Why Do You Need Welding Screens and Welding Curtains for your Welding Operations?

Welding Screens and Welding Curtains are important in the workplace for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, they protect workers from potential fire hazards. In addition, Welding Screens and Welding Curtains aid in containing sparks, molten splatter, grindings, dirt, and debris. These precautions help prevent damage to property, equipment, supplies, and injuries to people. The screens and curtains also contribute to creating a safe work environment by blocking harmful UV flashes and fumes. Finally, Welding Screens and Welding Curtains can greatly help improve the aesthetics of the workplace by creating dedicated welding areas while also hiding unsightly welding and other fabrication jobs.

Welding is an important function for many industrial operations and one of the most hazardous processes due to the risk of injury from burns, flashes, and fumes. Welders are not only at risk of injuring themselves, but they use can also cause injuries to individuals around them and damage to surrounding areas, equipment, and supplies. The U.S. Bureau of Labor estimates that there are close to 400,000 welders currently employed throughout the United States. With this in mind, it is vital that the right safety measures are provided in protecting your employees, equipment, and work areas.

Installing Welding Screens and Welding Curtains generates not only privacy for the welders it keeps other people and equipment safe from hazards such as flash burns. The UV light produced from a welding touch are extremely dangerous to one’s vision, even if not directly looked at. These barriers help keep everyone safe inside and outside the dedicated welding areas.

There are a variety of different types of Welding Screens and Welding Curtains available on the market, so it is critical to choose a solution that is best for your specific situation. Fire retardant barriers and shields are an important consideration for any welding operation. These products will help to prevent fires from spreading in the event of an accident. Welding Blankets are another type of welding screen that is often used in these welding and industrial settings. All of these products are designed to block out UV flashes and contain sparks, splatter, and debris. When choosing a Welding Screen, Welding Curtain, or Welding Blanket it is important to consider the particular needs and layout within your workplace.

Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets are an important part of any safe work environment creating additional layers for protecting workers from potential injury, fire hazards, and harmful UV. These barriers help to develop a safer workplace for everyone. When choosing a Welding Screen, Welding Curtain, or Welding Blanket be sure to consider the specific needs of your workplace. With a little bit of research, you can find the perfect set up for your welding operations.

What are Welding Screens?

Weld view free-standing Welding Screens are offered to help keep workers, equipment, supplies, and work areas safe from the hazards common to welding and other industrial operations such as sparks, splatter, UV flashes, and fire. These portable Welding Screens are made from durable and effective materials including fire resistant solid vinyl, transparent UV shielding vinyl, and fire resistant canvas. Configurations are presented in single-panel, 2-panel, 3-panel, 4-panel, and multi-panel options manufactured on strong yet lightweight metal frames for ease of handling giving you unlimited possibilities in generating the best in protection for any layout that your welding operations require. Freestanding Portable Welding Screen Casters are also available for these set ups to provide even more flexibility and maneuverability for these panels.

What are Welding Curtains?

Welding Curtains are a reliable asset for the welding and other industrial operations. They help deliver safety and a productive environment for the variety of welding job sites shielding from fire, sparks, splatter, UV flashes, and other hazards including containing dust and debris. Welding Curtains are available and can be created for any size areas, dimensions, panel options, and configurations. These are crafted from heavy duty fabrics that include fire resistant solid vinyl and clear vinyl, transparent tinted vinyl, and fire resistant canvas.

Specific industrial curtain tracking and assorted Track Hardware is also available to provide the necessary set up to easily, safely, and effectively hang and operate the Welding Curtains. Common hardware includes Industrial Curtain Tracks, Curved Roller Tracks, Splice Connectors, a variety of Nylon and Steel Roller Trolleys, Mount Supports, Mount Flanges, and Support Bases.

What are Welding Blankets?

Welding blankets are tarps or covers that most commonly protect people, equipment, supplies, and areas from heat, sparks, splatter, and even flames that are often created in welding and other industrial operations. These are crafted from a variety of heavy duty flame and heat resistant fabrics including Acrylic Coated Fiberglass, Silicone Fiberglass, Gold Slag Fiberglass, Aluminized Fiberglass, Heat Treated Fiberglass, Black Slag Fiberglass, Vermiculite Fiberglass, and Silica that will withstand the mentioned hazards created through welding related functions. Some of these blanket materials have a reflective surface that will aid in defecting sparts and splatter. This feature is great for use in areas where people and areas need this protection.

