CAPTIVAIR FOR MUTOH PRINTERS

The most common complaint in operating a large format solvent-based inkjet printer is the amount of fumes produced by the printing process.

Some print shops are in shared areas such as office buildings, light industrial parks and malls where the presence of any solvent odor, dangerous or not , makes fume removal a necessity if the shop were to add solvent inkjet printing capability. In fact, the human nose can detect solvent fumes from inkjet printers at levels of less than 1ppm, while permissible exposure levels are as high as 20 ppm (parts per million).

Mutoh has partnered with PAT Technology Systems to provide a complete pollution solution called the Captivair. The Captivair hood captures and absorbs solvent fumes at the source. The hood is designed to roll in place over the work surface and is transparent to allow the operator to have a clear unobstructed view of the work in progress.

Benefits over "Room Scrubbers"

One of the most common responses to considering an air purification system is "Why not just use a room scrubber? It seems cheaper."

The use of a room scrubber is a reactive approach. The fumes are reduced after they have been released into the room over a period of time.

Due to the variability of room layouts, airflow patterns produced by the air output of the room scrubber are unpredictable. This may cause the fumes to end up in contact with a person, into adjacent rooms, or neighboring businesses before the purifier has a chance to deal with it.

In addition, these unpredictable airflow patterns may also extend the time required to clean the room air because the fumes do not always take a direct path back to the purifier.

The PAT Captivair System is a proactive approach, preventing the fumes from entering the room in the first place. Consequently, the potential for the dispersion of fumes into adjacent rooms is reduced. Most importantly, the individual in the room benefits from
a reduced risk of exposure to the fumes.

How the PAT Captivair System Works

The PAT Captivair system confines the space where fumes are released and our patented pending design allows for extraction of the fumes across the entire length of the printer, sending them directly into the purifier. Captivair consists of a purifier box containing a user-replaceable charcoal filter, a clear plastic hood with a stand, with all necessary hoses and manifolds to connect to the printer. Another benefit of the PAT Captivair system is that an optional integrated Infrared dryer that accelerates print drying time is also available.

How do we know it works?

Tests were conducted in January 2005 by Sun Chemicals on a similar PAT System running on a Colorspan DisplayMaker solvent inkjet printer. The printer was run for 10 minutes without the purifier and then for 10 minutes with the purifier. The tests were done in a 20 foot by 20 foot room with an eight foot ceiling, with no existing ventilation source other than the exit door. The PAT system was responsible for reducing levels of the Solvent ink fumes identified as a VOC (Volatile organic compound) composed of 2-butoxy ethyl acetate from 45 ppm down to 6 ppm.

The same room was then ventilated to a rate of six air changes per hour to represent a more normal environment. Subsequently, the 2-butoxy ethyl acetate readings dropped to only 2 ppm.