Milwaukee’s new 8-Gallon Dust Extractor is designed to work with a variety of attachments to remove silica dust from work sites while drilling, grinding and breaking.Milwaukee Tool now offers a full lineup of dust-extraction attachments for rotary hammers, grinders and other tools that will comply with proposed federal silica dust rules scheduled to take effect in September.
Anchoring the devices is the company’s 8-Gallon Dust Extractor, which features automatic filter cleaning. The extractor also includes a 99.97-percent efficient HEPA filter and a 99.9-percent efficiency PTFE main filter that is washable. The device has an activated plug to start and stop the vacuum with a power tool.
The company has also launched several attachments for the extractor that are compliant with the silica rules:
- The SDS-Max Dust Extraction Attachment handles all drilling depths and holes ranging in diameter from a quarter inch to 2 3/4 inches.
- The SDS-Max Chisel Boot works on most SDS-Max Rotary Hammers for chipping applications with bull point and flat chisels up to 1 1/8 inches wide, the company says. It has an adjustable strap to secure the hose away from the application.
- The Surface Grinding Dust Shroud works with AC and DC Milwaukee small-angle grinders.
- The Cutting Dust Shroud is for cutting applications with AC and DC Milwaukee small-angle grinders.
SDS-Max Dust Extraction AttachmentMilwaukee Tool has also introduced its SDS-Plus and Max Vacuum Drill Bits. The hollow bits leave clean holes and keep silica dust out of the air, the company says. Once drilled, the holes are ready for chemical anchor installation and require no cleaning. The bits feature a four-cutter carbide tip for durability in concrete and concrete with rebar and a universal adapter that fits most dust-extractor attachments.
Milwaukee SDS-Plus Vacuum Drill BitThe federal silica rules are scheduled to take effect September 23. Enforcement was to begin in June, but the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration delayed enforcement. The agency said it needed more time to provide guidance to the construction industry and to train staff to enforce the rules.
The rules require an 80-percent reduction in respirable crystalline silica on average during an eight-hour shift. The goal is to reduce and prevent lung cancer, silicosis and other respiratory ailments caused by overexposure to crystalline silica, a common chemical compound found in rock, concrete and brick.
Milwaukee Surface Grinding Dust Shroud
