Mist Collector

A mist collector is an industrial air filtration device that captures airborne oil mist, coolant mist, smoke, and submicron aerosols from CNC machining processes. It separates liquid from the air stream for disposal or coolant recovery. Key specifications include pressure drop, airflow rate, and collection efficiency, which determine capture effectiveness and fan energy requirements.

On the shop floor, a mist collector is typically mounted on or next to a CNC enclosure, connected to a pickup point inside the cabinet. It pulls contaminated air directly from the machine before mist escapes into the shop. Most systems use multi-stage separation: a first stage knocks out larger droplets, followed by coalescing media for finer aerosols, and sometimes HEPA filtration if air is returned indoors. In metalworking cells, the collector reduces mist accumulation on ways, guards, electronics, and floors while recovering coolant that would otherwise be lost. Intake placement is critical—machining centers benefit from an upper-corner intake, while on CNC lathes the ideal location is near the tailstock side to intercept the airborne plume where it forms.