Hastings Air Energy Control’s Solutions Reduce Energy Consumption

Hastings Air Energy Control Inc., New Berlin, Wis., is well positioned to meet the needs and challenges of the modern metalworking industry for both the short and long term. The company constantly improves and develops new automated solutions to assist the industry in overcoming labor challenges and meeting corporate sustainability goals, while lowering energy costs in their facilities. Founded in 1969, the company is a full-service provider of process filtration/ventilation systems, vehicle exhaust removal systems, air filters, and energy-saving ventilation controls. It is the largest U.S. independent distributor and provider of these products and services.

The majority of a manufacturing facility’s energy is expended in the use of fans and motors to run dust collection equipment. “Through the use of sensors, controls and automation, manufacturers can reduce energy consumption by about 50%-to-80% using new technology,” said David Bohrer, president, Hastings Air Energy Control. “Our best product representing total building dust collection automation is the IVEC Command.”

A major initiative for Hastings Air Energy Control is the release of IVEC Command, which has had a soft launch up until this year. Using IVEC Command companies experience these features regarding air cleaning and filtration: remote monitoring/access/control; data logging; predictive metrics; self-diagnostic systems; data security; automated reports and notifications; reduced maintenance costs; reduced downtime and lowered energy costs.

“Customers are working on green initiatives and sustainability and constantly looking to reduce energy costs,” Bohrer said. “Some of our customers are focusing on electric vehicles/hybrid transportation and service vehicles. IVEC Command benefits them through being able to measure energy savings and efficiency during the manufacturing process and allows them to enjoy available grants and tax benefits from the application of our products. Customers using IVEC Command have implemented it on top of their air filtration equipment.” IVEC Command can be used with existing hardware in a retrofit scenario or with a completely new system. The benefits are immediately noticeable and result in year-over-year energy savings with an average ROI of one-to-four years.

Industry Leader Embraces Development of New Products

Among Hastings Air Energy Control’s core products and services are solutions for air filtration, including air cleaners, vacuum systems and mist collectors; welding fume extraction, including hoods and source capture FumeVac Systems; and automation and energy controls.

Bohrer said the air filtration product category is vast and encompasses everything from ambient air cleaners used to filter fine, airborne dust to mist collectors which remove oil-, water-, and synthetic-based coolants used in machining operations.

“Ambient air cleaners are perhaps the most widely used type of air cleaner,” Bohrer said. “They may be installed in multiples to create a planned air circulation pattern, or they may be used in conjunction with source capture equipment for a total air filtration solution.” Typical applications where ambient air cleaning is found include: sanding, grinding, buffing, welding, soldering and machining.

Hastings Air Energy Control’s industrial vacuum systems are designed for high powered, continuous source capture with low maintenance. The processes where vacuums may be used range from welding to milling to composite cutting.

The company’s mist collectors may be one of three types: source capture and mounted directly to the machine; central systems which collect mist from multiple machining centers; and ambient mist collectors which remove mist from the air without being directly connected to a machine. Types of applications where mist collectors are used include: machining centers, CNC machines, surface grinders, wire drawing, stamping presses, screw machines and roll mill operations.

Regarding welding fume extraction, Hastings Air Energy Control’s newest technology for source capture welding fume extraction is found in the FumeVac product line. Air-cooled fume extraction guns and torches are an essential component to creating a safe work environment. FumeVac’s torches meet the ACGIH and OSHA air quality levels for harmful pollutant exposure during the welding process.

FumeVac’s line of high pressure/high-capacity systems provide the vacuum extraction needed for both heavy welding and small welding shops. Products in this category include: central systems; the FV-500-20 for up to eight guns; the FV-225-3 for one welder or a small network; and the FV-190-SC for one or two guns; plus, source capture arms and custom hoods used in robotic or automated processes.

“Supplemental equipment includes the E-Z Reach Boom and the ErgoBoom to take the weight of the gun and hose off the welder, allowing for a more ergonomic weld experience,” Bohrer added.

He said the new FV-190 series has several advantages, including fume extraction up to 115+ CFM at the gun 195+m3/hr. The series also features maintenance free, high performance brushless motors, and a motor thermal and electrical overload circuit protection and indicator light, among other features.

The E-Z Reach Boom helps improve reach while maintaining safe utilization of the welding equipment and has single and dual wire feeder capability. It has varying boom lengths to accommodate different work cell sizes, and a 360° rotation.

Bohrer added the ErgoBoom features a smaller footprint and offers adjustable height and rotation, resulting in less floor clutter. It has an enhanced reach compared to conventional semi-automatic weld system configurations.

