Using data extracted mostly from the woodworking industry, the following is a summary and explanation of a statistical analysis of workstation activity. The full report is available for PDF download below.
Spoiler alert! Most will be surprised at how low the actual workstation utilization really is.
How Data Has Been Captured
The sensor is built-in to all connected workstations (workstations may include table saw,
CNC router, sander, welding station, or others). The sensor reads whether the motor of the cutting tool is active or not. Information from the sensor is transmitted to the greenBOX control unit. The greenBOX saves data in binary form every 10 seconds (24/7) and sends data to the Ecogate clou d server along with the time and date of the recording. Downloaded data is converted by the Ecogate DataMining software to the standard SQL database. The “DataMining” reporting feature along with filters is then used to generate reports. For more information on DataMining, contact Ales Litomisky (ales@ecogate.com).
“Use of workstation” is considered from the point of view of dust collecting: a workstation is usually switched ON the entire shift time, but not all of this time is extraction (ventilation) necessary. For example, on CNC machinery, you need to move material in, program the machine, move material out and clean the machine. During these operations, no extraction is necessary. Extraction should only run during the “active time” when the dust (or fumes or mist) is produced.