Clean Air Solutions Eliminate Costly Surface Prep & Painting Outsourcing

Painting, sanding and coating is complex work for aviation, aerospace and defense manufacturers as well as on military bases. It involves some of the most hazardous air pollutants in manufacturing – hexavalent chromium, isocyanates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), so it requires meeting some of the most stringent OSHA, EPA and NESHAP industrial air quality standards. It also can create havoc on other equipment and interrupt operations around large workpieces.

Some manufacturers have chosen to outsource some or all of their sanding, painting and coating, whether it was to potentially reduce regulatory requirements or a hesitancy to invest in capital equipment or to acquire the expertise for additional processes.

But outsourcing is costly and creates longer lead times and comes with expenses for material handling as well as for the work itself.

Duroair has developed innovative industrial clean air solutions that bring clean air to the workpiece, which will allow some manufacturers to bring painting, sanding and coating inhouse. These solutions provide:

• More control over work.
• The ability to work on multiple types of activities at the same time.
• The ability to add these processes without expanding space – the portable paint booth enclosure retracts when not in use.

How Modular Clean Air Improves the Bottom Line

Duroair’s patented multi-stage industrial air filtration technology captures more than 99% of particulates and exceeds EPA and OSHA requirements. The unvented recirculating solutions do not require ducting or make-up air. Paired with flexible enclosures, these clean air solutions are easy to install and are modular enough to adapt to each cellular workflow. The portable enclosures enable multiple jobs to be performed in tandem inside large spaces, which reduces interruptions, saves material handling costs and improves the bottom line.

The multi-layer filtration places less expensive filters in front of more expensive, technically-advanced filters to protect them and extend filter life. Duroair’s solutions range from a vented two-stage DuroCap™ system to its six-stage DuroPure™ recirculating system for the most hazardous environments with hexavalent chromium. (Duroair has undergone intensive third-party testing to verify that levels fall far below OSHA allowable standards. See test results here.)

How Retractable Enclosures Save on Capital, Operating Costs

The flexible, clean air solutions make a strong economic case for initial capital and operational costs. The solutions cost less to build than a traditional system, which require a permanent footprint and venting, which can be costly, especially if a facility is at its EPA limit for exhaust stacks. Heating and cooling costs are reduced with non-vented units because air is not vented to the outside.

Commissioning time is greatly reduced – the Duroair solutions can be installed in days and weeks – not months.

Other efficiencies include less damage to parts and materials because the movement of workpieces between manufacturing cells is reduced which in turn reduces costs and time for that material handling.

One of the most tangible benefits of Duroair solutions is flexibility. For example:

• The clean air systems are literally flexible, opening and closing around a process and large workpiece.
• They can be integrated into existing work cells.
• Each enclosure can serve as an all-in-one sanding, coating and painting booth where workers simply change out filters for each task.
• The enclosure can break down in hours to be shipped and quickly re-deployed to another facility, to keep multi-facility production on schedule.
• The clean air solutions provide additional floor space and flexibility to take on new contracts without having to increase real estate.

How to Reduce Outsourcing for Manufacturing and Maintenance

A manufacturer that dealt with large equipment for high-voltage transmission could not accommodate a conventional permanent enclosure for clean air because it required cost-prohibitive additional air make-up capacity, while the associated equipment and infrastructure would impede the use of overhead cranes. The manufacturer only needed to perform painting and coating tasks about one week per month, so they outsourced the work.

Duroair’s solution did not require venting and was able to work around the overhead cranes. It did not impede the material handling and the manufacturer was able to maximize the use of existing floor space. When the painting and coating was done, they retracted the Duroair enclosure and returned to other processes on the workpiece. With the new Duroair modular solution, they no longer had to outsource painting and coating tasks.

The multi-faceted issues related to sanding, painting and coating also impact maintenance operations, especially for the military and entities like aerospace and aviation that rely on large equipment that is vulnerable to corrosion from outdoor elements.

One military base was outsourcing work on aircraft that required painting and coating as part of its corrosion prevention or maintenance. The customer reported saving millions by insourcing its sanding, painting and coating with a Duroair clean air solution.

Flexible, Clean Air Solutions Can Help You Insource Key Processes

Duroair’s clean air experts can show you how we can create an industrial air filtration solution that will allow you to insource key processes. We will work to meet your budget, comply with EPA and OSHA requirements, and work with your floor plan and space limitations to:

• Increase operational efficiency.
• Find agile ways to safeguard critical tasks.
• Reduce downtime.
• Safeguard products without impacting productivity.
• Ensure employee safety.
• Meet all compliance requirements.

Contact our industrial clean air experts today for a free consultation.