Acoustic Enclosures for Plasma Cutting Machines

Acoustic enclosures to a `Primary Plasma Cutting Machine’ & `Secondary Plasma Cutting Machine & Down-draft Table’ for a major UK heat exchanger manufacturer.

Scope of Works

To design, manufacture, deliver, install and commission the two enclosures, these being of approximate overall sizes 6.7m wide x 5.6m deep x 3.5m high & 11.0m wide x 4.0m deep x 3.5m high.

Design Considerations

• The enclosures are to be fit for purpose in providing a safe working environment for operational and maintenance personnel.
• Each enclosure to provide the desired access in the form of bi-parting pneumatically operated, horizontally sliding doors and canopy, giving unhindered front and roof access to facilitate the loading and unloading of components and equipment via an overhead shop crane.
• Flush fitting siding door tracks to allow forklift trucks and other wheeled plant and equipment to freely enter the enclosed areas when the sliding doors are in their open position.
• The enclosures require personnel doors at the rear of the facilities for operator entry / emergency exit.
• Integration and mechanical installation of the end users factory standard door interlock equipment.
• Acoustically insulated vision panels that provide the necessary resistance to internal damage by flying debris and also protection from plasma arc glare (UV light) for anyone looking into the enclosed areas.
• Adequate ventilation of the enclosed equipment (whilst maintaining the acoustic integrity of the enclosures) to ensure that the temperature rise inside the enclosures is acceptable and allows the housed machinery to operate in a normal manner.

Acoustic Performance

The brief, which was fully met (and exceeded) was to reduce the existing Plasma Cutting Machine noise levels of 105 - 110dB(A) to below 80dB(A) outside of the enclosure (i.e. to below the First Exposure Action Level of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005).