Bought this XF-180 fume extractor. “…is sufficient for your machine…” was the advice.
Clearly it is not ! I’m using a 50 watt CO2 laser.
Bought this PM2.5 / PM10 / Formaldehyde meter which goes off-chart within a few minutes of engraving not even cutting !
Perhaps the carbon filter is not real activated carbon? Don’t know.
Filed a complain with the supplier.
Can you share some recommendations ?
What fume extractor are you using ? (when using the machine in-doors)
Trying to get some understanding which size I am looking at (and cost of course)
Is your expectation to filter and vent the filtered air indoors?
If so, from what I’ve seen, I’ve not really been satisfied with any system claiming to enable this. While a filtration system can supplement an exhaust system I don’t see it as a practical replacement for venting outdoors. Even effective systems that work in the short term will quickly saturate and require constant maintenance to maintain function.
I’d be happy to hear from others with counter-experiences, however.
Nope, same here. I built a 24"x24"x6" filter box with 2 HEPA filters and 4 lbs of activated charcoal pellets. I still smelled smoke when doing wood. Scrapped it all for a window exhaust system.
well I am not expecting that there is zero smell when using an air purifier indoor.
The idea is to vent the output of the purifier outside.
I can’t vent outside unfiltered because of the direct neighbors.
Simply trying to get an understanding what is sufficient. And that is harder then I tought.
This will be tricky territory I suspect. I’ve seen people with fairly elaborate multi-stage systems specifically to address concerns with the neighbors. While some have early success they typically will become ineffective surprisingly quickly, literally within weeks.
This will also depend on what you’re burning. Acrylic is much more unpleasant than wood, for example.
Don’t have a great answer for you I’m afraid. This may be partly why so many people with lasers end up solving the near neighbor problem before solving the fumes problem.
Yes you are right! Thanks
All I am trying to say is; it is harder than I anticipated to get a good sense what type/volume of extraction is actually needed.
Here in NL the market is smaller and even more difficult.
Learning the hard way I guess
H
Wadda ya at bye? It’s been a long while since I’ve been in Sin’ Jans. Lovely people up there. Of course, if NL doesn’t mean Newfound & Labrador, forget what I just said.
Honestly, airflow is only part of it. If you were to cut plastic in a completely sealed environment, a small boxer fan is all you would need to eventually clear it out with nothing getting into your space. That is, of course hard to do but I was very disappointed with commercial (affordable) fume boxes so I made my own using t-slot and some corrugated plastic and it work really well: See IMG_3997 - TechSmith Screencast. The inline fan isn’t the fastest but I get a full clear in about 20 seconds.
I’m setting up a NEJE 3Max for cutting wood, usually plywood. I built a box for sucking smoke and fumes to below the board the laser is mounted upon, but I am not trying to absorb chemicals, just get it all outside. I also built my own multi-layer screen for the bed. I have a plastic ‘mouth’ which brings a 4” shop dust fitting out of the box. I first connected an adapter to 2.5” shop vac hose, a 7’ hose to my 6.5 peak hp shop vac, and then a 20’ hose to the exhaust port. I ran the 20’ hose out below the garage door to get the smoke out of the immediate area. It worked OK, but not as much air flow as I wanted, and way more noise than I wanted. So now I have two 5-peak hp shop vacs that were on sale for less together than anything else I could find with that much air flow. I got a 4” to two 2 1/2” adapter, connected the 4” out of the box to the 4” side of the adapter, and use 2 20’ hoses which go out a shop window with a baffle to keep the air seal tight, and finally to the 2 shop vacs. The vacs each get the 7’ hoses connected to their exhaust ports. The vacuum air volume at the laser bed is now great. Yes, one can smell the burnt wood outside the garage (I don’t have near neighbors), but the noise is now reasonable inside the shop. Now I’m building a shed to keep the outdoor vacuums out of the rain. This laser project sure has led to MANY other building projects!
