The Ultimate Automobile Manufacturing Guide

Filtering The Air That Is Used In Your Shop

25 August 2017 by Carlos Sullivan

Air is used in a lot of ways but it is not clean when it comes into the shop. It is sometimes hard to see it but most of the time air brings dust and small particles of dirt in with it. Depending on the job you are doing in your shop, these small particles can be the worst thing possible for your end product. There are things you can do to keep the dust and dirt to a minimum if you take a few precautions in the way you handle the inflow of air to your shop.

Filtering the Air

The very first thing you need to look at is the air coming into your shop. If you have a furnace or HVAC unit that uses air to heat or cool your shop, you need to make sure you are using high-quality filters on the system. A HEPA filter or a filter that is designed to filter very small particles is essential. Check with your local building supply or home center to see what you can get for your system. A micron filter will be rated for how small the particles are that it will catch. The smaller the better so you stop the air handler from being even small debris into the shop.  

Cleaning Up Your Compressed Air

Another source for dust and small particles in the compressed air used in your shop. It is very common to use compressed air to blow the dust off a part or item that you are working with to clean it up but if you are not running a good filter on the system, you might be adding dust. A filter for the air intake and a water separator on the compressor is essential. Use the best air filter you can get for the compressor and try to plumb the air intake into the shop from a location as far away from potential dirt and dust as possible. Running your air intake outside the shop and as high up as you can on the building is helpful.

Paint Booths and Clean Areas

If you are painting or powder coating items in your shop, you need to set up a clean area that will allow you to work with the item without any dust hitting the surface. A paint booth is a good way to achieve that because they use positive pressure and a lot of filtration to keep them inside of the booth clean. There are commercial booths available in sizes that can be installed in a small shop or in a large shop. The commonality in these booths is the filtration and air handling of them. If you are working with parts that must be clean, clean them off in the booth before you do any coating, painting, or other work that requires a clean area.

Find out more about air filtration here!

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