Hilti has come out with a new dust extractor vacuum, VC 40MX-CB, and its continuous collection bag system looks to work a lot like a diaper pail.
Diaper pails work with extended-length bags, perhaps better described as long plastic sleeves, that are condensed into a ring-shaped cartridge. After sealing the bottom, you fill it with diapers, and then when it’s full you seal the top of the bag and cut it from the rest of the plastic sleeve. Seal the new bottom end of the sleeve, and you’re ready to go again.
The Hilti vac’s continuous bag system works in a similar manner. After the dust extractor vacuum fills up the collection bag, you pull it out a little bit, seal the bag with a zip tie, seal the bottom of the sleeve with another zip tie, cut the full bag from the clean sleeve, and you’re ready to go again.
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Here’s a closeup of the continuous bag.
The continuous bag collection system can be used with Hilti VC-20/40/150-X dust extractors, and only for dry pickup.
This seems like an interesting and convenient way to handle jobsite dust and debris collection. Hilti says that, not only does the continuous bag system help with quick changes, it helps reduce dust exposure, and avoids the need to remove the vacuum top.
Users can also check the collection capacity at a glance.
I really like this idea, and how it compares to a lot of other emptying methods.
Hilti USA has not made any announcements in the months since the new vacuum system launched in the EU, and so it’s unclear if or when it’ll be available here.
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Looking deeper, other brands launched dust extractor vacuums with similar continuous bag collection systems before, such as Husqvarna. There could be others, but I’m not finding many mainstream examples.
Continuous bag collection systems, such as by Longopac, have also been available in other industries.
In other words, this is new to me but the idea is not new-to-world. I’d like to see more dust extractor vacuums and collectors with Longopac bagging systems – this seems like a great combo.
Here’s a video of how it works:
Robert
Interesting. Makes sense it’s released first in Europe.
I wonder if the bags are exorbitantly priced.
Jim Felt
Hilti isn’t really catering to the mostly smaller non specialty contractors and HD/Lowes crowd. I’m sure it’s in line with their normal pricing and actual service levels. Like personal deliveries, on site demonstration opportunities and in-house repairs.
Stuart
Yes, and no.
Yes, because it seems you cannot get just 1 refill bag, no because the pricing seemed fair. From the descriptions, it sounds like you can get a 4-pack of 20-meter bags, or 16-pack of 5-meter bags. It wasn’t perfectly clear whether 5M and 20M referred to 5 and 20 meters, so I didn’t mention it in the post.
James
No idea but could this be a micron rating?
Stuart
No, I don’t think so. These are bags, not filters. I think the numbers would be too small for thickness. I’d also expected the same package count, rather than 4 for one and 16 for the other. If accurate, each case quantity would have 80 meters of total bag length.
Saulac
Look like we should dive in more about filter vs bag. The bag is the canister of the vacuum. To build one yourself elevate your shopvac, cut holes (big enough for stuff to go through, but not the whole bag, more below) in the bottom of the canister, trap a trash bag to the bottom from the outside of the canister. When first start, the bag will be sucked up but eventually will stay down as stuff is sucked in.
Stuart
@Saulac: No. Most shop vacuums are designed for U-shaped *filter bags*. If a vacuum is designed for filter bags, you can’t just throw a poly bag in there and hope it’ll work. Some vacuums and dust collectors are designed for poly bags, and those might be modifiable.
ToolGuyDan
@Saulac @Stuart: some of this introduction will be things that you already know. I am laying out to make sure that we are all starting from the same starting point.
If the bag added to an existing bag is indeed sucked up as Saulac describes, then there is a discrete filter component, and the canister is under vacuum, meaning that Saulac’s approach will work. As Stuart points out, though, some vacuums use the “filter bag” concept. With these, the bag is not experiencing vacuum, but instead is positively pressurized relative to ambient air (>0 PSIg). Many of these latter type of vacuums also include a secondary air filter, but that’s largely immaterial to our discussion, only serving to modify how Saulac’s capacity-expansion device would need to be attached.
For a negative-pressure vacuum bag, Saulac’s device works perfectly. For a filter-bag vacuum, I think Stuart’s concern is that cutting a hole causes a loss of filter surface area, but so long as this is kept minimal, it’s not appreciably different from simply filling the bag somewhat, and thus shouldn’t pose a meaningful problem.
The issue with both types of vacuums, then, is that the quality of the seal at the expander interface matters enormously. A leaky seal—in either direction—threatens to ruin the filtration at a minimum (it’s your lungs, folks! Be careful!) if not the performance of the unit altogether.
Stuart
@ToolGuydDan: In a shop vacuum, the filter bag is placed in the path of airflow. In a dust extractor vac, collection bags are really just container liners.
Shop vacs tend to have filter bags for fine particulates, otherwise the main filter quickly clogs up. Dust extractor vacs tend to have collection bags for easier disposable.
If you take a shop vacuum, install a filter bag, extensively modify it so that the bag essentially creates a secondary filter, and add a continuous bag as a drum liner, you’ll wish you just went with a cyclone or other separator attachment instead.
eddiesky
About $1500US with $135US for continuous 20M (meters?) of bag.
Not Hilti but similar where my flooring finishing contractor brought in a continuous bag dustless vac.
Mateo
Not sure where else to put it, but acme has buy more save more on dewalt, I think it’s today and tomorrow only.
Wayne Ruffner
I’ll be waiting for the inevitable video of a goof launching one of these full bags just to have it burst mid-swing.
Henrik Peters
You can aways connact Paxxo the original manufacture of Longopac to get the best distributor in your area. It works on Hilti and all other brands and it is the strongest PE bags in the world.
James
What would really help my business would be a continuous waste bag that drains water….
Europe guy
Wow
I am amazed that you have so little about the system of this kind on vacs.
Husqvarna vacs are originated from Pullman Ermator and it have been on the market for ages … Sorry, but Hilti is just copying…
Husqvarna vacs are standing for the highest H class standards as It can be, they have all the certification and proof about having Hepa 13.
Guys, dig deeper in this topic 😉
Also about price… in EU the cost of strong longopacs ( 4 x 22 m) is about 100-130 € and it means you will get one dust bag around 1 euro !