FIXED AND MOBILE BULK MATERIALS HANDLING: VACUUMS
Poweringup
Industrial vacuums pack a powerful punch. They will clear up dry and
wet waste at factory scale, yet are small enough to be wheeled around
a site on a cart or by forklift
Industrial areas are best kept as clean
By Brian Wall
as possible for safety, to prevent slips,
trips and falls on obstacles, and for
hygienic reasons, as bacteria grow
and multiply more quickly and easily in
dirty and dusty environments. Unhealthy
working environments therefore
contribute to increased infection risks,
while ine ective cleaning methods,
such as brushing,
sweeping or
blow-away,
usually only
temporarily
USAGE UPSWING
Richard Eve, managing director at
supplier DISAB UK, points to an upswing
amongst companies that are turning
to portable industrial vacuums. “Our
own portable industrial vacuums come
in various shapes and with slightly
di erent purposes, but what they all
have in common is that they can easily
be transported around the plant with
the help of a forklift or telehandler
(pictured at right). Most important
to our customers is the
time saved on the cleaning
processes. Added to this, it
vacuuming cuts down on
manual handling and raising
potentially dangerous dusts into
the air, and often the material can
be recycled back into the process,” he
explains.
DISAB o ers several portable models,
but most popular are the SkipVAC,
BagVAC, and CompVAC. “All of these
powerful portable vacuums can pick up
microscopic dust to 50 mm debris over
long distances, either horizontally or
vertically, without loss of suction,” adds
Eve. “DISAB has experience across all
major industries in the UK and our units
have cleaned up pretty much every type
of material you’re likely to have to deal
with – from grain to cement, shotblast
to brick dust – and can provide machines
that will collect from 3-50 tonnes per
hour.”
The VAC range are standalone units,
which means they can run by themselves,
making them suitable for large or small
plants alike. “It can be a very e ective
and economical solution to connect
these models to a xed pipe system in
di erent work areas/buildings, wherever
they might be needed at any particular
moment. These units are designed with
di erent discharge options and suction
power, depending on what material needs
to be handled; and with regular lter
changes, the maintenance cost remains
low. They are really easy to use and
move dust and dirt. This is where
industrial vacuums enter the scene.
Packing enough suction
power to outdo 10 domestic
vacuums working at full
throttle, these leviathans
are a potent force when
it comes to clearing up
dry and wet waste at
factory scale. Formidable
performers when it comes
to collecting large quantities of
dust or granular materials that inevitably
escape during the working process, they
also help to prevent product
contamination and ensure
far fewer stoppages on
site.
Larger than a Henry, this
vacuum still rolls on wheels
64 www.operationsengineer.org.uk Autumn 2020
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