BOFA reports growing demand for AM filtration systems
August 16, 2021
BOFA International, Ltd, a global fume and dust extraction solutions provider headquartered in Poole, Dorset, UK, has reported growing demand for its specialised range of Additive Manufacturing filtration systems that remove process odours and help capture potentially harmful airborne contaminants at source. Without filtration, fume and particulate could enter the breathing zones of operators, with the potential to impact on human health.
“’3D printing’ covers lots of different Additive Manufacturing processes, but they share a need for effective removal of particulate and fume – including nanoparticles – to help operators meet their Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulatory obligations,” stated Haydn Knight, Sales & Marketing Director at BOFA. “BOFA technology not only helps remove potentially harmful airborne contaminants and odours, but it can also capture print residue that would otherwise build up on expensive machinery. In time, this debris would likely degrade high-value components, affect product quality and impact productivity.”
The company has also noted that customers have reported an additional benefit: temperature control. The accurate flow control systems featured on many BOFA products adjust the rate at which the air is moved, enabling a level of thermal control in the build chamber during manufacturing through active convection.
BOFA has developed a range of solutions covering many different AM processes involved, with filter technology and extraction performance matched to specific applications. Its latest updates have included a new design for a sealed filter exchange to remove the risk of thermal events in pyrophoric material operations, which features in the company’s new AM400 model – to be showcased at RAPID + TCT 2021 in Chicago, Illinois, USA, from September 13-15.
