APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR REDUCING WOOD DUST EMISSIONS FROM LARGE DIAMETER DISC SANDERS WHILE CLEANING A SANDING DISC THEREOF

摘要

An apparatus and method improve removal of dust generated in sanding with a rotating disk sander (10) while simultaneously maintaining a sanding surface free of clogging by dust particles. The apparatus includes a plurality of compressed gas nozzles (22) distributed lengthwise along an elongated common compressed gas supply manifold (22). The nozzles preferably are disposed to deliver high velocity jets of a compressed gas into a rotating boundary layer at the rotating sanding disk surface to thereby interact with the boundary layer and to simultaneously forcibly dislodge any dust particles tending to adhere to the sanding disk surface. Suction is provided around a portion of the sanding disk to remove the dust particles that are entrained in the boundary layer and any dust particles dislodged from the sanding disk surface. In one aspect of this invention, the apparatus may be added to a conventional disk sander apparatus to improve dust collection therefrom.