When it comes to solutions for automation and air energy controls, IVEC Systems consists of a full line of automation controls that are designed to manage process control ventilation, Bohrer noted. Static dust collection systems use fans that run at full power during one, two or three shifts. IVEC Controls provide on-demand management of the system much like a home thermostat manages indoor temperature. Using IVEC Controls, the system ramps up or down as needed and completely shuts down portions of the system that may not be in use. IVEC air management results in having just enough power where it is needed without wasting energy.

Helping Companies Achieve Green Initiatives

Bohrer said Hastings Air Energy Control has been busy expanding into new market territories in the United States, including adding an office in Dallas, Texas, which serves Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas. An additional new office in Atlanta, Ga., encompasses numerous neighboring states. “We’ve identified these areas of growth due to the manufacturing boom that can be found in southern states,” Bohrer said. “In addition, the expansion was needed due to the large number of Midwest customers opening facilities in those regions and requesting Hastings’ solutions that are needed in their new facilities.”

The solutions and services provided by Hastings Air Energy Control help their customers meet not only their sustainability goals and maintain healthy shop environments, but also provide answers to challenges.

“A military contractor used our IVEC Command system along with ambient air cleaners to clean weld fumes,” Bohrer said. “The company was able to track the overall air flow in the building guaranteeing 70% reduction in welding fumes by capturing, filtering, and returning clean air back into the facility. This was a state-regulated mandate by the local government which requires that weld fume cannot escape to the outdoors and cannot contaminate outdoor air.” The IVEC Command software was used to track and record energy savings. Reports showed that 1.94M kWh were saved, which is a $166,940 annual energy savings. In addition, the new systems earned the company $1,074,771 in energy incentives.

For a manufacturer of truck attachments and equipment, using the IVEC Command during the pandemic allowed the user to remote into the air cleaning system to analyze problems. Remote monitoring resulted in compressed air savings and lower energy consumption due to finding compressed air was adjusted incorrectly and air pressure was inadequate to clean the filters. Filters would have lasted eight weeks and now will be utilized for one year, saving $8,800 in filter replacement costs.

“Another example demonstrating our culture of using best-in-breed equipment involves a carbide grinding company that had an oil mist issue,” Bohrer pointed out. “The small, individual system units were no longer a viable option: low-medium Hp, messy to maintain, failing in the collection of oil resulting in problems related to performance, maintenance and safety. The company experienced oil on machines, walls, floors and operators’ safety glasses and skin. Rather than purchasing additional individual units, they decided on Hastings’ solution which utilized IVEC Advanced Controls, IVEC E-Z Gates, and a Plymovent MistEliminator mist collector.”

The large, multistage, high-capacity system with an all-in-one collection point offered a unique solution. The filters have a two-to-four-year life, reducing maintenance, but most importantly, the company has met its goals of system efficiency, facility cleanliness and safety.

Hastings Air Energy Control continues to advance process filtration/ventilation systems, air filters, and energy-saving ventilation controls, all to the benefit of the metalworking industry. “Article after article points to the need for more remote-access controls for the modern manufacturing facility and Hastings is well-positioned to meet this need given that our IVEC Systems controls were introduced in 2007,” Bohrer said.

www.hastingsair.com

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Weld Fume Systems Create Healthy Environments by Minimizing Exposure

Recognizing the health risks associated with welding stainless steel, a Midwest-based metal fabrication company producing equipment for the transportation industry was in search of a weld fume capture solution. This company places the safety of its employees as a primary goal, so it isn’t a surprise that the company is recognized as a top workplace.

Welding stainless steel produces hazardous weld fumes comprised of chromium and nickel. During the welding process, chromium is converted to its hexavalent state, Cr(VI). According to OSHA: “Cr(VI) is known to cause cancer. In addition, it targets the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin and eyes. Chromium metal is added to alloy steel to increase hardenability and corrosion resistance. A major source of worker exposure to Cr(VI) occurs during ‘hot work’ such as welding on stainless steel and other alloy steels containing chromium metal.” OSHA standards require minimizing worker exposure to hexavalent chromium.

The metal fabrication company had considered other fume extraction options but quickly settled on Hastings Air Energy Control’s FumeVac solution. Two centralized extraction systems were installed at the fabricator’s shop. The initial solution provided was FumeVac’s FV-500-20 high vacuum extractor. With a compact layout and minimized footprint, the unit can handle weld fume extraction from multiple workstations simultaneously. It comes standard with two primary filters and a single secondary HEPA filter, as well as automatic pulse-jet filter cleaning with adjustable settings. The unit also features two differential pressure manometers to gauge filter status, a static pressure gauge, an hour meter, remote start function, and adjustable timed shut-down.

Within a year, the company expanded the system to more than 20 weld stations utilizing dual wire feeders for both stainless and mild steel welding flexibility. The metal fabrication company’s operators are happy with the performance of the system and enjoy working in a cleaner, healthier environment.

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