Expert Statements: Fume Extraction

Etienne Blouin, Director of the Environmental Systems Group for Abicor Binzel USA, sits down to discuss some key points related to fume extraction in welding.

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Hi, my name is Etienne Blouin. I got into smoke extraction many years ago when the large corporations said, "Okay, we like your welding equipment proposal but we also need to take care of welding smoke. Can you do something for us?" And so I went home, worked on a solution to provide efficient smoke extraction to that corporation. That's how I started. Smoke extraction has progressed a lot in the recent year, first because of regulation in law enforcement but also because of the array of available solutions to do effective smoke control. If you go back in time, most of the solutions available were not super effective and they were hard to use, cumbersome and creating problems more than solutions. When I talk about welding smoke extraction solution in the industry, I get all kinds of response. Some people have had some pretty bad experience in the past and some people just don't know, but with the wide range of adapted solution now there is a way to find a path to better air quality in the industry and there are a lot of efficient solutions out there that people can use. Sometimes people ask me the question, can I just open the door of my industry or isn't the general ventilation system good enough for taking care of welding smoke? Unfortunately, the answer is no. You need a dedicated system where the density of the smoke is the highest and it is close to the welder, close to where the smoke is generated. I like to propose my customer a tailored solution and I use a step by step approach, a basic analysis, some testing and then implementation to achieve the highest result. With the welders for instance, I take the time to explain how the tool is working. I let them try, get used to the tool and then I coach them to optimize the result and then between each other they explain how they overcome the challenges of the real life application they are dealing with. Installing a fume extraction solution in the plant is not extremely simple, but it's not as complicated as some people may think it is. It takes a good assessment of the situation and the proper selection of available solutions. Reaching your air quality targets in a welding environment is possible today. Many people worldwide have found success with a viable, effective smoke extraction solution.