|
Q: What applications
was the MistBuster actually designed for?
A: The MistBuster 500 is an electrostatic industrial air
cleaner mist collector product designed specifically for the filtration of
coolants, oil mist and smoke from today's modern machine tools. The use of
metalworking fluids can pose a serious health threat to the employees in the
metal working industry and is a priority focus of OSHA.
Top
Q: How easy is
the MistBuster 500 to install?
A: The MistBuster is easy to install and includes a
10’ power cord so that it can be installed without an electrician.
-
Royal Filtermist and Aercology centrifugal require an electrician to hard
wire power and controls. Both units always require some sort of mounting
hardware. The MistBuster has an inlet opening that is 16” x 9”. This inlet
opening can be set over any hole in the top of the machine tool that is 6”
in diameter. If you cannot provide an inlet opening on the top of the
machine tool, we can use our plenum with machine mount stand, pedestal stand
or ceiling hanging kit.
-
This easy installation makes it very easy for AQE to offer a 30-day
performance guarantee. If the customer needs to hire an electrician, a free
trial will cost them a few hundred dollars.
We have made it very easy for you to realize how easy it is to install the
MistBuster 500 by posting the
installation manual that comes with this mist eliminator air cleaner.
Top
Q: How many years is the manufacturer's warranty?
A: Three-year manufacturer's warranty.
Top
Q: What machine tools has the
MistBuster been installed on?
A: The MistBuster has been installed on many industrial
machines some of them include but are not limited to;
|
Acme
Eurotech
Leblond-Makinu
Ameka-Seki
Ex-Cell-O
Matsuura
Bridgeport
Fadal
Mazak
Brown & Sharp
Haas
Mitsubishi |
Nakamura-Tome
Citizen
Hydromat
Niigata
Cutting Edge Tech
KAO Ming
Ohmiya
Daewoo
KIA
Okuma
DoAll
Chiron-America |
Kitamura
Star
Eubama
Leadwell
Tsugami
Hardinge
Miyano
Cincinatti Centerless
Hitachi Seiki
Mori Seiki
Cincinatti Milacron
Huron |
For a visual to see examples of MistBusters mounted on / to these machines
please 
Top
Q: What are the main differences between the MistBuster
and the "Fog Pig" that I keep hearing about?
(note: we have chosen not to use the direct trademark name of this
particular mist collector... if you don't get it, give us a call and
we'll give you more obvious hints).
A: First of all, the
MistBuster is machine mounted so that it is not exposed to the airborne dust
and dirt that mixes with the mist on background EAC systems. Once the cell
collects dust and oil, drainage is less fluid. The "Fog Pig" has to be
cleaned much more frequently than the MistBuster to maintain its efficiency.
Secondly, the MistBuster has 4” of mechanical impingement as compared to
most EAC’s that have only a 1” prefilter. This keeps most of the large mist
droplets and metal chips and turnings out of the main EAC.
Finally, the variable speed controller allows the MistBuster to run the
minimum amount of airflow to create negative pressure. This is the main
feature in creating a long maintenance interval. This also has a dramatic
effect on efficiency.
Top
Q: What are the names of some companies who use
MistBusters on their industrial machines?
A: We have all types of companies who have made the MistBuster
series a part of their oil smoke and coolant mist air cleaning solution. A
few of the larger corporations include;
-
Boeing (West Coast)
-
General Motors (New York)
-
Masco Tech (Michigan) - Supplier to the auto industry, currently has 42
units and has committed to purchasing 20 more this year.
-
Remmele (Minnesota) - 100 million-dollar micro machining job shop for the
medical industry.
-
Boston Centerless (Massachusetts) – Supplies materials to major job shops
like Remmele.
Q: How noisy is the MistBuster and how much
vibration does it cause?
A: The MistBuster is quiet and vibration-free. The
MistBuster series uses a high quality motorized impeller imported from
Germany that is dynamically balanced and suspended from rubbe isolation
mounts. The impeller is mounted on the clear air side which means there is
no buildup of contaminants on the moving part.
