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PrestiVac

Vacuum solutions engineered for marine & shipbuilding

Heavy industry at outdoor scale, where the signature dust hazards are abrasive blasting and legacy coatings — surface preparation produces enormous volumes of spent media mixed with paint debris, and older vessels carry lead-based and heavy-metal coatings that blasting and grinding liberate as toxic dust. Welding fume, fiberglass composite dust and confined-space work round out a demanding recovery picture.

  • Legacy-Coating Aware

    Lead & heavy metals

  • Abrasive-Blast Dust

    Spent media + coating debris

  • HEPA Filtration

    Toxic & fine fractions retained

  • Built for Shipyards

    Blast, weld, grind & fair

  • Explosion-Proof

    Manufacturing specialists

  • 1000+

    Vacuums sold worldwide

  • USA

    Designed & manufactured

  • Direct

    Buy from the manufacturer

  • NFPA 660

    ATEX / IECEx principles

Marine & Shipbuilding production process explorer

Every stage. Every challenge. The right vacuum solution.

Shipbuilding and repair move from surface preparation through fabrication to outfitting, much of it in semi-open or confined spaces. Walk the stages where dust and its recovery matter most.

Stage 01Surface prep & abrasive blasting

Blasting generates the shipyard's largest dust volume — spent media mixed with coating debris — where some legacy media is silica-bearing and adds a respirable hazard.

Key challenges

Blasting, legacy coatings, and confined spaces

  • Legacy Lead Coatings

    Older vessels carry lead-based and heavy-metal coatings — blasting and grinding them liberates toxic dust demanding HEPA-retained, sealed handling.

  • Abrasive-Blast Dust

    Blasting produces huge volumes of spent media mixed with coating debris, and some legacy media is silica-bearing, adding a respirable-silica hazard.

  • Composite Dust

    Fiberglass and carbon-composite fabrication sheds fine, irritating dust that is captured with HEPA-retained recovery.

  • Confined Spaces

    Tanks, holds and double-bottoms concentrate dust and fume in confined spaces under strict entry discipline — recovery supports the entry plan.

  • Toxic + Respirable Mix

    The blast-and-coating stream mixes toxic (lead) and respirable (silica) fractions, so recovery is HEPA-retained and sealed for both at once.

  • Outdoor Scale

    Shipyard work happens at massive scale in semi-open conditions, so capture is targeted at the work zone and confined spaces rather than the whole yard.

Dust & materials knowledge center

What shipyards recover

Common Marine & Shipbuilding materials and recovery approaches
MaterialCombustibleRecovery approachDeep dive
Legacy coating dust (lead)ToxicHEPA-retained, sealed handling
Spent abrasive mediaVaries; some silica-bearingHEPA capture; respirable-silica aware
Welding fume & metal finesVariesHEPA-retained recovery
Composite (fiberglass) dustIrritantHEPA capture at the fabrication source
Steel grinding dustCombustible as fine dustRated recovery where the fraction is fine
General shipyard dustVariesRoutine HEPA-retained recovery

Combustibility and severity are material- and particle-size-specific — testing and your Dust Hazard Analysis govern. Full directory: the full materials directory.

Talk to the manufacturer

Get the right explosion proof vacuum for your application.

Tell us what you need to vacuum and where. Our technical team will recommend the PrestiVac model best suited to your material, your classification and how hard you will work it — and because we build every unit ourselves, we can modify it to fit.

  • Legally certified explosion proof
  • Solid stainless steel construction
  • Industry-best 3-year warranty
  • Designed & manufactured in the USA
  • 200+ vacuum versions