DIY Meets High End Fume Extractor for Laser Engraving/Cutting

In this video, I show the first (not so good) fume extractor I made and why it didn't work. I also show the much-improved fume extractor and some tips if you decide to make your own filter. It is a mash-up of a DIY using off the shelf components by respected companies in the industry.
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Compenents:
Bofa AD350 Filter - www.matterhackers.com/store/l...
Bofa AD350 Pre-Filter - www.matterhackers.com/store/l...
4 Inch Duct Mounting Plate - smile.amazon.com/Spectre-Perf...
Foam Insulation - smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...
Centrifugal Fan - smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B...
(I bought an open box and that is why it was so cheap, I paid $80, new they are $147. You can use any furnace fume extractor just make sure it is around the same amps to get a good CFM suction.)
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Grabcad files:
Good Fume Extractor Housing - grabcad.com/library/custom-di...
Bad Fume Extractor Housing - grabcad.com/library/custom-di...

[@hondahirny]

Thank you very much for posting this. I was just returning a $400 fume extractor that totally failed to filter the fumes on my Xtool D1 Pro. I’m handy enough to build my own filter using these AD350 filters. This will beat paying $1500 extra for a fancier metal box 😊

[@davidrobinson4797]

I am interested to know if you also purchased the filtration system from xTool with your D1? I purchased an S1 about 6 weeks ago and not only happened across this video before I bought one from xTool, I already have the AD350 filters and fan. Just need to build the box.

[@yellowmuginc]

Great summary that I would guess saved me about 40 hours and several hundred dollars. Thanks dude!

[@BrandegeePierce]

Glad you found it. Wish there was one out before I spent a ton on the original pos.

[@gaiustacitus4242]

A prefilter is intended to trap large particles and debris, thus it can be fairly thin and have coarse fibers. Prefilters are intended to be replaced frequently (i.e., weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly). The prefilter also minimizes the amount of particles that get through to the HEPA filter. The HEPA filter traps all particulate greater than 0.3 micron. Depending on maintenance of the prefilter and environmental factors, the HEPA filter should only need to be replaced 2 to 4 times per year. The final stage activated carbon filter removes the smallest gas particles (such as carbon monoxide). The activated carbon filter is very porous and the layer of material must be fairly thick for gases to be filtered out of the air stream by adsorption (a process of gas particles bonding to the outer surface of a material, which is different from absorption). A very well designed system would also include a UV light sanitizer for killing bacteria trapped by the HEPA filter. Otherwise, the bacteria can grow inside the air filtration system. That said, I've yet to see a filtration system designed for use with laser cutter/engraver machines that features a UV sanitizer.

[@nickmasters8577]

Great video! Hitting exactly what I've been looking for! Thank you!

[@philipanderson8191]

Thanks , great video with very good advice. Answered all my questions I have I was about to do the same as your first attempted filter. Cheers 🍻.

[@BrandegeePierce]

I've been running my current system and strongly advise against my old design. It just was me wanting to engineer something unnecessarily. Thank you and hope you can get this working for you!

[@rosariosorbello306]

Great video BP. Thanks for the help.

[@seanhussey3816]

thanks for the tips! I definitely won't just start lasering without one or even venting outside now..

[@conejolampareado1345]

The "move air" vs "pull air" it is a great information, I was just about to buy that cilindrical blower, thanks man¡¡

[@manueldacanayjr1042]

Thanks on this video. Makin my own now. I have the same problem with neighbors complaining about the burnt acrylic fume.

[@BrandegeePierce]

Don't want to upset your neighbor's!

[@anndaks1333]

I've been using my homemade unit on my laser cutter/engraver based on your inputs. No problems with the neighbors so far, I just have to change my activated charcoal filters (bought it per sack) after a few batches. It's not that tedious.. i learned a lot from your trials/mistakes. It kinda made the process much easier. Many many thanks.

[@BrandegeePierce]

@@anndaks1333 I am glad I could be of help.

[@edwymer2226]

Nice Video. You did good......thank you I am in the midst of making a filter system for my first time owning a laser so thank you

[@officalGlitchlab]

I want to see this in person lol I want something to use at events and this looks like something I would want to have.

