Custom-Designed Systems
Dust Collection design & Custom System Design
Every system we design is designed around OSHA 29 CFR 1910.94 and NFPA 660 requirements.
We design custom air filtration systems built around your specific operation, not off-the-shelf catalog picks. We start with your process, your materials, and your facility layout, then work backward to the right equipment, ductwork, and controls.
Every system we design includes supporting compliance documentation for OSHA 29 CFR 1910.94 and NFPA 660. Your system is designed around both standards.
Not sure what you need yet? That’s exactly what our free assessment is for. We go through your operation with you and give you a straight answer on what it’ll take to get compliant. No obligation. Get started here →
Our Process
How We Design Your Dust Collection System
Every project follows the same rigorous four-step process, whether it’s a single welding cell or a plant-wide system serving dozens of pickup points.
Assessment & Process Analysis
We begin every dust collection design project with a comprehensive evaluation to understand your operation: material types, generation rates, particle size distribution, temperature, humidity, and space constraints.
We also evaluate existing infrastructure (electrical capacity, compressed air), production schedules, and regulatory requirements including OSHA PEL/TLV limits and NFPA 660 combustible dust standards. Many of the most expensive problems we uncover at this stage are entirely preventable. Our guide to common dust collection design mistakes covers the ones we see most often.
If your dust is potentially combustible, your dust hazard analysis (DHA) testing comes first, to determine Kst values and explosion severity before any design work begins.
Design Calculations & System Sizing
Using industry-standard methodologies and specialized software, we calculate airflow requirements (capture velocities, transport velocities, ACFM/SCFM), static pressure analysis, fan selection, filter sizing and media selection, ductwork design, and energy consumption projections.
Undersized systems are one of the most common, and most expensive, mistakes in this industry. If you’re evaluating an existing system, our guide to 5 signs your dust collector is undersized shows exactly what to look for. For a full breakdown of new system costs, see our 2026 dust collection cost guide.
3D CAD Design & Layout
We create detailed three-dimensional models showing equipment placement, clearance verification for ongoing maintenance access, integration with existing equipment, installation details including support structures, and safety features like platforms, ladders, handrails, and explosion venting. Ductwork layout is designed and specified at this stage. For a complete picture of what that entails, see our industrial ductwork guide.
Deciding whether to recirculate air or exhaust outside? That decision gets made here. It has real cost and compliance implications we work through with you before design is finalized.
Compliance Documentation & Complete Delivery
Your system is designed around the applicable requirements: OSHA 29 CFR 1910.94 ventilation requirements, NFPA 660 combustible dust standards, EPA air quality permits, local building codes, and insurance carrier requirements.
Beyond Standard Design
Advanced Dust Collection Design Capabilities
Explosion Modeling
Advanced explosion venting calculations using Kst values and empirical data to properly size deflagration vents and suppression systems per NFPA 68.
Energy Analysis
Life-cycle cost analysis comparing equipment options, VFD controls, and heat recovery to minimize long-term operating expenses. Understand the true cost of ownership before you commit.
Noise Reduction
Acoustic design to reduce sound levels through silencer selection, equipment placement, and sound attenuation strategies, keeping your facility under OSHA’s 85 dBA action level.
Structural Coordination
Coordination with structural engineers for roof-mounted equipment, floor loading analysis, and seismic design requirements. Particularly important for outdoor baghouse installations nationwide.
Controls Integration
Integration with facility BMS, PLC programming, remote monitoring systems, and IoT sensor packages for real-time differential pressure and airflow tracking.
Equipment Expertise
Dust Collection Design Across All System Types
We don’t push one collector type for every application. Our design starts with your process and works backward to the right equipment.
Baghouse & Fabric Collectors
Reverse air, shaker, pulse-jet configurations. Filter media selection, cleaning optimization, hopper design. See our baghouse systems →
Cartridge Collectors
Downflow, horizontal, vertical configurations. Cartridge selection, cleaning systems, pre-filtration options. See our cartridge systems →
Wet Collectors
Venturi, packed tower, and spray chamber configurations. The preferred approach under NFPA 660 for combustible metals and what we recommend, with outdoor dry collection as the recognized alternative. Not sure which is right for your application? See wet collectors vs. dry collectors. See our wet collector systems →
Source Capture Systems
Enclosing hoods, exterior hoods, capture velocity calculations, placement optimization. See our source capture arms →
Downdraft & Booths
Downdraft tables for grinding and sanding, spray booths for coating and finishing operations.
Specialty Applications
Plasma and laser collectors, oil mist systems for CNC, and ambient air cleaners for supplemental filtration.
Industry Experience
Industries We Design Systems For
Different industries generate different dusts with different hazards. Our dust collection design accounts for the specific materials, regulations, and operational requirements in each sector.
Deliverables
Complete Design Documentation
Every dust collection design project includes comprehensive documentation for installation, permitting, and long-term maintenance.
Design Calculations
Airflow, pressure, fan selection, filter sizing
3D CAD Drawings
Equipment layout, ductwork routing, installation details
Equipment Submittals
Technical specifications, performance data, dimensions
Installation Manual
Step-by-step procedures and requirements
Control Schematics
Electrical diagrams, wiring schedules, sequence of operation
O&M Manuals
Operating procedures, maintenance schedules, parts lists
Design Professionals
Partnering with Architects & Engineers
We work seamlessly with design professionals on new construction and expansion projects, providing early-phase input to ensure air filtration systems are properly integrated into building design. Visit our architect resource center for specification packages and Revit families.
Design Partnership Services
Design development phase technical specifications · Space and utility requirement planning · Equipment room sizing and layout optimization · Roof loading calculations for outdoor installations · Budget-accurate cost estimates at all design phases · Cost-saving design alternatives · Construction document preparation · RFI response and submittal processing
Architect & Engineer Support
Direct Line
Looking to partner on installations? Learn about our contractor partner program.
Keep Reading
Related Resources
Ready to design Your Custom System?
Tell us about your operation and we’ll put together a custom design proposal, including an assessment, system design, and a firm quote. No pressure, no runaround.
Serving manufacturing facilities nationwide.