Leading the world in extraction innovation

At the heart of this ethos is significant investment in research and development (R&D) that informs future product creation and the refinement of our existing portfolio.

The depth of resource at BOFA’s disposal is unique in the fume and dust extraction sector. It is the collaboration between our renowned team of technologists in the UK and the world-class scientific resource residing across Donaldson, our parent company, around the globe that creates significant value for our customers.

By working together, sharing expertise in materials science, system architecture and filtration technology, BOFA’s R&D function strengthens our leadership through innovation. This drives true industry ‘firsts’, such as the award-winning Intelligent Operating System (iQ), and the development of market-leading solutions in sectors such as laser, electronics and 3D printing.

This spirit of partnership extends to our customers, notably OEMs, in the new design or modification of extraction systems to satisfy the needs of specific end users or wider market sectors.

Recent examples of industry-leading innovations include:

• The AD Oracle iQ2 – a fume and dust extraction system that transforms performance through advanced onboard data collection and analytics. Speed, efficiency and quality are increasingly key drivers in high volume manufacturing, particularly in the laser sector, so iQ2 has been designed to optimise data for analytics, provide smart alarm integration and enable easy access to real-time whole system monitoring. This ensures optimal filter life and timely exchange to drive productivity.
• Development of new filtration technology for dental professionals to reduce the risk of infection resulting from aerosols and splatter during procedures. The Extraoral Aerosol Filtration System uses a portable direct capture device to draw exhaled air directly from the patient and pass it through two high specification filters. This typically reduces the volume of aerosols by up to 96% on ultrasonic scaling procedures. There’s no need to vent outside as the filtered air is sent back into the room.
• Sector-focused products, such as the FireBOX and Spark Arrestor 2, that mitigate the risk of thermal events associated with higher temperature processes.
• A range of dedicated portable technologies for additive manufacturing and 3D printing that filter and capture particulate and fume – including nanoparticles – and return clean air into the environment. This is key in ensuring that no potentially harmful emissions enter the breathing zone of employees and that no debris builds-up on expensive machinery that can degrade high-value components and products.

It is through this world-class expertise in materials science, engineering design, analytical modelling, data-driven control and process automation that BOFA meets the needs of its growing customer base and stays ahead of the competition.