[@Zoli_ExhibitPrinting]

Thanks for the effort, useful info.

[@kenmatteson]

Thank you down to earth great video

[@SwapPartLLC]

Great video. Thanks!

[@crusher70]

Great video, thanks for the great information. Off to my local hardware store

[@ChargeEm]

Very nice vid. It actually gave me an idea, regarding venting outside. However, I need a quiet fan, but not really sure where to look for a proper one :( Thanx for the tips in the vid :)

[@BrandegeePierce]

Not sure if they make a fan this style that would be silent. I can assure you though, axial fans, although there are silent or quiet versions, will not work. They do not create pressure.

[@guskings5948]

Thanks for the video, I’m in palm beach gardens and currently having issues with a neighbor and fumes. Hopefully this helps.

[@BrandegeePierce]

Hope it helps. I just replaced my filter after a year. $300 a year for clean air is not a bad deal considering how much I use the machine.

[@jeffmastin]

very helpful. I have the same problem. I am in a concentrated area of the city and do not want to inconvinence my neighbors. I wil use entirely wood but I suppose some of those plywood glues might be harmful. Will try it

[@higherstandardspc]

Love your video, informative and entertaining as well. You did a wonderful presentation, you are much better at making instructional videos than you give yourself credit for. Keep up the awesome work ; )

[@madeinbasement]

JUST FYI, 1" x 3/8" foam no longer available on Amazon. I needed more so I re-ordered and got 1/8" instead. 3/8" option is now gone :( Might be able to source at other places or get 3/4" widths...

[@SpumoniBreath]

Hi Brandegee - My friend has an p/t on-line business creating high quality custom signs inscribing 3/4 birch plywood using an EPIOG 24x12 Laser Printer. He does this in his townhome basement and has 1 HP Dust collection Fan hooked up to extract the fumes outside, but definitely needs a filtration system. He sent me a bunch of DYI systems, but I like yours the best b/c it uses the existing BOFA filters. So, I am trying to find out the dimensions of the Prefilter and the Combo Filter units to design a box before purchasing them. I may also add a slot before the Prefilter to hold and simple standard size furnace to catch some of the gooey particulate that emerges b/c he covers the plywood with high quality painters tape (Frog Tape) before engraving - I guess to reduce the chance of splintering the fine writing - so the particulate contains tape-glue which may quickly clog regular filters. Having a stack of inexpensive furnace filters would allow him to replace them once a week or as required. I would also add a speed control to his existing 1HP fan so that he could set the speed just right. Anyhow, the BOFA filter web page with price and detail does not include the dimensions of each filter, so I'd appreciate it if you provide that. Thanks. And btw - Great video!

[@BrandegeePierce]

Sorry for the late reply. I bought mine from a 3D printing supply company.

[@dillonohrt1903]

Great idea on the cheap pre-pre-filter, I use tape on my stuff too and can see where that would work great

[@Basser18]

I will be getting my 50W OMTech laser next week and am in desperate need of a smoke filter system. This is exactly the inspiration I needed. How long does the filter last and what materials do you laser with it? Do you think the solution will also work with a slightly larger laser? Thank you very much for sharing your ideas!

[@BrandegeePierce]

I have a yellow so entirely sure what size it would work with. There's two filters. One of them last significantly longer than the other. I'm actually getting ready to make a new video with a much bigger build because we have 10x our company.

[@cofa4011]

Well I should have looked at video the description ^^' Happy new year ! ;)

[@BrandegeePierce]

Glad you were able to find what your looking for. If you have any questions, let me know.

[@zurialjazz]

What filters are you using on the new update still Bofa? I would like to be current on your updated video when comes out.

[@Jay.C.H]

I am wondering if the exhaust was to be fed back into the enclosure would make any difference. It would be a totally enclosed system then. This would create an equal pressure system, Air in, air filtered out then air back in. If your system does not have any leaks you shouldn’t smell anything, but I don’t know how the air would smell when the lid of the enclosure is opened. Second note. Don’t use the gray duct tape, which really is duct tape. Use furnace tape. That way the adhesive won’t dry out and fall off.

