Dust Control Systems in Manufacturing

Why a blog post on dust control systems when you are looking for information on rice milling equipment?  In the extensive traveling that we do to farms across the country, we’ve seen just about every possibility that you can imagine; piping and spouting made out of static electricity producing PVC pipe, duct tape in every possible application you can imagine, and ratchet straps keeping packaging machines from rolling away.  While we applaud the creativity and use of available resources (seriously, well played), there is a better way of doing it.  We shall name this methodology of better design, “The Right Way.”

In “The Right Way” of putting together a manufacturing plant, one of the largest items that gets overlooked is the dust control systems.  We’ve seen product (whether rice, corn, or beans) freely flowing into open hoppers without any covering or dust extraction.  I can tell you first hand that it doesn’t take long for that beautiful plant that you were so proud of on start up day to get dusty and depressing quite quickly.  Here are some quick ideas on how to increase your dust control system:

1.  Check your filter bags regularly for excess build up, loose connections, and rips and tears.
2. Make sure all hoppers have tops.  This will naturally keep dust in the hopper instead of in the air.
3. All of our spouting should be inserted into tops of your hoppers.  Having any area between the spouting and the hopper that is exposed is an invitation for dust to escape.
4. Make sure your dust pickups are at every machine where dust could be problematic including elevators, cleaners, huskers, whiteners, polishers, indented cylinders, color sorters, and packaging bins.
5. Adequacy is key.  Make sure your dust system is large enough for all of machines in your operation.
6. Caulk all connections in dust piping so that the dust cannot leak out.

At ZaccariaUSA, we’ve found that these small steps can contribute greatly to a clean milling environment.  A clean environment makes your consumers happy, your workers happy, and your product happy.  Make sure and check out our other blog posts by clicking ZaccariaUSA Blog.