These Welding Blankets are also ideally used to protect equipment and supplies from the sparks and heat created during welding. For instance, when welding on a piece of equipment or an engine, the Welding Blanket can be positioned to protect it from the sparks and heat preventing any damage to surrounding equipment and supplies along with avoiding injury to anyone in the vicinity.

Welding Blanket Products

Acrylic Coated Fiberglass Welding Blankets (300° F) - These are a general-purpose welding material. Acrylic Coated Fiberglass Welding Blankets possess a material weight of 17 ounce per square yard. This style of welding blanket is created for light duty use with a maximum temperature resistance of 300° F. This blanket is commonly used as vertical curtains to help shield from grindings and sparks along with generating a flame retardant and arc flash barrier. Acrylic Coated Fiberglass blankets are not to be used as stress relief.

Silicone Fiberglass Welding Blankets (500° F) - Silicone Fiberglass Welding Blankets are made from fiberglass material with silicone rubber that is extremely flexible allowing insulation for temperatures and electricity up to 500° F. They also resist oil, water, and punctures. The fabric of this product is available in both 17 ounce and 32 ounce per square yard material weights. Silicone Fiberglass Welding Blankets are utilized as equipment covers, fire blankets, welding curtains, insulation covers, and heat shields meeting the Mil-Y-1140C military specification.

Gold Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets (1000° F) - As one of the most popular welding blanket products around, Gold Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets provide incredible heat resistance up to 1000° F along with resisting abrasion. When these covers are positioned at a 45° angle, the coverage will shield against splatter, grindings, and sparks. The Gold Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets are not recommended for horizontal use. They are a heavy duty blanket at 35 Mil thick with a material weight of 24 ounces per square yard.

Aluminized Fiberglass Welding Blankets (1000° F/300° F) - The Aluminized Fiberglass Welding Blankets deliver dual features with the two different sides. The fiberglass side handles temperatures up to 1000° F while also being abrasion, solvent, acid, and alkali (not hydrofluoric acid) resistant. The aluminum side generates heat reflection protecting against temperatures up to 300° F. This 35 Mil thick fabric is made from 18 ounce per square yard fiberglass material along with a thin outer layer of aluminum foil. These particular welding blankets are ideal as flange and vapor shields and removable insulation pads.

Heat Treated Fiberglass Welding Blankets (1100° F) - Heat Treated Fiberglass Welding Blankets are available in two material weights of 18 ounce per square yard (35 Mil thick) and 35 ounce (80 Mil thick). These are both an economical and secure option as welding blankets, welding and industrial curtains, egress blankets, and heat shields protecting against temperatures up to 1100° F guarding against vertical splatter and sparks along with resisting most solvents and acids.

Black Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets (1100° F) - Black Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets are great protectors during tough welding jobs. The 40 Mil thick, 21-ounce per square yard fabric helps in resisting extreme temperatures up to 1100° F. Additionally, if these blankets lie at a 25° or larger angle, they will shed molten splatter with temperatures up to 3000° F. Also, Black Slag Fiberglass Welding Blankets shield against sparks and are great welding screens, welding curtains, and welding blankets. This product is not to be utilized for heat treating or stress relief.

Vermiculite Fiberglass Welding Blankets (1500° F) -The proprietary formula and specially treated silica fabric used on for Vermiculite Fiberglass Welding Blankets produces a material that is resistant to continuous high temperatures of 1500° F and even up to 2000° F for short spans of time. These are commonly utilized as welding blankets, welding curtains, heat shields, drop cloths, and gaskets. When these blankets are situated in vertical positions, they shield against grindings, sparks, sand blasting, and heat treating. The Vermiculate Fiberglass Welding Blankets come in two material weights, 20 ounces per square yard (35 Mil thick) and 27 ounce (60 Mil thick).

Silica Welding Blankets (1800° F) - Silica Welding Blankets are made from high temperature fabric providing the highest resistance (1800° F) to heat and chemicals. This Silica material meets the military specifications of both MIL-C-24576A and MIL-1-24244C along with being FM approved meeting ANSI 4950 specs. This welding blanket product is commonly used as welding curtains, welding screens, furnace curtains, and with additional applications that require high temperature resistance. The Silica Welding Blankets are available in a 27 Mil thick fabric with a material weight of 18 ounces per square yard or 60 Mil thick with 36-ounce fabric.

