Air Cleaning Downdraft Tables: Which Industrial Applications Benefit From Their Use?

The main reason people purchase an industrial downdraft table is for safety reasons. Whether OSHA regulations require them or a business is choosing to comply voluntarily by investing in the health and productivity of their workers, these all-in-one air cleaning units protect workers by removing particulate emissions, eliminating fire and explosion risk, and in certain situations, saving workshop space.

What Is An Industrial Downdraft Table, Exactly?

Regardless of its make or model, the purpose of a downdraft table is the same: to make industrial workstations safer and more efficient. Most come with a built-in ventilation system to collect dust, smoke, fumes, and other pollution released into the air.

How Do They Work?

A high-efficiency extraction system is built into a workbench. This source-capture instrument removes emissions as they are generated, rerouting them down through the table’s interior via a high-performance filter and out through the system’s ductwork, away from a worker’s breathing space.

What Are The Two Main Benefits of Using a Downdraft Table?

The primary benefit of using an industrial downdraft table is that a person can work hands-free as the air cleaner removes particulate matter, thus protecting a worker from potentially harmful toxic fumes and dust. The second advantage is that pollution is removed at the source, eliminating the risk of both fire and explosion. 

When Is It NOT Appropriate To Use a Downdraft Table?

 When items are too large to fit on the downdraft table surface. In these instances, a mobile extraction unit may be more appropriate. 

What Professions Benefit From Using Downdraft Tables?

Here is a partial list of job tasks that profit from this type of pollution control:

Woodworking  

Sawing, cutting, and sanding. 

Routing is the process of high-speed cutting, trimming, and shaping wood and other materials.

Joinery involves joining wood pieces together with fasteners, bindings, or adhesives.

Metalwork 

Welding, sanding, and grinding. 

Brazing is the process of joining two or more metal surfaces by filling molten metal into the joint.

Plasma cutting is a type of thermal metal cutting whereby ionized gas slices sheet metal or thick metal plates. 

But the use of downdraft tables is not limited to just metal and woodworking. Any industrial setting where an operative is manually generating dust or fumes can benefit from using a downdraft table. 

Additional Downdraft Table Applications

Pharma – To capture dust and other contaminants generated during the production of medicines.

Laboratories – Fume and chemical capture during lab testing or educational settings where particulate emissions occur.

Art Studios – Dust and vapor filtration during the creation of pottery, jewelry, sculpture, and other art forms. 

Industrial downdraft table applications are numerous. At AIRSInc., our Extract-All Downdraft Table Systems* are ideal for eliminating any job site particulate emissions. Our table products boast scratchless surfacing for non-spark-producing functions and heavy steel grating for a sturdy work surface. Specialized options are available. 

Contact us today for a free air quality assessment with one of our skilled and experienced indoor air quality specialists.