[@tamasorosz6191]

Hi. Fan enough to 1000x600mm work area laser?

[@tamasorosz6191]

Hi. How many m3/h and how many pa the pressure?

[@RyKnocks]

Just finished my build. It's a bit more elaborate than yours in that my entire filter is covered and I'm using a 400+ CFM centrifugal fan. Unfortunately, it did not eliminate the smell 100%. Maybe 70-80%. I'm using a 100W CO2 laser with 6" ducting. At first I did not have any foam gaskets on the shelf that my filter sat on, and fume elimination was maybe 50%. I added some foam to the shelf, and now it's at around 70-80% in terms of fume elimination. I think a big thing with these DIY systems is SEAL SEAL SEAL SEAL SEAL. SEAL every bit that you can. I'm going to go back in and caulk all the joints and maybe add a layer of duct tape to the entire interior to make sure all of the smoke passes through the filter. So far, I give the DIY system a 6.5/10 when factoring in the cost. I'm also wondering whether or not air speed has any affect on it. Maybe my air is passing over the media too fast for 100% filtration? What do you think?

[@ProBangers]

Hi Ryan. I'm looking into building a fume extractor as well. Have you learned anything new in the last 4 months with your build, and how are you liking it?

[@RyKnocks]

@@ProBangers Hey there! I’ve totally ditched my custom extraction unit for now. The fume reduction was maybe 75% effective, but it totally killed the smoke extraction from my machine. I had lingering smoke for at least 1-2 minutes, and the machine would fill with smoke during the cuts or engraves, which isn’t great for the machine itself. You need a pretty beefy fan (at least 8” centrifugal) to get it to pull smoke through the filter effectively.

[@MrAjOlsson]

@@RyKnocks Thanks for commenting Ryan! Can I ask what filter unit you ended up going with long term? I just got a 100W CO2 laser and don't want to waste time on DIY options if they are inferior.

[@RyKnocks]

@@MrAjOlsson I ended up having a “chimney” installed into the roof of my garage and exhaust through there. It’s barely noticeable at street level. I gave up on the idea of a filter as it can get pretty pricey.

[@Jay.C.H]

I am wondering if the exhaust was to be fed back into the enclosure would make any difference. It would be a totally enclosed system then. This would create an equal pressure system, Air in, air filtered out then air back in. If your system does not have any leaks you shouldn’t smell anything, but I don’t know how the air would smell when the lid of the enclosure is opened. Second note. Don’t use the gray duct tape, which really is duct tape. Use furnace tape. That way the adhesive won’t dry out and fall off.

[@madeinbasement]

Great video! Do you know of any centrifugal bigger/stronger fans for larger laser machines?

[@BrandegeePierce]

I don't but what size machine are you using?

[@madeinbasement]

@@BrandegeePierce I'm using Boss LS-1630. It has 6" outlet. But space inside machine is pretty big so I might need more static pressure. I will try the fan you suggested (it's arriving today) and see how it goes. Already got the filters too. Thanks again for the video, super helpful!

[@BrandegeePierce]

@@madeinbasement you'd be surprised the draw that blower has. The hard part about the blowers that work that way is they don't have CFM rating as they are meant for furnaces. What I did to assume that would be strong enough was looked at the amperage. If you need a stronger blower, try to find one that is around 3-4 amps. I believe the one I used is 1.8. let me know how it works for you!

[@doughardy1379]

@@madeinbasement I also have a Boss LS-1630 and was wondering what fan would work for my machine. I sent this video and components to my cousin who works for an industrial ventilation company. Long story short, this filter is rated at 250 CFM, meaning anything higher will decrease the efficiency considerably. For the fan, his engineer said you need a suction blower at 250 CFM with about .5" static pressure. That begs the question, is 250 CFM enough for the 1630? In my experience, 250 CFM wasn't enough to draw out smoke and fumes very well for this machine. This is a great video but i think I'm going to try and find a different filter. The alternative, according to the engineer, was to buy a 500 CFM fan and pull it through two of these filter setups running side by side or buy a 750 CFM fan and pull it through 3 of these filter setups running side by side by side. Seems like it would get expensive quickly that way, though.

