Frequently Asked Question

To provide the most accurate quote possible, it helps to know a few things about your application: the type of dust or fume being collected, the volume of airflow required (CFM), the size of your facility or work area, how many collection points and size of those connections, or hoods are needed, whether your dust is combustible, and any relevant safety or compliance requirements. Don’t worry if you don’t have all of this, our team is happy to help you work through it.

Our team can walk you through what solutions are available to fit your budget and operational needs.  We currently do not offer leasing or financing options, but we have worked with financing companies that are selected by our customers.

Lead times for custom-engineered or larger systems will vary depending on the complexity of the project. Our team will provide an estimated lead time when you receive your quote.  Imperial Systems maintains a large inventory of manufactured dust collection filters and replacement parts. Some products ship within 24 hours of order.

You can work with Imperial Systems directly or through one of our authorized representatives. We have a network of reps across the country who are knowledgeable about our products and can provide local support. Use our Find a Rep form on our website to locate the representative in your area, or contact us directly, and we can point you in the right direction.

Imperial Systems primarily serves customers in North America. Our field crews are trained to install and service systems throughout North America as well. If you have an international inquiry, please contact us at 800-918-3013 or on our website and we’ll do our best to assist you.

Each collector is designed for different applications:

The CMAXX Dust & Fume Collector is our flagship product and is ideal for a wide range of industrial dust, smoke,  and fume collection applications. It offers superior performance, durability, and features not found on other dust collectors including outstanding filter self-cleaning and explosion-ready options.

The Shadow Compact Fume Extractor is designed for lighter-duty applications such as welding smoke and laser cutting. It’s a cost-effective option for smaller workspaces or individual machines or robotic weld cells.

The BRF Baghouse Dust Collector is best suited for high-volume dust applications where a baghouse-style filter system is preferred or required. It is commonly used in industries like woodworking, grain handling, and aggregate processing.

Not sure which is right for you? Contact our team and we’ll help match you with the right system.

Air-to-cloth ratio (also called filter-to-air ratio or A/C ratio) is the ratio of the total airflow entering a dust collector (measured in CFM) to the total filter media area (measured in square feet). A lower air-to-cloth ratio generally means longer filter life, better dust cake release during cleaning, and more efficient overall performance. The correct ratio depends on the type of dust being collected.  Fine or light weight dusts require a lower ratio than coarser, free-flowing dusts. Our team can help you determine the right ratio for your application.

CFM (cubic feet per minute) requirements depend on the number and type of capture hoods or collection points, the velocity needed to capture dust at the source, and the machine design at the dust source. As a general rule, each hood or capture point has a recommended capture velocity based on the type of dust or fume. Our engineering team can help you calculate the right CFM for your system, contact us for assistance.

Cartridge collectors, like the CMAXX, use pleated filter cartridges that offer a much higher filter surface area in a smaller footprint compared to baghouses. They are well-suited for fine dusts, metal welding/cutting fumes, and applications where space is limited. Baghouses use fabric filter bags and are traditionally preferred for high-temperature applications, heavy dust loads, large particulate sizes that may get stuck in pleats, or situations where sticky or moisture-laden dust could blind cartridge filters. Our team can help you determine which technology is the best fit for your specific application and dust type.

We’re here to help from design to install. Our team can assist with system design, including duct layout recommendations, hood selection, sizing, and compliance considerations. We also offer virtual demos where you can speak with one of our experts, see the equipment, and review your application in detail. Contact us or schedule a virtual demo through our website.

Several NFPA standards apply to industrial dust collection, depending on your industry and dust type:

NFPA 652 – Standard on the Fundamentals of Combustible Dust (general requirements for all industries)

NFPA 654 – Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids

NFPA 664 – Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Explosions in Wood Processing and Woodworking Facilities

NFPA 61 – Standard for the Prevention of Fires and Dust Explosions in Agricultural and Food Processing Facilities

NFPA 484 – Standard for Combustible Metals

Our team can help you understand which standards apply to your operation and ensure your dust collection system is designed to meet them.

Imperial Systems designs dust and fume collectors with workplace safety in mind. OSHA has regulations related to combustible dust (under the General Duty Clause), welding fumes, and other airborne hazards that our systems are designed to help address. We recommend working with a qualified industrial hygienist or safety professional to ensure your overall system design, installation, and maintenance practices meet all applicable OSHA requirements. Our team is happy to support that process.

KST is a measure of the explosive strength of a dust, expressed in bar·m/s. It is determined through standardized testing and is used to classify dust explosibility: St 1 (KST 1–200), St 2 (KST 201–300), and St 3 (KST >300). A higher KST value means a more explosive dust, which requires more robust explosion protection on your dust collection system, such as explosion vents, suppression systems, and isolation devices. Knowing your dust’s KST value is an important first step in designing a safe system. Contact us to learn more.

