A publication from Furniture & Joinery Production Magazine June 2019

Filter system specialist, Modesta from The Netherlands, participated in Ligna for the first time together with machine manufacturer Anderson Europe.

In doing so, the company focused on raising awareness and spreading knowledge about the (legal) necessity of a proper filter installation. Sales manager Jan Plette explains: “It starts with awareness. Every manufacturer who realises the risks of fire, explosion and any subsequent damage, knows that an outdated filter installation is not an option.”

Assessing risks, capacity and costs

“Furniture and woodworking companies have been investing in woodworking machines for a number of years now. Due to the growth in production, the focus is now once again on dust extraction, as a capacity shortage often arises here. In addition, many installations do not comply with legislation and regulations in the field of fire and explosion protection,” says Jan.

“A proper assessment will discover whether adaptation of an existing installation will suffice or total replacement is needed. The operational costs can also make a huge difference here – the new negative pressure systems with cascading fans can offer high energy savings, which gives added value to a new filter system.”

QEX quality mark

Modesta has been designing, building and installing filter systems since 1948 and recently invited around 30 risk experts to its factory in Putten, the Netherlands. Modesta informed the experts about the latest developments in the field of fire safety and ATEX in dust extraction. “The legislation and regulations are not only very extensive, but also very abstract,” explains Jan. “There is a great need for practical knowledge about fire and explosion safety. All Modesta filter installations have the QEX quality mark. QEX stands for Quality Extraction Systems and guarantees the installation complies with legislation and regulations, including ATEX and EN12779.