Remmele Engineering purchased MistBusters for their machine tools that use
drills the diameter of a human hair to drill holes in a part that has to be
magnified many times to be seen with the human eye. They could not afford
any vibrations and were looking for a vibration FREE solution to their oil
smoke and mist problems. Remmele Engineering tested the MistBuster and found
it to be perfect for their application. They purchased 25 plus MistBusters
and directly mounted a MistBuster to each machine tool in their facility. A
by-product of having a variable speed controller is that the slower you run
the MistBuster, the quieter it is.
Top
Q: I am concerned that I need a higher CFM rating to
handle the out-put of air contamination that my machine tool produces...
will 500 CFM be strong enough to handle my high pressure machine tool mist?
A: The MistBuster has a variable speed controller so that
you can control the amount of air being sucked out of the machine tool
enclosure. Excessive airflow causes excessive amounts of mist-laden air to
be removed from the machine tool enclosure. This shortens the life of
disposable filters in units like the Torit Dryflow and increases the amount
of maintenance for centrifugal units. All that is needed is negative
pressure within the machine tool enclosure to handle any oil smoke and
coolant mist problem, nothing more.
There is a misconception in the machining industry that more airflow is
desirable, bigger is better. That is why Med-Source went with the 800 cfm
Dryflow instead of the smaller model Torit rated at 390 cfm for their small
Swiss lathes. MistBusters were replaced with these Torrit 800-cfm units with
the 500-cfm MistBuster running on a quarter speed. All that is needed is
negative pressure so that the mist and smoke that are generated does not
escape the machine tool enclosure. The MistBuster does not allow the mist
and smoke to build up and there will be no cloud to hit the operator in the
face when he opens the door.
one can use a bathroom fan as a good analogy when explaining the benefits of
using the MistBuster's lower CFM rating; most of bathroom fans are only
rated betweeen 75-125 cfm. These fans generally keep the steam from building
up within the room and escaping into adjoining rooms. Most bathrooms are
larger than a machine tool enclosure. Why did Med-Source need an 800-cfm fan
on a small enclosure? The answer is they did not, all they needed was about
125 cfm.
Top
Q: How often do I have to clean the MistBuster?
A: Very low maintenance, almost totally self-cleaning.
(Typically in an oil-based fluid, maintenance is once or twice a year; for a
water-based coolant, maintenance is 1-3 times per year.). Cleaning is very
simple. Dip the filters and cell in alkaline detergent and rinse with hot
water; let dry and return to the MistBuster. Many shops have parts washers
that can be used as long as the washing fluid is non-corrosive to aluminum.
Remmele Engineering operates their facility 24 hours a day, seven days a
week. They typically clean their units once per year. Other customers have
had to clean their MistBusters two to three times per year.
Because the MistBuster has a variable speed controller, the MistBuster can
operate at very low air speeds. This allows the metalworking fluid to drain
back into the machine tool while the MistBuster is in operation.
Water-based coolant can evaporate leaving solids dried onto collection
plates on the cell and prefilters. If the MistBuster is used continuously,
its filtration system remains wet and there is a longer maintenance interval
as opposed to intermittent use. There is no evaporation with oil-based
metalworking fluid so the MistBuster can go a year or longer without having
its cell cleaned.
Top
Q: What are the positives and negatives of using
the MistBuster vs. a disposable media mist collector?
A: Media mist collection involves using low velocity
impaction and filtration technology. Very high efficiencies are
possible using media filtration however they often plug up and restrict air
flow. Eventually this high restriction leads to needless fan noise
(like a big shop fan). Periodic filter replacement is required and
their replacement, disposal and associated labor can be costly. Over
time the cost to run these units can absorb as much as 2100 watts to operate
and can be an additional drain on resources.
Top
Q: What are the main differences of using the
MistBuster vs. a centrifugal mist collector?
A: Centrifugal
mist elimination involves a high velocity / high energy process where the
impeller accelerates large drops and the inertial separation and impaction
removes large drops. Centrifugals have been known for not being able
to collect smoke or fine droplets. It actually creates fine droplets
by breaking up large drops in the high energy acceleration process that
causes a very high siren like screech. Centrifugal mist eliminators
require frequent cleaning to remove accumulated mist and dust that causes
impeller imbalance. Imbalanced impellers cause machine tool vibration
and loss of precision and frequent cleaning and maintenance is required to
avoid imbalance. Centrifugals can also take upwards of 2100 watts to
operate.
Top
| 
