Dear Friends, My father, who is a civil engineer, gave me an interesting article about the dust collection system at Baldwin Piano Co. The article is from a magazine which you are not likely to run across in your daily reading. The magazine is called Pollution Equipment News, and the article is on page 47 of the June 1999 issue. Disclaimer: I am not employed by Baldwin, nor am I associated with Baldwin Piano Co. My mother does own a Baldwin grand piano. I also enjoy the opportunity to tune Baldwin pianos on a regular basis, both for private customers and for a dealer. I am not qualified to comment on the article below, and any questions should be directed to the Baldwin Piano Co. ***************************************************************** (beginning of article) Baldwin Piano Achieves High Air Quality and High Finish Quality with Modular Dust Collectors. The grand piano, once considered an essential showpiece for every upscale American parlor, has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity. Yet, today's grand pianos -- many of which are equipped with innovative features ranging from built-in computer hard drives to automated CD players to thick, highly polished finishes -- are decidedly a new generation of instruments. To meet the changing needs of the marketplace, one of the challenges faced by veteran piano manufacturer, Baldwin Piano, has been to develop methods to produce several models of its pianos with the popular new high gloss finishes, which use polyester resin in place of conventional lacquer. "Polyester resin dust generated during the finishing process is finer and heavier than wood and lacquer dust, which makes it much more difficult to capture," explains Keith Van Pelt, plant manager at Baldwin's Conway, AR, production facility. "We needed a dust collection system that would ensure a clean and safe working environment for our employees. We also knew that even the slightest amount of dust contamination could result in costly, excessive reworking -- underscoring the need for a highly efficient method of dust collection." The solution: a new Tenkay (R) cartridge dust collection system, designed and manufactured by Farr Co. to meet Baldwin specifications. Developing the right collection system To collect dust during finishing processes, Baldwin has previously relied on exhaust booth systems, designed and fabricated in-house, utilizing tube axial exhaust fans. "though the system was adequate for removal of wood dust, it did not work on the more challenging polyester resin contaminant," notes Bob Sowell, a corporate facilities engineer for Baldwin. He continues, "In looking for a more effective solution, we established several criteria: Not only must the system be highly efficient, it should also be specifically designed to prevent dust cross-contamination as pianos moved down the finishing line. In addition, it should offer production flexibility, installation and maintenance ease and dependable operation." To meet requirements, the Farr engineering team developed a booth-type system based on the company's Tenkay cartridge collectors. Lee Morgan, manager of the Farr Air Pollution Control Business in Jonesboro, AR, explains: "We designed the system to provide a strong cross draft in the work area, pulling polyester dust away from the worker. A key feature that is unique to the AQB is a cantilevered, self-supporting roof over the filter module. This booth design creates a well lit work area unobstructed by permanent walls or exhaust hoods, providing Baldwin with optimum manufacturing flexibility." The initial system built for Baldwin contains 10 individual booth modules. Each module is 6' long, with a 6' spacer between adjacent modules. Each unit draws 5,500 cfm for a total air flow of 55,000 cfm, and is equipped with eight filter elements per booth. Because the system is virtually self-contained, Baldwin maintenance personnel were able to install the equipment in the Conway plant with no duct work and minimal assembly requirements. With a gravimetric efficiency rating of 99.999%, the collection system enables Baldwin to recirculate the treated air into the plant for maximum energy efficiency. Cartridges are self-cleaned twice a day using reverse pulses of compressed air. The pulsed off contaminants collect at the bottom of the modules in easy to service pullout drawers that are emptied nightly by maintenance crews. The 120' long dust collection system is utilized at several points in the finishing operation. First it is used to remove wood dust generated during whitewood sanding. It then captures dust produced during sanding of the polyester resin primer where effective collection is especially critical. More dust must be removed during primer sanding and buffing of the final topcoat. After several months of operation, Van Pelt reports, " The system has been working very well and has been virtually trouble-free. Not only does it keep the individual work areas dust free but it also washes the whole room clean, delivering an added air quality bonus." Van Pelt says that the system can accommodate optional side curtains between modules. "We did hang curtains in a couple of areas, as added insurance against cross contamination between sanding and buffing operations, but for the most part, the system draws air across the work area so effectively that the curtains haven't been necessary." He also notes the open design of the system, with self-supporting roofs projecting from each module, has made it easy to move large piano cabinets down the production line with no need to worry about the tight space constraints associated with conventional booths. Also, because the system uses minimal ductwork, it can be moved or readjusted if necessary to accommodate changing production needs in the future. New finish a success In the short time since its market introduction, Baldwin's highly polished polyester resin finish has been extremely well received by dealers and consumers. "This has proven to be a tremendous finish for the company, and we're pleased with what we have been able to accomplish, " says Van Pelt. "We believe we've developed the best finishing operation of its type in the country, and the dust collection system has been integral to our success." It has been so integral, in fact, that Baldwin recently added a second multiple booth Farr dust collection system in the same plant. A third, eight booth system is also being installed at the company's Greenwood, MS, facility, where it will be used to capture wood and lacquer sanding dusts. Baldwin has been a leading international manufacturer of pianos since 1862. Today the company produces acoustical pianos bearing the Baldwin, Chickering and Wurlitzer brand names, as well as a line of cutting edge Pianovelle digital instruments. The company maintains corporate headquarters in Mason, OH, and five manufacturing facilities in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Mexico. For additional information, contact Farr Co., Air Pollution Control Business Unit, Reference Item A2, 3501 Airport Rd., Jonesboro, AR 72401, 800/479-6801, Fax: 800/2226891, e-mail: filterman@farrco.com (end of article) *************************************************************** I hope the previous article was of interest to you. Sincerely, David A. Vanderhoofven, RPT Joplin, MO
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