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PrestiVac

Vacuum solutions engineered for paper mills & converting

The industry where a familiar, benign material becomes a combustible dust the moment it is converted — cellulose burns, and slitting, sheeting, winding and folding turn paper into fine airborne dust continuously. Tissue and towel converting are the dustiest of all. Paper dust is a combustible particulate solid, joined by the mineral coating and filler dust the process adds.

  • Combustible-Cellulose Aware

    Paper dust burns

  • A Combustible Dust

    NFPA 660 particulate solid

  • HEPA Filtration

    Fine paper & fiber retained

  • Built for Paper

    Mill to converting

  • Explosion-Proof

    Manufacturing specialists

  • 1000+

    Vacuums sold worldwide

  • USA

    Designed & manufactured

  • Direct

    Buy from the manufacturer

  • NFPA 660

    ATEX / IECEx principles

Paper Mills & Converting production process explorer

Every stage. Every challenge. The right vacuum solution.

Papermaking is largely wet at the machine and increasingly dusty as the product is dried, finished and converted. Walk the stages where fine combustible dust arises and accumulates.

Stage 01Pulp & stock prep

Stock preparation is wet and enclosed; recovery here addresses dried residues and fiber around the equipment rather than the process stream itself.

Key challenges

A benign material that burns as dust

  • Cellulose Is Combustible

    Paper and cellulose dust is a combustible particulate solid under NFPA 660 — accumulated dust deflagrates like any fine organic dust.

  • Converting Makes Dust

    Slitting, sheeting, winding and folding shed fine paper dust continuously — the converting side is the dusty side of the industry.

  • Tissue Is The Dustiest

    Tissue and towel converting generate the highest fine-dust load, clinging to machinery and structures throughout the hall.

  • Coating & Filler Dust

    Mineral coatings and fillers such as clay and calcium carbonate add fine mineral dust to the paper stream.

  • Accumulation Is The Risk

    Fine paper dust settles on overhead surfaces and in ducts, building fugitive fuel between cleanings.

  • Fibrous & Clinging

    Paper fiber mats and accumulates, so HEPA-retained recovery with frequent, disciplined housekeeping is essential.

Dust & materials knowledge center

What paper mills & converting generate

Common Paper Mills & Converting materials and recovery approaches
MaterialCombustibleRecovery approachDeep dive
Paper & cellulose dustYes — combustibleGrounded, rated recovery on the deflagration logic
Tissue & fine paper dustYesHEPA-retained recovery at converting
Mineral coating & filler dustGenerally noHEPA-retained recovery on schedule
Cellulose fiberYesRated recovery for the fine fraction
Recycled-fiber dustYesRated recovery; watch for contaminants
General mill 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