Aircompact Cartridge Dust Collector
The Aircompact cartridge dust collector packs a vertical, jet-cleaned filtration element into a small footprint, built for CNC cells where ceiling height and floor space run out before production does.
- Filtration
- Vertical cartridge, automatic jet pulse cleaning
- Siting
- Indoor
- Mobility
- Fixed
- Dust profile
- Dry, fine wood dust
- Pairs with
- CNC routers, machining centers, nesting cells
- Best for
- Continuous-duty ops with limited floor or ceiling space
A CNC nesting cell does not stop for a filter change. The Aircompact is built around that constraint: automatic jet reverse pulse cleaning keeps the cartridge clear while the machine runs, so production does not wait on maintenance.
The vertical cartridge layout is the other half of the answer. Instead of spreading filtration area across a wide horizontal housing, the Aircompact stacks it vertically, delivering high filtration surface area without eating into the floor space a CNC gantry and material handling already need.
It is engineered for both light and heavy duty applications across a woodworking facility, and it is built with NFPA 660 combustible dust guidance and US-based support behind it.
Following the moving spindle.
Coral maps CNC woodworking to the Aircompact on its application comparison.
CNC Woodworking
Nesting routers and machining centers move the point of dust generation across the table, so capture has to keep pace with the spindle rather than sit at one fixed hood.
Low-Ceiling Retrofits
Facilities adding a CNC cell into an existing building often have less headroom to work with than a purpose-built shop, which is exactly where a vertical cartridge earns its footprint.
Panel Processing Support
Nesting cells cutting panel stock ahead of a sizing line benefit from the same fine-dust cartridge filtration the Aircompact is built around.
Vertical cartridge, jet-pulse clean.
Two engineering choices, stacked together, solve the space and uptime problem at once.
Cartridge media is a pleated element, folded to pack a large filtering surface into a small volume. That makes it the natural choice for dry, fine wood dust, the kind a CNC router or machining center throws off, where particle size is small and consistent rather than the mixed coarse-and-fine stream a saw line produces. The Aircompact orients its cartridges vertically rather than horizontally, which is what lets the unit stand in a small footprint without sacrificing filtering area.
The second half of the design is the automatic jet reverse pulse cleaning. As dust builds a cake on the cartridge surface, a timed pulse of compressed air blows in the reverse direction, dislodging the cake into a hopper below. This happens on a cycle while the collector keeps running, which is why the Aircompact is specified for continuous-duty operation: a nesting cell running program after program cannot wait for a manual filter change.
Because the spindle on a CNC router or machining center moves across the table rather than sitting fixed, the duct design around an Aircompact installation typically routes capture to follow the tool path, not just the table perimeter. Confirm exact hood placement and airflow requirements for your specific machine during a factory visit.
Aircompact FAQ.
What CNC shop managers ask before specifying the Aircompact.
Why choose a vertical cartridge design for CNC dust collection?
The vertical layout packs a large filtering surface into a small floor and ceiling footprint, which matters most in CNC cells where headroom around the gantry is already tight.
How does the automatic jet pulse cleaning work?
A reverse pulse of compressed air dislodges the dust cake from the cartridge media on a cycle, keeping pressure drop in range without stopping the machine or requiring manual cleaning.
Can the Aircompact keep up with continuous-duty CNC nesting cells?
Yes. It is engineered for continuous-duty operation, which is the standard duty cycle for a nesting cell running back-to-back sheet programs.
Does the Aircompact handle router chip as well as fine dust?
The cartridge media is engineered for dry, fine wood dust. Heavier chip loads from combined routing and ripping operations are usually better matched to a bag or sleeve collector such as the Icon Bag.
When would we specify a different cartridge unit instead?
When the binding constraint is the dust rather than the room. Everything about the Aircompact's vertical arrangement answers a cell that has run out of floor and headroom. If what drives your specification is bonded, respirable panel dust, start on the Airalt Cartridge page instead.
Related collectors.
See the other cartridge and sleeve options before committing to a CNC configuration.
Tight space, real dust problem?
Headroom, gantry clearance and airflow around a nesting cell are hard to judge from a floor plan. We measure them on site, at no cost, before anyone commits to a configuration.