Custom-Built Industrial Process Fans – Why And Where Are They Used?

December 7, 2022 | by Neel Rao

Are you planning to buy industrial process fans or blowers for your manufacturing plant or factory? You should consider a custom-built industrial fan for your factory as they can exactly cater to the desired specifications and air-blowing requirements.

Standard fans are also available in the market. But, remember that they may not always be suitable for your factory process requirements. In such situations, custom-built fans are ideal for any size process – all that is required is an industrial fan manufacturer who can build a fan to your factory process specification.

Industrial process fans can be custom built and a quality industrial fan manufacturer with extensive engineering expertise in customizing variations is to make a smart decision.

Introduction to industrial process fans
Industrial process fans are highly efficient fans or blowers that are generally available in various sizes, configurations, and customized with various materials. There is a wide range of process fans available with various designs and sizes for various industrial purposes. If needed, for a particular manufacturing process, these are built with exceptionally durable material to withstand harsh factory conditions like extreme temperatures. The working conditions of industrial processes can be very harsh and the blowers must work for long hours or continuously based on the type of process.

To ensure such quality, even the smallest components like bearings need to be of high quality and built with quality materials and processes. Based on the fan specification, the fan components are built with special quality materials with pre-defined metal purity or thickness. Attention is also paid to things like the quality of welding in the fan construction and several protocols, methodologies, and quality control practices are followed for ensuring a high-quality process fan.

Types of industrial fans
For a person who is not aware of the intricacies of industrial process fans, wrongly assume all fans are the same. In reality, there are so many technologies and specifications with which a variety of fans are built including airfoil fans, backward curve fans, backward inclined fans, radial blade fans, radial tipped fans, paddlewheel fans, forward curved fans, inline duct fans, tube axial fans, vane axial fans, and variable pitch fans to name a few.

The key thing to remember is that industrial process fans help automate and process various industrial activities and based on the specific process either a standard fan or a customized industrial process fan is used to facilitate efficient manufacturing.

Utilities of custom-built industrial process fans
The utility of industrial fans ranges across a variety of factory applications – there are a large number of factory processes in which the process fans are used.

  • Material conveying: Custom fans are very popular in conveying air and small particles into furnaces in large volumes. In this process, the industrial process fans do the work smoothly.
  • Combustion air: In a variety of factories especially those involving a combustion process – the industrial process fans are used for providing furnace air to facilitate the combustion process.
  • Airing and drying: Some process manufacturing requires cooling and drying of food products. The huge blowers help in the reduction of water content in food items. Fruits and vegetables rot in damp conditions and therefore these fans help in the prevention of mold and bacterial growth.
  • Exhausting waste gases: A layman or non-factory person can easily relate to the prevention of concentration of any toxic gases or intense smells by using fans for the exhaust process. Warehouse and packing areas also require air purification and removal of humidity. These fans make it comfortable for the staff to work in the factory.
  • Cooking fume extraction: One of the prime use of custom-made industrial process fans are in the cooking, sector. To remove the fumes and smell, massive extractor fans become mandatory. These are basic health and safety products.
  • Packaging: Many manufacturing units have a pneumatic conveyor that uses a stream of clean air to transport small items. Here high pressure custom industrial fans help in holding the receptacles firmly to the belt during the packing process. Fans help in inflating the packaging process.
  • Coolant fans: Custom-built industrial process fans are ideal for cooling materials before the next process can commence in the factory. Cement clinkers are first cooled before being sent to the next process in cement manufacturing.
  • Pre-heating: Pre-heating of fresh air ensures the efficiency of combustion in industrial furnaces. The atmospheric air drawn to support combustion is heated using the exhaust air or flue gases and heated air is supplied to the furnace for efficient combustion.

The above is not a full list of applications of industrial process fans but only provides an overview of possible applications. You can decide to install either a standardized fan for your manufacturing process or order a custom-built process fan for your manufacturing requirements based on the manufacturing requirements.