The RNLI is a charity that saves lives at sea.
With stations throughout the UK, staff and volunteers are called on every day throughout the year to help people who get into danger in the water. They rely on having access to the best equipment and have a strong reputation internationally for being advanced in their technology.
All lifeboats and components are manufactured and restored at RNLI’s headquarters in Poole, Dorset.
In 2013, a new generation of lifeboats was launched. The Shannon class is the first modern RNLI all-weather lifeboat to be powered by waterjets instead of propellers, making her fast and agile.
The Challenge
The Shannon runs entirely on electronics. With a 50 year operational life, it is essential the boat is made to the highest specification, with no room for error.
In their Electronic Repair Centre (ERC), the team produce plastic casing to store the electronics on the boats and ensure they are easy to access and remain watertight. During the dremeling process, some respirable particulate can be created that could be potentially harmful to operators if inhaled.
The RNLI needed an extraction unit that would efficiently remove these particles from the operator's breathing zone but, as it would be in a small place, noise levels were also an important consideration.
Our Solution
Our stand alone DustPRO Universal is the ideal industrial dust extraction unit for the RNLI's needs. The high air-flow and pressure rates offered by this system, combined with a large capacity filter bag and highly efficient HEPA filter means the particulate is captured at the source while achieving maximum efficiency from the filter.
The versatility of the unit means it can be positioned wherever it is required and moved if necessary.
RLNI ordered one of our very popular LED stay-put arms to accompany the unit, allowing them to position the extraction point as close to the working area as practically possible, to achieve the most effective particulate capture while undertaking close work.
The Result
The RNLI have a convenient, low noise dust extraction unit that fits neatly under their workshop bench. It is easy to control, protects workers from inhaling small particles of respirable dust and helps keep the workshop tidy, preserving the quality of the units they are producing. This all contributes to the stringent quality standards the RNLI has in place at every stage of building their lifeboats.
It's essential that every piece of equipment we build for our lifeboats is made with precision and is right first time. This care and attention is also extended to our working environment and protecting the health of our employees is of paramount importance, just as much as the people whose lives we save in the water.
The DP Universal is very intuitive to use and we were even able to install it ourselves. It has met all our expectations and satisfies our technical requirements.
It is easy to control and having it in the workshop all the time means we can prepare our equipment accurately and safely.
Brian Mcilwraith, Production Engineer RNLI,ALC