Welding Blanket Fabric by the Yard and Roll - The material that the Welding Blanket are made from are also available in Yard Lengths and by the Roll. These fabric options allow for the opportunity for you to use these various temperature resistant materials for do-it-your projects and other needs.

When are Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets Necessary?

Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets are usually necessary in any facility or location that does not have a dedicated separate or enclosed location. The appropriate positioning of these will greatly help reduce the occurrence of common workplace damage and injuries that can happen from welding operations.

Benefits of Using Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets in the Workplace

Since welding and related industrial operations can be volatile and dangerous situations, it is critical that these areas are protected from the hazardous effects of these processes. The safety that is generated from Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets provides a host of benefits to not only the welders themselves, but to the entire operations.

Surrounding Protection and Temperature Regulation

Even though welders are required to wear protective clothing, masks, gloves, etc., the high temperatures generated from welding operations are a constant concern especially for those in the vicinity that are not wearing protective gear. Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding properly positioned will help tremendously reduce the heat and other exposures of the welding hazards to bystanders along with the surrounding areas, equipment, and supplies.

Providing Safe and Well-Defined Welding Areas

A reoccurring situation that business owners and plant managers encounter is sectioning off separate areas for welding and related operations. It is seldom possible to provide a dedicated space within an existing building and is often too expensive to construct a brick and mortar space. Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets can help solve these concerns as they can be securely and quickly put up quite economically where needed and just as easily moved, if necessary, providing incredible flexibility and mobility. The adaptability of size along with the strategic use of available colors helps generate a safe and highly visible welding zones.

Welding is a fabrication process that requires precision and intense focus. When a welder is distracted and disturbed by foot traffic or other operations, the welding can suffer and create a dangerous situation. Privacy for welders is an important benefit. Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets help create the safe and secluded environment necessary to get the best out of your welders.

Minimizing Noise

The many tasks of welding including the welding, grinding, cutting, and hammering of metal will generate high levels of noise that can be dangerous to the welders and to those in the near vicinity. Welders often wear earplugs and other gear to protect their hearing. The noise that is created from these welding related duties are not only harmful to the welder but also to those in the area, who are probably not wearing earplugs. Not only is the noise dangerous it is distracting and annoying. When Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, or Welding Blankets are strategically and properly placed in these welding areas the noise levels can be greatly reduced by these barriers benefiting the entire facility.

Airflow and Keeping Welding Fumes Contained

Byproducts of welding operations include fumes, which are major hazards and are a serious threat to anyone that encounters them. Welders wears the appropriate safety gear to eliminate these issues from noxious emissions. Beyond the welding that is going on, most other employees are probably not wearing the necessary protective gear. The Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets when set up aptly well help tremendously cut down on the fumes that usually escape welding areas.

How to choose the best Welding Screens, Curtains, and Blankets?

It should not be a matter of if, but when you are ready to choose the best solution in protecting and cutting down on the surrounding hazards of welding operations there are a number of important decisions and things to keep in mind. From selecting the most effective fabric to ordering the right size to utilizing the safest colors, the design and effective layout of your Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets is vital to your overall plant operations. Tarps Now has the widest selection of these products as well as the knowledge and experience with our helpful and friendly team members to assist you in finding the best solution for your Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, or Welding Blankets.

Important Features of Safe and Effective Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets Include:

• Flame Resistance
• Heat Resistance
• Heat Resistance
• Chemical Resistance
• Tear, Puncture, Abrasion Resistance
• Cold Crack Resistance
• Proper and Safe Colors (orange, yellow, red, green, blue, gray)

Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets are valuable and necessary for any welding operations and are required by OSHA for many situations in protecting employees. The ability to create safe and effective barriers for your operations is a benefit for all. These screens, curtains, and blankets are a rather small investment for the incredible return on safety, privacy, effectiveness, and convenience that they create for the entire company.

Tarps Now Has Everything You Need To Find The Best Solution For Your Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, and Welding Blankets

Whether you are looking to fit your welding operations with a new set up or you are looking to replace some old and outdated Welding Screens, Welding Curtains, or Welding Blankets, Tarps Now has everything that you need including our experienced, helpful, and friendly staff. Do not hesitate, contact us today at (888) 800-1383 or sales@tarpsnow.com to ask any questions and ultimately find the best solution for your welding needs!