Two-way suction: Wet separator makes flammable aluminium and magnesium dusts harmless

Pierburg manufactures magnesium intake pipes and other products at its Nettetal plant. Manufacturing is highly automated at Pierburg but some pre-series and prototype parts made from magnesium are worked by hand. The fine, often highly reactive (flammable) magnesium dusts need to be extracted at these work stations, preferably directly at the source – as well as in the prototype shop.

Because the prototype shop processes a large range of materials, Pierburg worked with Ruwac to develop a stationary extraction system as a “two-way solution”. The system has two extractor arms, each painted a different colour. When the machine operator is working with non-explosive materials, the blue extractor arm is swung into position and the process dust is vacuumed directly into the Ruwac DS 2720 B1 vacuum. If, on the other hand, magnesium is being machined, the operator will switch in the red extractor arm using a three-way valve. In this case the dust is drawn into a Ruwac wet separator. In the separator, the extracted material is fed through a submerged pipe into a fluid and neutralised there. Any particles which are not trapped in the separator are stopped by a fine filter located downstream.



The vacuum unit is in a neighbouring room. Just like the wet separator, it is certified for operation in explosion hazard zones (type 1) and is suitable in accordance with BGR guidelines for separating aluminium and magnesium.