[@jonathanhaas7990]

I have 3 Lasers do you suggest a separate Extractor for each?

[@tashariggins4721]

Hi! Great job! Did you decide to build the extras to sell, if so I’d like to purchase

[@BrandegeePierce]

I haven't yet. The best thing would be to download the cad and send to a CNC shop. Lots of cabinet makers can do it too.

[@davefong2656]

I have a fairly big laser with a bed of 35"x24" and the port to extract the fumes is below the bed. Do you think the motor you listed is powerful enough to suck through the filter and grab the fumes? I built this and have the AD350 filters with "2" centrifical 650 cfm filters and it is not enough. I know you said your furnace blower works differently and is the right one to use but I wanted to see if you thought it would be powerful enough for my laser?

[@RyKnocks]

It won’t be powerful enough.

[@daniel.j.rauscher]

Awesome video! I'm curious -- how big of a laser are you using? I'm getting ready to purchase my first laser (moderate/big size) and wondering if I should scale up the fan or anything.

[@BrandegeePierce]

My laser is very small. I would advise buying a bigger blower if you are going to use a bigger laser.

[@Jay.C.H]

I am wondering if an automotive catalytic converter would clean up the exhaust fumes from the laser. Particle filter, converter, carbon filter.

[@BrandegeePierce]

To my knowledge, cat converters work based on a range of temps. I think they need to be at a pretty high temp to function and I also believe it is passive. Could be something to do more research on...

[@afbigfish1]

Thumbs up for a neighbor.

[@chadvoller]

How loud is the fan? There's some free decibel apps, not super accurate but gives a decent idea. Would also be nice to see how it pulls the smoke away from the item you are engraving with the filter in place. I'm wondering if what I have is overkill. It's what came with the laser, and sucks the smoke away instantly. But is loud as heck as well. You really have to raise your voice to talk next to it.

[@BrandegeePierce]

@Chad Voller Loud is all relative... I'll get the reading on the dB's this week. It is not loud at all. In my shop, my laser engraver sounds like a jet engine because it has some beefy (but cheap chinese) computer fans. With just the extractor on, it is still very possible to have a conversation. In regards to the question about the VOC sensors - I wouldn't buy a kit because they are, as you said, not great or really just hobby level. Newark, Digikey, or Mouser (amongst many others) are likely the supplier of the actual component in the $2k fume extractor I mentioned in the video. I would probably buy this sensor. www.idt.com/us/en/document/dst/sgas707-datasheet Would want to do more research to ensure it meets my requirements, but any voltage or I2C sensor is easy to interface with and would probably only take a few hours to get up and running. I don't plan on making a display or anything fancy, just an alarm really.

[@chadvoller]

Brandegee Pierce Cool. I've got until next winter before I'll need a system setup. I subscribed to stay updated.

[@meganherold3009]

i've got an 80W omtech and cut a lot of 3mm birch plywood. How many hours do you think a filter like this would last?

[@BrandegeePierce]

I don't use mine to cut wood so sadly I don't know. The pre filter will probably last 200 hours or so...? The carbon should last 12 months...

[@GoogooshLover1]

I have built mine, this is crazy man. No smoke and No smell at all even when I engrave acrilic, leather and plastic. my laser machine is a covered fiber laser I modified your design and put 2 of the same fan at the top so its monster.... The only problem I have is fan overheating. I purchased the exact fan which you showed it in the video not the one which you put in the description. both fans seems the same but the video one has a cover, I was not sure why the discription link shows a non covered fan, now I think maybe you had the same issue and then updated your fan to a non covered one to solve the overheating issue. Is it something I should do the same? or any solution. I apriciate that, this was a life changing experience man!!!

[@BrandegeePierce]

The original fan I bought was the one in the video. We have 5 machines running now and they all have this filter configuration. All but the one in this video have no cover. Just curious, overheating = not working or overheating = it just gets hot? We run ours 8 hours a day sometimes and I haven't felt the temperature, but I imagine they are hot...

