Portable Fume Extractors

Portable Fume Extractors: Source Capture Where Ductwork Isn’t an Option

Fixed ventilation systems work well for dedicated weld stations, but not every shop has that luxury. Maintenance bays, job-site fabrication, rotating work cells, and facilities mid-renovation all have one thing in common: the welder moves, and the extraction needs to move with them. Portable fume extractors solve this with a self-contained unit on heavy-duty casters integral fan, multi-stage filtration, and an articulating extraction arm that positions the capture hood within inches of the arc. Weld fume is captured at the source before it disperses into the breathing zone. Ambient air cleaners working overhead are a supplement; they are not a substitute for source capture on materials like stainless steel, galvanized, or chrome-coated metals where hexavalent chromium exposure is a concern. We configure portable extractors for your specific application welding process, duty cycle, material type, and filtration requirements. Call us with those details and we’ll spec the right unit.

• Airflow: Typically 800 – 1,500 CFM depending on arm diameter and unit size
• Extraction Arms: Articulating arms from 7′ to 14′ reach; position hood 8″–12″ from the arc
• Standard Filtration: Multi-stage with spark arrestor and fire-retardant primary cartridge
• HEPA Option: Required for stainless steel, galvanized, and high-alloy materials (hexavalent chromium)
• Mobility: Heavy-duty swivel casters with locking brakes; plug-and-play 115V or 230V
• Self-Cleaning: Pulse-jet filter cleaning extends cartridge life on continuous-duty applications
• Dual-Arm Models: Available for two-operator stations or high-fume-load processes

Selecting the Right Unit — Key Questions

Application Factor	What It Determines
Base material (mild steel, stainless, galvanized, aluminum)	Filtration spec — standard cartridge vs. HEPA required for hex chrome materials
Welding process (MIG, TIG, flux-core, stick)	Fume generation rate and required CFM — flux-core produces significantly more fume than TIG
Duty cycle (intermittent vs. continuous production)	Whether self-cleaning pulse system is required; filter life expectations
Work area size	Arm reach required — 7′ arm for tight cells, 10′–14′ for larger assemblies
Number of operators	Single-arm vs. dual-arm unit; or multiple single-arm portables

OSHA PEL for welding fumes (general) is 5 mg/m³. Hexavalent chromium PEL is 0.005 mg/m³ — 1,000x more restrictive. Source capture with HEPA filtration is the correct engineering control for stainless and galvanized welding.