GRP no longer contains any carcinogenic substances. However, during processing, especially during grinding, fine fibre dusts are produced, some of which are respirable. This means that their diameter is less than 3 μm and their length is less than 5 μm. These fine dusts pollute the airways. They penetrate into the alveoli (air sacs in the lungs) and settle there. Frequent inhalation of these fine dusts can lead to chronic diseases (COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).
A look at the rotor blade production facility of a leading European manufacturer of wind turbines shows the best way to extract GRP dust. The rotor blades, which are up to 75 metres long, are made here from semi-finished GRP products and are given the desired perfect contour with a smooth surface in grinding processes. More details can be found in our suitable application example.
For this task, the company exclusively uses hand-held sanding machines with integrated extraction. The sanding dust is extracted directly at the source and fed via long hoses to a Ruwac vacuum cleaner in dust-ex version (zone 22). This also applies to other machining processes such as sawing and drilling. Intensive sanding is also required for edge processing, where chips and burrs are generated as suction material in addition to dust.
Direct extraction not only prevents health risks for employees. It also prevents grinding dust from being deposited on the surface of the rotor blades and impairing their quality. And integration into the tool ensures ergonomic working.