[@GoogooshLover1]

​@@BrandegeePierce Yes everything works perfectly just get too much hot after 10min. after 15 min I can not feel it because it burns my hand specially the bottom part of the motor. Maybe that's normal for hvac motors or if 4 of your fans are not covered, maybe that's the reason they don't get too much hot because cover doesn't allow to cool down.

[@GoogooshLover1]

@@BrandegeePierce I will apriciate your feedback about your fan tempeture. Thank you so much

[@BrandegeePierce]

@@GoogooshLover1 I just checked and all of our fans don't seem too hot.

[@GoogooshLover1]

@@BrandegeePierce so maybe I purchased a wrong fan (covered one)... I will try your descripitin link to buy the non- covered fan. Maybe that solves the problem. Thank you so much!

[@makakniferolls7189]

Sorry mate , I have 1600mmx1000mm 150 CO2 laser cutter and the I use abt 10 metre of ducting and run the opposite setup that you suggest works best

[@BrandegeePierce]

If you don't have a filter it will work fine. If you have a filter the fan can't pull air. It can only push air.

[@randalweiland9334]

Have you tried it with acrylic? Did it get the smell out?

[@BrandegeePierce]

I haven't tried acrylic, but I imagine it would be fine.

[@sr4087]

Did you end up making the enclosure kits?

[@BrandegeePierce]

No, sorry...

[@Awesome_MN]

How loud is that fan? Compared to an AC Infinity 6” fan?

[@BrandegeePierce]

DBs... I don't know. But it is not quite.

[@Awesome_MN]

@@BrandegeePierce How did you wire the blower? Cut off an extension cord?

[@FSMiner]

Hello this reduce the smell???

[@madeinbasement]

Just finished my build and did a first test with my Boss Laser machine. Nothing :( I mean it barely draws any air from 6" duct. All the smoke stayed inside my laser. I guess this is no good for 6". Unless I didn't built it right :( There are 3-4 mm of space around big BOFA filter, not sure it matters tho as it sits on the foam tape

[@josephAbenhaim]

did you figure it out ? looking to purchase the parts as well to get my build going but your post made me pause lol

[@madeinbasement]

@@josephAbenhaim Working on it. Found one mistake of placing foam insulation on the inner edge of the wood planks this caused leaks around filter. Moved foam to the outer edges and that fixed leaks and increased suction. But it's still not enough for my setup, not even close. You need a bigger fan if you using larger ducts and have big volume of air to move, CFMs do matter as well as static pressure. I just finished building new top and using 6" Fantech fan. Waiting for caulk to dry to test it. Also made new top bigger to it meets bottom and will add clasps and foam around it just in case... I plan to post my build on my channel if I ever get it working :)

[@josephAbenhaim]

@@madeinbasement ok keep me posted, i'm very interested, also keep in mind plywood etc is porous so if it was me i'd seal it with either a thick paint or duct tape, had that issue before...

[@josephAbenhaim]

@@madeinbasement Wondering if something like this would be best ramweldingsupply.com/p/lincoln-electric-sf2400-stationary-weld-fume-control-fan/ obviously alot more $$ but looks pretty strong

[@madeinbasement]

@@josephAbenhaim Ok just did a test with cutting 12x12 plywood sheet. Good news is I think it works! I can see smoke swirling inside machine, but absolute no smell outside! Bad news is filters themselves don't seem to be eliminating 100% of smell so you still have to went outside. I'd say it reduced smell by 80-90% but I can still smell it at the exhaust. I was hoping charcoal will absorb 100% especially at this price point. Also if you just starting out take a look at "fume coffin". It's about 1/2 price to build and filters are 3x cheaper, but I don't know about efficiency... As for porous plywood, I'd say no need to worry. Because of the design fan is pulling air out so at worst leaks will reduce it's efficiency. No smell leaked anywhere outside the system other than fan's exhaust.

[@zurialjazz]

Any new updates to this filteration system?

[@BrandegeePierce]

Funny you say that.. I have a huge update that is extremely helpful. I'll try to make that video sometime in the next month or two.

