The Dust Settles at A.M. Goshow & Son.

This architectural millwork company's new dust collection system has been the catalyst for improved productivity.

THE SAWDUST and chips just kept piling up at A.M. Goshow & Son in Souderton, PA, established in 1972. Goshow had been faced with increasing amounts of wood dust and chips in its 3,600-square-foot facility due to the inadequacy of its 30-year-old dust collection system.

The company's original dust collection system consisted of a motor/blower package located inside the building on the dirty air (inlet) side of a cyclone separator. The cyclone was located outdoors on top of a large collection hopper. This motor/blower package was very loud and made it difficult to have a conversation within the shop area. The system also required constant maintenance because of its aging motor.

Goshow was faced with another problem because it needed to add equipment to advance the shop. But, how could the architectural woodwork firm add the new equipment it needed such as a CNC panel saw and machining center with a dust collection system that had a faultering motor and could not handle the dust created by increased output of material? Part of the answer came before Goshow could even make a decision.

The Old System Needs a Replacement

Dave Goshow, owner, says, "We had realized before it failed that we were going to need a new dust collection system because we already had machines such as a Brandt edgebander, a 36-inch Sandmaster widebelt sander and an Altendorf F45 sliding table saw. The motor could not handle the output. We also wanted to add an Altendorf Homag Espana 12 CNC panel saw and a Weeke BP80 machining center. The original dust collection system could not handle the material output and new piping these machines required. We were already planning to replace the system, but then it failed anyway."

The company had two main concerns it wanted to address in installing a new dust collection system. The first was the noise that the new system would produce because the original system had been very loud. The second was that the new system be able to maintain the same dust storage capacity or better than it had with the old system.

After researching the dust collector market, Goshow decided that Sternvent and the Model GYL3O1O would fit its needs.

"We needed to replace our old system," explains Goshow. "We are a small company and our time was limited to be able to explore upgrading options or new systems that are out there for dust collection. When our old system broke, of course, it pushed us to look at our options. We decided to go with a Sternvent system because it solved our previous problems."

The New System Is the Solution

The Model CYL3O1O cyclone has a 10 horsepower direct drive, non-sparking blower. It provides the air volume required for the existing dust producing machines and the new panel saw and machining center, thereby solving the output problem. The motor/blower is located outdoors on the clean air (outlet) side of the cyclone in order to provide a quieter operating system. It also includes an 18-inch by 24-inch by 60-inch duct-type silencer to maintain a low noise level both within the shop and outdoors.

The decision also was made to install the new dust collector on the existing hopper to further maintain dust storage capacity.

In addition, the existing hopper was approximately 8 inches by 8 inches by 10 inches and supported about 10 feet off the ground to allow a trailer or truck to back under the hopper. A 12-inch rotary airlock driven by a 2-horsepower motor and an airtight steel receiver was installed because the hopper was not an airtight structure and to allow for continuous disposal of collected dust from the cyclone to the hopper.

Since Goshow's existing system had failed and it was operating without a central dust collection system, Sternvent was able to deliver the entire system within two weeks after the company ordered the unit. The localized distributor for Sternvent, Effective Controls East in Harleysville, PA, provided complete turnkey installation upon receipt of the equipment.