Plasma Users: Need help with smoke elimination

[bjwat@comcast.net]

I'll be getting my plasma setup in a couple weeks and I have been researching different ways to eliminate smoke from the plasma.

What do you guys recommend? I like the idea of a water table...but wonder about cleaning and humidity issues around my wood spoilboard. I am unclear on what type of blower/filter to use on a downdraft type. I've been considering making some type of 'air scrubber' that sucks the fumes from the downdraft cabinet, and then blows it into a water column to scrub the air of toxins.

Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions experience.

Thanks!!!!!
Brady

[billp]

Brady, If the water table turns out to be the best set up for the plasma cutter, you could always switch your spoilboard on the router side to something less susceptible to moisture, like a Sintra, or Komatexboard ( PVC skin over foam). If you really saturate your spoil board with a water based polyurethane sealer ( or even a couple of rolled on coats of epoxy), , you'll also minimize the warp factor quite a bit.
I saw them using a plasma cutter on TV the other night to cut steel plate for a cruise ship , and they did the underwater setup. It sure looked like it minimized the smoke... Bill P.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

I'd love to do an underwater setup...but I don't know what is involved in doing that. Generally where there is water involved, it is just a basin below the cutting grid. The smoke is heavy and has a tendency to 'sink' into the basin of water. I wanted to try to eliminate the water table all together to curb the humidity in the shop. My concern is that it will warp any expensive lumber that I have or keep it moist.

I'm pretty sure that I am in unchartered territory here as far as the filtering goes. I mean that in the sense that I am not a big industrial outfit that is going to shell out $6k for a downdraft setup or comparable setup. My thoughts were that I could suck the smoke with a downdraft cabinet and then filter it through a water bath in a 55gal plastic drum. I am not sure if that setup will reduce humidity over a watertable...or if the airpump will overcome the water column. I do know that the water will effectively neutralize the nasties.

[papadaveinwy]

Brady I don't know if this will work were you live but if you get a squirl cage (like on forced air furnace) place that under your table, create a funnel type of chamber from the table to the inlet side of blower then duct to outside then you can use an electronic air filter or some kind of scrubber out side (or nothing) David in Wyoming

[bjwat@comcast.net]

David,
I was thinking about doing just that...but I have to filter it before I send it back out. There are neighbors close by and I want to stay on their good list...Plus everyone has the right to breathe clean air...especially me!

I'm wondering what kind of screen I could use in front of the squirrel blower to keep bits of slag and metal drops out of the impeller. Any ideas?

THanks!
Brady

[billp]

Brady, I have a screen here which comes in front of one of those air filters which you hang in the middle of your shop. It is made of a tight metal grid, and is meant to do a partial filtering of chips etc. , before they get into the filter bags, which happen to be in front of a small squirrel cage fan..I don't know if they sell these separately from the air cleaners, but it might do what you need. Your idea of an exhaust into a water bucket also makes sense to filter out smoke particles (as anyone from the 60's will remember..)Kind of like a bong for your 'Bot...

[bjwat@comcast.net]

LOL!!!
Maybe I should do a search on an industrial bong...

[didde@lowcountry.com]

I have some Large Smokeeters 1500cfm that Iam selling for $800.00 This Week.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Joe,
What exactly is a "Smokeeter" ???

[papadaveinwy]

Brady, Joe 's "smokeeters may be an ionic smoke eater They work great for basic smoke but for alot less than $800.00 you can build what I said and just vent your plenum vent outside going down into a fifty five gal. drum filled with water with a sealed lid and a chiminey that comes out starting below the water line then goes above the waterline on the outside this can be set outside your shop and it will filter the smoke. David in Wyoming

[Mayo]

Has anyone tried the Hookah Pipe method of smoke reduction? This could be as simple as using a wet/dry shop vac to suck the smoke and fumes as they are being created. Or maybe pick up a used Rainbow Vacuum cleaner - they use water in the tank as their dust filter.

You would want to alter the vacuum (on a shop vac wet/dry vac) so that the inlet had a tube which would be under the water level in the shop vac tank.

The exhaust port of the vacuum could then be vented to the outside of your shop or home.

I have no idea how effective this would actually be. But it's a relatively inexpensive and easy option to try.

[bjwat@comcast.net]

Mayo,
That's a good idea and close to what I have in mind. I wasn't considering the shopvac as an option since I don't think that it will have enough cfm to suck the smoke down on a 5 X 8' table. What do you think???

If that does work, I'd keep the water out of the shopvac alltogether and let the slag get sucked into the shopvac, [or drop into a pan underneath and have a cone shaped cover over the vac hose pointing upwards to keep hot slag out of the vac] while the smoke goes out the exhaust. I can attach a tube to the exhaust and feed it into a drum with water and an upside-down standpipe.

Am I missing anything?