LEV specialist Extractly Limited is installing the extraction system to handle dust and woodwaste from machinery operating in the Demo Zone at the Materials & Finishes Show and, on Stand K31, the company will be presenting an interactive demonstration of the latest in Ecogate^® ‘on-demand’ extraction technology… the energy-saving system which can significantly reduce your extraction running costs.

Since Ecogate^® was first launched in the UK, at the W-10 exhibition, the benefits of this energy-saving technology have continued to receive critical acclaim but today, with industry having been subjected to unprecedented rises in energy costs, it’s relevance to manufacturers in 2024 is more significant than ever before.

William Kenyon, Technical Director at Extractly Limited, puts forward a compelling argument for the energy-saving Ecogate^® system. “Many joinery manufacturers and sawmill owners are having to deal with huge increases in the cost of electricity to power their dust extraction fans. The good news though, whatever your electricity bill is today, an Ecogate^® installation can reduce by half the amount of energy consumed by a typical extraction system… which means you’ll be saving at least 50% off your electricity bill from day one.”

Central to any Ecogate^® installation is the greenBOX controller, and the greenBOX Nxt is truly the ‘next generation’ of Ecogate^® controllers. Suitable for all industrial dust and fume extraction systems, this highly intelligent controller has the capacity to efficiently control the operation of an extraction system with multiple main fans and up to 72 individual workstations. As well as controlling the extraction system, the Ecogate^® greenBOX Nxt will monitor machine utilisation across the entire factory and continuously display real-time performance data to show how much electricity the fan motor is consuming. The greenBOX Nxt can also stop and start the extraction system automatically at both ends of the working day; system performance is checked at start-up, and can be confirmed by text or email and, at the end of the day, greenBOX Nxt will message again to confirm successful system shutdown. The greenBOX Nxt also monitors and reports on air volume data, fan and filter pressures, fan power… and, of course, energy savings.  

William Kenyon added: “In short, if you’re still running extraction fans at full power, all day every day, installing Ecogate^® is simply a ‘no-brainer’ ― the typical payback period on your capital investment is generally less than 2 years and, after that, it’s just half price electricity!”