workshop EE bench dust curtain??? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: k4rlhp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 10:28:36 am
content: Hi,I'm building a new 4x5meter workshop which has shared space for material workshop (lathes, routers, cnc, drillpresses, saws and what not) and EE workbench (scope, sorts of DMM's and LCR's vacuum UV exposure unit, PCB etching bubble-bath+washing+developing, component shelves plus other usual stuff). Most EE bench equipment is rated for industrial environments. Yet, I'm uneasy about dust, it never did any good to any instrument, not to mention projects in progress that would be fully exposed to dust. Argh, and a bubble bath filled with saw dust would be a nightmare.The issue is, should I build some lab curtain system that could be used to improve dust sealing from the other dust-generating part of workshop?Does someone have any experience in building a DIY solution that appears to work well and is not a 6month project to build?I thought that I might try some roll-down-curtains that I could perhaps magnetically couple to bench front edge but I will likely not be able to find one 4m curtain that could seal off the entire EE domain thus multiple curtain joins will become a necessity and probably the weak link in the design.Regards,

author: ajb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 03:23:56 pm
content: You can get plastic sheeting in all sorts of sizes and thicknesses--4m should be no problem. Duct tape or similar will form a more or less permanent bond to it, so you can use that to seal seams, or attach magnets, or just reinforce it where necessary. You can also find zipper kits that can be applied to the sheeting--used to create doorways when sealing off construction areas, particularly when doing nasty things like asbestos abatement. Check with building suppliers in your area.Alternatively, you can get all sorts of materials from fabric stores that could work, including things like rugged outdoor fabrics and heavy duty clear vinyl. Those can be easily cut or sewn together to make whatever size and shape you need, and you can sew on Velcro, magnets, zippers, or whatever you need to attach and seal it.Personally I'd probably go with a suitable fabric, attached to the ceiling, with Velcro at the seams. A couple of straps with Velcro on can be used to roll the fabric up and secure it out of the way. You probably will want to roll it up so the outside surface is inside the roll, to keep any dust that has settled on the outside surface contained as you roll it up.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 03:41:51 pm
content: Etching in the same room as a machine shop is a bad idea unless you build a proper fume cupboard. The etchant aerosol generated by gas bubbles bursting at the etchant surface and fumes from acid etchants in general are extremely destructive of the precision steel surfaces of machine tools.With only 4x5m, bench space is going to be at a premium, so you may wish to consider dust protection for only your test equipment shelves/racks at the back of your bench. Individual, more delicate items of freestanding equipment could have fitted dust covers.

author: k4rlhp
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 04:35:41 pm
content: Quote from: Ian.M on March 02, 2016, 03:41:51 pmYes, fume and dust extractors are planned and are in fact unavoidable. Yet, as far as dust goes, it only removes about 80% (based on Pareto principeI have another section of workshop which is 3,3x11m but with what's going on in there I think it's even worse idea to put that stuff there.I've heard stories how unsettled fine wood dust can explode in certain conditions and that part of workshop has welding going on among other things.

author: elecman14
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 04:47:07 pm
content: Quote from: ajb on March 02, 2016, 03:23:56 pmI would be careful about ESD if you go this route. Those sheets can be quite easy to charge up.

author: Gribo
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 05:51:23 pm
content: There are anti static sheets exactly for this purpose.

author: Ian.M
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 02, 2016, 08:12:08 pm
content: I'd divide the 3.3mx11m shop into a semi-clean zone for machine tools that produce swarf rather than dust, and a dirty zone for welding/grinding etc. using industrial hanging flexible barrier strips as the divider. You really don't want to be using machine tools with spray or mist coolant anywhere near your electronics bench. If you also want to run a wood shop, you'll need excellent ventilation and probably an electrostatic precipitation system as well. If the dust level is anywhere near the lower explosive limit, its high enough to wreck your lungs if you aren't using a supplied air respirator, so better to control it properly. Its not just wood and plastic dust that's a serious fire/explosion hazard. You also have to watch out for mixed metal dusts as oxidised dust from anything ferrous + aluminium, magnesium or titanium alloy dusts, can form Thermite so its essential to clean out your dust collection system, and to clear any buildup on or round machines between different types of jobs.*IF* you can afford to build and run a fume cupboard that has a permanent negative pressure ventilation system, you can put the etching etc. in the same 4mx5m shop as the electronics bench. Keep that shop for clean work. You can of course put stock racks in there if the machine/welding shop is more crowded than the clean shop.