When a factory grows or new machines needed to be added, a conventional ducting system usually needs to be recalibrated and further suction needs to be added. Further suction equates to further power consumption.
OptiFlow is a square sectioned, ducted channel that incorporates a chain drive and scraper blades that are drawn along the floor of the channel. Once the air enters the OptiFlow, its speed is considerably reduced, so that heavy dust falls to the bottom of the channel to be conveyed out by the chain driven scraper blades to a rotary valve and then gravity fed into a hopper bin.
Only the very fine dust (ca. 10% of the dust volume) is sucked out of the top of the OptiFlow to the filter system. The use of chain driven scraper blades considerably reduces the suction effort required and the power consumption.
OptiFlow is of modular design and can be made in lengths of 10-100m, with a suction span of 30m to each side. A 50m OptiFlow can reach a factory of 5000m2 floor area. All machines at the factory floor are connected to the OptiFlow either individually or in clusters. The dust is extracted from the wood working machines at speeds of 25-35m/s.