S. soldiers will get new body armor for the first time in a decade, starting this summer.
The Problem
Controlled Air Design was approached by an army base to mitigate harmful fumes and VOCs being generated by 40 soldering stations. These stations were working around the clock on a time-sensitive plan to manufacture the new Modular Scalable Vest. Each station was emitting a sticky fume created by melting polyester and metal alloys; these fumes usually overwhelm conventional filtration devices. As such, we had to think of a solution that would allow for proper filtration- but one that would not cause a drop in productivity from workers having to clean filters.
The Solution
Controlled Air Design created a system where “Source-Capture” filtration allowed Army technicians to solder around the clock without stopping to clean filters. We suggested our PDB-1500 with a custom filtration solution to absorb the sticky fumes into a hood placed 6”–8” away from the soldering iron. The fumes passed through 2 stages of pre-filtration and into a 24”x24”x12”, 95% Glass-Filled ASHRAE Filter (for sticky fumes), and then into 56 lbs.of Activated Carbon (for odors), and finally a HEPA Final-Filter (for particulate). The Custom Fume Booth’s exhaust produced breathable clean air.
By offering this solution, we were able to ensure that productivity was maximized while maintaining high safety standards.