Whether you need explosion protection depends on your dust’s combustibility, your KST value, and the location of your dust collector. Explosion vents typically relieve pressure in a dust collector to a safe location outside. Abort gates are not for explosions, but they redirect burning material away from returning to a building following a dust collector. Chemical explosion suppression systems detect and suppress an explosion before it can propagate.  Chemical fire suppression systems use a variety of different agents to extinguish a fire in a dust collector.  Our team can help you assess your risk and recommend the right combination of explosion and fire protection equipment for your application, including our Heavy Duty Abort Gates, Spark Traps, Explosion Isolation Valves, and Rhino Drum systems.

A Dust Hazard Analysis (DHA) is a systematic review of your facility and processes to identify combustible dust fire and explosion hazards and recommend corrective actions. NFPA 652 requires that a DHA be completed for all facilities that handle combustible dust. If you haven’t had a DHA performed, or if your processes have changed since your last DHA, we strongly recommend doing so. Contact us for guidance on this process.

DeltaMAXX replacement filters are engineered to fit Imperial Systems dust collectors.  We do, however, manufacture filters that fit almost all major industrial dust collector brands. If you’re unsure whether our filters will work with your existing equipment, contact us with your collector’s make, model, and current filter part number and we’ll confirm compatibility.

The most reliable indicator is differential pressure which is the pressure drop across your filters. As filters load with dust, differential pressure rises. If cleaning cycles no longer bring differential pressure back to normal operating range, the filters may be at the end of their life. A sudden drop in differential pressure may also indicate your filter(s) has developed a hole and needs replaced.  Other signs include visible holes or damage in the filter media, increased dust emissions from the outlet, or a drop in capture velocity at your hoods. One common mistake companies make is not replacing all the filters at the same time.  Mixing old filters with new often causes the new filters to fail prematurely because most of the dust goes straight to the new filter.  Always do a complete change out of all the filters at the same time.

A nanofiber filter has an ultra-fine layer of nanofibers bonded to the surface of the filter media. This surface filtration layer captures fine dust on the outside of the filter rather than allowing it to embed into the media. The result is more effective pulse-jet cleaning, longer filter life, lower operating differential pressure, and better capture of fine and submicron particles. Our DeltaMAXX Prime Cartridge Filter uses advanced nanofiber technology to deliver premium performance.

Regular maintenance is key to long-term performance. Best practices include: checking and logging differential pressure regularly, inspecting and replacing filters as needed, checking compressed air pressure and solenoid valves for the pulse-jet cleaning system, inspecting ductwork and hoods for leaks or blockages, emptying the dust hopper or drum before it overfills, and inspecting explosion protection components per manufacturer and NFPA recommendations. Our ServiceMAXX program provides professional service and maintenance support contact us to learn more.

Our field crews serve customers throughout the United States and Canada. No matter where your facility is located, we can support your installation and ongoing service needs. Contact us at 800-918-3013 to discuss your location and project requirements.

ServiceMAXX is Imperial Systems’ professional service program designed to keep your dust collection system running at peak performance. It includes preventive maintenance, inspections, emergency service, filter replacement, die tests, etc. We can set up a service plan or just a single visit based on each customers needs.  Contact us or visit our ServiceMAXX page to learn more about what’s included and how to enroll.

Yes, our service team has experience working with a wide variety of dust collection equipment, not just Imperial Systems products. Whether you need a repair, an inspection, or a filter replacement on an existing system from another manufacturer, we can help. Contact us at 800-918-3013 to discuss your service needs.

If your dust collector experiences an unexpected failure, call us immediately at 800-918-3013. Our team can help troubleshoot the issue remotely and, if needed, dispatch a service technician to your location. Having your equipment model number and a description of the problem ready will help us respond faster.

Imperial Systems stands behind the quality of our products. Please contact us at 800-918-3013 or visit our website to get the details of the warranty coverage applicable to your specific product. Our team is happy to answer any warranty-related questions.

Imperial Systems has been designing or building industrial dust and fume collection equipment since 2001, establishing ourselves as one of the top dust collection equipment manufacturers in North America. Our mission has always been to improve the health, safety, and quality of people’s lives by building the best dust and fume collectors on earth.

Yes! We have a library of case studies available on our website covering a wide range of industries and applications, including welding, plasma cutting, laser cutting, woodworking, mining, and more. Our customers include industry leaders like Amazon, General Electric, Ford, and SpaceX. Visit our Case Studies page or contact us and we’ll connect you with relevant examples for your industry.