[@zurialjazz]

Mfg/mdl of your new updates. Very interested

[@joezarnitz8471]

Can I get the name and model # of the fan and where to buy it- thanks Joez

[@BrandegeePierce]

This is the one I use, but you can probably find a cheaper one.

[@BrandegeePierce]

Fasco A163 3.3" Frame Shaded Pole OEM Replacement Specific Purpose Blower with Ball Bearing, 1/20HP, 3,400 rpm, 115V, 60 Hz, 1.8 amps www.amazon.com/dp/B0099CBOB4/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_0A8D1FBWF3A078NBYBSC?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

[@brownrigg2137]

Do you think a W-E2 air blower, used for small bouncy castles would be ideal for this build? Trying to find a suitable fan in the UK but not too sure, any advice would be amazing?

[@BrandegeePierce]

I was thinking about that... I am not sure if they are designed to run for hours upon hours...

[@brownrigg2137]

@@BrandegeePierce thanks for the quick reply! In terms of power etc do you think it would match the spec of yours? We usually laser for 4-8 hours a day

[@BrandegeePierce]

@@brownrigg2137 I think some back pressure from a bounce house is probably pretty significant. I think it would be fine. You can ask search for another furnace blower... Either way, I think you'll be fine.

[@mitchleitner7060]

What time is dinner

[@silversoulsinger5010]

You're cute

[@hugomagagnin4460]

You are getting ripped off buying spare parts of a wannabe industrial-like actual consumer product. This is where they make their margins for the lifetime of the product they already sell overpriced. Please look around at prices of standard M5 / F9 / H13 filters / Carb cylinders or diedres of 59x59 cm (or 36x36), with much higher flow, pleats, then surface area and life expectancy... Regarding carbs, 15+ types of carbs is a joke... You get the carb impregnated with the chemical you need relative to your smoke type, not 100 grams of each kind. Go for the regular one (not treated). Unless you're cutting very very weird crap you'll obtain efficiency as long as you have enough surface area, slow airspeed, then good contact and adsorption time. YOU SHOULD NEVER VENT BACK YOUR FUMES EVEN WHEN YOU THINK THEY ARE FULLY TREATED IN YOUR WORKSPACE. It's a basic rule. It's what you can't see and can't smell that ruins your health. A VOC sensor can't cost 3 dollars and should also measure PM. Look around Sensirion sensors if you ever reconsider designing a safe filter. I sincerely hope no one has followed your sketchy design & poor filtration comprehension :( Good point is that seeing videos like yours gives me the envy to share my designs on youtube I guess. PS : Max Fans as axial blowers are a great compromise between volume and static pressure with a very very reasonable amount of noise. If you have the budget and don't want to have a 60+ dbs turbine ruining your workspace, just try and put 2 of those in series... It's just like pumps: You won't increase the volume, but the pressure will climb up :)

[@BrandegeePierce]

You made my day... I have my first troll... It means this was a successful video I guess!

[@hugomagagnin4460]

@@BrandegeePierce man this worries me... does this mean you actually do not understand what i wrote? Went through comments of people unfortunately trying your build... Huge success yes indeed bro !

[@BrandegeePierce]

@@hugomagagnin4460 sure I understand you are upset that I didn't use the cheapest filter on the market... If people are using this machine like I am... To make money, I have no issue paying for a quality filter. Your recommendation is kind of a joke... I tested many filters prior to what I am doing now. The ONLY thing I agree with is the VOC being a concern but I shared my thoughts and you can indeed find very affordable sensor's. Whether they are $3 or $15, the point is, they aren't $250. Venting back into you warehouse is never ideal, but I have news for you... You are drinking shit and piss water... As is everyone on the planet... Guess how this magical water is safe... Filtration. Anyways, I would love you to make a video sharing your thoughts about a better filter. And your an idiot in regards to the fans. Not sure if you work for max fans or something, but axial fans are not designed for pressure... They are designed for flow. Centrifugal fans are not designed for flow, they are designed for pressure. If the filter is using is good quality, not the crap you recommend, you need pressure more so than flow. I actually connected to max fans prior to using the centrifugal and there was