What can you expect from Plymovent filters?

Plymovent – a Dutch company that has been developing complete solutions for welding fume extraction for more than 50 years. One of the most important components of a welding fume extraction system is the filter cartridge, or the ‘lungs’, of the system. What is it that makes Plymovent filters unique? And what certainty can you expect from them? Michel Ligthart, product and international sales manager, tells us what we need to know.

Michel Ligthart: ‘Plymovent develops a wide range of different filters, mostly for welding fume extraction. According to the International Agency for Research (IARC), welding fumes are a proven causer of cancer, which is why the quality of the overall system is vital – and that includes the filter. The filter cartridges are the “lungs” of every welding fume extraction system, so they have a major determinative effect on the system’s performance. With genuine Plymovent filters in our own systems, we can accurately predict how efficient the filter will be, how well it will perform and how long it will last.’

Key findings

• In the welding industry it is difficult to find and keep staff. A healthy work environment can help.
• Good air quality can only be reached if all components are carefully matched to one another.
• In the filtration process, a filter cartridge builds up soiling and becomes saturated. It then loses its extraction capability.
• How well a filter cartridge will work after a cleaning cycle depends largely on the quality of the filter cloth.
• Only a genuine filter can guarantee the quality and predicted service life.
• Our filters are carefully matched to our systems. And that ultimately ensures that our customers’ employees get the very best systems.
• A cheaper filter will have an impact on the overall performance of the welding fume system as these producers know very little about how those filters will work in application X, Y or Z. And they don’t have the information that customers need about realistic expectations and the risks that they run if they opt for a certain filter.

Read the whole interview below for more information.

Why do you pay so much attention to the quality of filters?

‘It is extremely important that employers provide working conditions that are pleasant and healthy. The average welding hall tends to be cold, draughty, noisy and full of dust. When a welder blows his nose at home in the evening, the tissue will be black. And this is an industry that suffers from a shortage of welders – businesses find it hard to find and to retain workers. So, if you want your business to survive, you need to find ways to manage exposure to welding fumes. Good working conditions are just as important as effective production methods. You can’t afford to take any risks. Those who are responsible for air quality purchases must have the right knowledge, or ask their supplier for it. Nevertheless, we often find that businesses lack the specific knowledge they need to be able to make the right decisions.’

What solutions does Plymovent offer for good air quality?

‘Plymovent offers a complete solution for air purification – with our welding fume extraction systems, filters and matching control systems developed by our in-house engineering team. We continuously collect information about the performance of these complete solutions and with the experience that we gather, we can offer out customers honest information about what they can expect from a filter in their application. We can effectively determine how large welding fume extraction systems and filters need to be in relation to the space in which the system is located. Only if all components are carefully matched to one another can you achieve the air quality that you need.’

Why is a genuine filter so important for the performance of an air purification system?

‘A filter needs to filter out welding fumes and allow clean air through. And you need to have confidence that all of that happens in a safe manner. During the filtration process, a filter cartridge builds up a lot of dust, and over time, it becomes saturated, sometimes without you even noticing. It then loses its extraction capability because the air resistance rises. You can clean some of our filters with a special compressed-air technique, where you blow the soiling from the filter and dispose of it. The filter will then go on working just like a new filter for a while. 

The frequency at which you can clean a filter and how well it will work afterwards depends largely on the quality of the filter cloth (media). That quality determines the service life of your filter, i.e. the period of time over which it will work perfectly. In addition, the service life also depends on how intensively the filter is loaded, i.e. by the quantity of and the nature of the materials that you weld. Only a genuine filter can guarantee the quality and predicted service life. There really is a lot to consider when it comes to ensuring optimal operation of an air purification system.’

What should you know if it’s time to replace your filter?

‘The consequences of your decision to fit a new filter or an alternative filter can often be difficult for a purchaser to evaluate. If you decide to switch to an alternative filter, you won’t know which filter cloth is used and which dimensional tolerances there are (i.e. how well the alternative filter actually fits in the Plymovent filter). As such, you won’t know how the filter will behave in your system either, and whether the air quality will actually be achieved. 

Many producers of welding fume extraction systems do not develop and produce their own filters, but work with standard filters from independent filter cartridge producers. These producers are known as “integrators” who collect existing components and assemble them. They are experts in the technique of assembling those filter cartridges. At the same time, they know very little about how those filters will work in application X, Y or Z and don’t have the information that customers need about realistic expectations and the risks that they run if they opt for a certain filter. Similarly, they don’t know whether an alternative filter will fit in the filter system so that the promised clean air is guaranteed. 

If you’re a purchaser looking for a replacement filter, you will always find a supplier who will say that its cheaper filters will fit perfectly and are just as good. They may even look the same on the outside. And I hope that they’re right and have the knowledge and expertise that’s required to promise what they do, but sadly, practical experience suggest otherwise. In that case, the purchaser runs a risk that is difficult to gauge, as that cheaper filter will have an impact on the overall performance of the welding fume system. The effect of a mediocre filter on air quality can have a direct impact on employee health, an organisation’s most valuable asset.’

What can happen if you still choose to opt for a cheaper alternative?

‘Imagine that you pick a filter that to the naked eye looks just the same as the genuine model, but is of lower quality. There’s a good chance that it will begin to perform poorly more quickly when compared to the genuine filter, perhaps without you realizing it. So when do you determine that the cheaper filter, that you thought was a good investment, needs to be replaced again? If you notice in time, you will probably feel cheated and think, “well, my previous filter lasted much longer!”. You may, whether consciously or unconsciously, agree that for a while, the performance of your entire extraction system has been less than optimal. You’re also exposing people to health risks. We hear these sorts of story frequently.’

How can you prevent people from making the wrong decision when it comes to purchasing a welding fume extraction system, and thus running health risks?

‘By giving them reliable, proven information. And we can do that, because we know the field in which we operate. We don’t just develop and make the welding fume extraction and control systems ourselves, we develop and make the filters too. We maintain close contact with manufacturers of filter cloths and other components, so we have a dynamic relationship with the lungs of our product – the filter. Our filters are carefully matched to our systems. That is a guarantee. We also actively research how those filters interact in our applications. We’re always learning, and can implement new insights and requirements quickly. We also work intensively with our distributors. On the one hand, they get to hear the product knowledge that they need from us. On the other, we get to hear about what works well with our customers. They are closer to the end users. We are always happy to consider specific issues and to help customers find appropriate solutions. And that’s a very valuable construct – one that ultimately ensures that our customers’ employees get the very best systems.’