Purex International is offering a defence against the solvent fumes given off by some continuous inkjet printers.
The company explains: Many companies are reluctant to install fume extraction systems onto inkjet printers, as they would need to cut holes in walls or roofs to vent the fumes outside. They would also have to install expensive and disruptive ducting to carry the fumes away. Another problem with fixed ducting is that if the inkjet printer moves location then all the ducting needs to be moved as well, which again can be expensive and disruptive to production. Also, environmental laws in some countries limit the volume of pollutants which can be released into the atmosphere.
“A better alternative is a filtration and recirculation system which extracts air containing solvent vapour from around the inkjet, filters it and then returns clean air to the workplace.”
Asked to look at this problem by a customer, Purex found that the solvent fumes were not only emanating from the printing head, but also from the vent in the printer control unit. This meant that two extraction points would be required.
This problem was solved with two specially designed delta cowls, one to extract fumes from the printhead and the other to extract from the vents on the printer control unit itself. The cowls are attached to 38mm flexible stainless steel arms which are easy to position yet remain in place once installed.
Purex use a special blend of activated carbon and a chemisorbent media to filter the solvent fumes from the extracted air. The material removes the solvent without heat being generated and the pellets onto which the chemical is adsorbed remove the heat from the process – eliminating any fire risk.
Molecules of solvents or other contaminants are adsorbed on to the extended surfaces of the media, form bonds at a molecular level and are then retained within its structure. Clean air is put back into the workplace.
The filters can be changed “in seconds” - usually at the same time as scheduled ink replacement.
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