Laser Air Filter V2.0

[@chriskeeble]

Great update - thank you very much for sharing. I'm currently researching and designing my own laser fume filter / air purifier, and had watched your earlier video, so this is a timely update - much appreciated.

[@WayofWood]

Thank you!

[@B.A.Bassangler]

Thanks for the update. I'm getting ready to build mine, and this really helped. Re: improvements, I'd wrap it or make a shroud/muffler to knock down the dbs and call it a day. Well done, still less than a quiet-rated shop vac.

[@maxgood42]

Would it be better to make a vertical carbon pot with some PVC pipe, or make the box higher so the carbon part is flat with the air rising up through the filters ? eg; If you used 4 x 100mm pipes in a parallel set up then the air would move slowly through each filter and have more time for the fumes to be absorbed ?

[@WayofWood]

Interesting idea - would you turn the filter basically on it's end and this use gravity for keeping the carbon in place?

[@maxgood42]

@@WayofWood Yes that way the surface area is evenly spaced as well. with many in parallel there would not be so much restriction so the fan would not need to work as hard as the load would be spread across all the tubes. you could try putting carbon in the bottom and cotton in the top to make a hybrid all in one filter. Rain Water tanks have in inline screens that would hold the carbon and the rest would just sit on top of each other.

[@WayofWood]

@maxgood42 Good idea!

[@rackbites]

Wouldn't it be better to put the filter panels before the carbon filter? They can remove the heavy stuff and the carbon filter is more about VoC removal. Also to improve airflow can you just pass the air over carbon filled baffles with thin gaps between the baffles? If you are worried about sparks in the pipe it is also a good idea to put a wire mesh spark filter first maybe in a small aluminium section to capture any embers before they reach the panels or carbon? Really nice design and setup BTW ...

[@yavuzgundogdu9147]

Does the laser cutting filter system work?

[@WayofWood]

Yes. It works very well and there is hardly any bad smell.

[@julietsanchez2294]

Would there be a difference if using activated carbon filters that are already made, versus using the actual carbon like you did?

[@WayofWood]

Good question. I don't know. I think that this way there is more surface the smoke can interact with - but give it a try...

[@pyzzaega]

Na jaki czas wystarczy taki filtr ?

[@WayofWood]

So far it works well. I would expect to exchange the filter cloth after 6-12 months and the coal after 2-3 years ... but this is just wild guessing...

[@abderraoufbouzid8860]

Is there any reason that you decided to make the carbon filter out of MDF instead of OSB like in the first version?

[@WayofWood]

The only reason was that I had some scrap MDF around this time... 😏

[@manuelrichter6418]

Kommt am ende noch rauch aus der kiste oder nur rauchfreie luft? Ich habe sie nachgebaut aber ohne die F9 Filter dafür habe ich einen H13 eingebaut. Es kommt aber immer noch Rauch hinten aus dem Ventilator.

[@WayofWood]

Bei mir kommt kein Rauch raus, sondern klare Luft mit einem leichten Geruch. Vielleicht strömt sie an dem Filter vorbei...

[@fritzmuller1111]

Riecht man noch etwas beim Sperrholz oder mdf lasern?

[@WayofWood]

Es riecht so wie wenn man im Zimmer einen Kamin an hat...

[@manuelrichter6418]

​@@WayofWood Kommt bei Ihnen noch rauch hinten raus oder nur Luft?

[@creativethings260]

Thank you very much 😊

[@johaneftevag6742]

I am making a similar filterbox, but i stack the filters, no spacing between them, do anyone have opinion on this solution?

[@WayofWood]

I was thinking about this as well. I found it difficult to get a good seal between the filters that way.

[@armastat]

The only downside, which may or may not be significant, is that with gaps you allow the air to get particles up to speed to penetrate the next layer. This may not be important however when u consider the process of capture I would think that if the filters are together then most capture happens at the surface of the following filter as opposed to deeper. and instead of the particle being able to penetrate some distance in, it will be stopped at the surface, resulting in a faster clogging than otherwise. I have no empirical data on this, just that it makes sense. You need distance between the filters and the inlet and outlet anyway to make sure that the air flows well enough to use most of the filter. otherwise the air just uses a small circle of the middle of the filter. You can visually illustrate what I mean by using a light source outside the box at the inlet hole. with the light at the hole, all the filter inside the box is illuminated, as you move away (simulating faster and faster airflow, or constructing the filter closer to the hole) the spot of light shrinks down to only illuminate a small spot in the center of the filter. After using a filter for a long time, check it to see where the discoloration is happening. all over or just in the middle? This also is a reason for space between filter. IE., allows particles to circulate and use other parts of the filter surface. It just occurred to me of a possible upgrade. considering the above, if u made the inlet configurable you could manage to use the whole filter and not just the middle. instead of an end wall with the inlet in the middle? offset it about 30-40% to one side. then occasionally rotate that panel so the inlet stream hits a different part of the filter. You can also avoid ALL these issues by making the filters the same size or (just slightly bigger) as the inlet openings. This of course would be a complete redesign of the system however.

[@xiaoshizi131]

Add water to pass the filtered air thru so it's even more filtered. Cotton, wet zone and forced thru the water, bubbling thru. Less smell should be the advantage

[@WayofWood]

Sounds like a good plan

[@armastat]

not sure where u got the Cubic Meters from but i think u meant cubic feet for the blowing capacity of the fan. 1300 cu meters would be 34,900 cubic feet per minute out of an 8 inch outlet is about 160 mph, lol. blowing your filters right out the backside and exploding the box.

[@armastat]

You would also be unable to open the laser cutter lid as the suction would be abt 1.3 tons inside the machine

[@mart62730]

Check the youtube video “DIY Meets High End Fume Extractor for Laser Engraving/Cutting” from Brandegee Pierce. He talks about the filters he bought but also the fan (around 10min in the video). He does not recommend axial blowers but instead recommends a centrifugal fan which will work better to go through all the filters. As I understood, centrifugal fans are made to work in high pressure while your fan is not. Worth a try if you can get one.

[@WayofWood]

Thanks. I will look into it. However given that this setup works pretty well for me this will rather be a someday todo. 😊