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How to Mill with Up To 88% Less Dust

May 2, 2025
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BOMAG’s ION DUST SHIELD enables milling machine operators, the crew that follows behind them, and passers-by to breathe cleaner air on and around the job site, and allows contractors and road building agencies to breathe a sigh of relief knowing they are doing all they can to maximize health and safety.
“Most road crews do a good job directing traffic away from the job site during construction, but people in the area may still be exposed to that dust for many hours without even being aware of it. The ION DUST SHIELD protects everyone. It’s a huge benefit, especially when working in cities, near schools, or confined spaces.”

-- Chaunce Edwards, BOMAG Product Manager, SMS Equipment
Denis Lussier remembers how dusty the work could be when he started as a milling machine operator at ACI in Joliette, Quebec, in 2007. “Sometimes, there would be so much dust it looked as though a cloud was moving forward down the highway,” Lussier said.

Although milling machines have existed for half a century, it wasn’t until the 2000s that the industry realized the dangers posed by silica dust from milling operations, said Chaunce Edwards, BOMAG product manager at ACI’s equipment dealer, SMS Equipment, Inc. “In 2010, [original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)] began adding vacuum systems as a result,” Edwards said.

These efforts have had a significant impact on milling operations. “[Those innovations] have reduced the amount of dust the operators experience when using these machines,” Lussier said; ACI’s milling machines are no longer shrouded in a cloud of dust as they travel down the road.

However, as Edwards points out, the most dangerous type of dust is the fine dust that is invisible to the naked eye. “It’s counterintuitive, but it’s the particles you can’t see that can cause silicosis,” he said. According to the United States’ Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), while larger dust particles often fall to the ground quickly, fine dust particles can remain aloft much longer. Furthermore, our bodies are better equipped to handle larger dust particles, which are often captured by our nose hairs, for example. In contrast, our bodies lack defenses against fine particles that can enter the lungs and cause health issues.

Fine particles also pose additional challenges to the dust suppression methods that have become standard across most milling machines—for example, water-based methods. According to BOMAG Product Manager for Cold Milling Dennis Frenzius, fine dust is often too small to bind with water due to the surface tension of the water droplets.

There’s also the risk that fine dust poses to those other than milling machine operators. For example, there are sweeping, paving and road marking crews behind the milling machine, as well as pedestrians in the area. “It requires up to 32 hours for a 1-micron particle discharged at a height of 16 feet to reach the ground,” Frenzius said. “So, if you’re doing a milling job in a city environment [where there is reduced air circulation], everyone who passes through that area for the next two days won’t see the dust but may be affected by it.”

To solve the unique challenges fine dust presents, ACI recently invested in a BOMAG BM 2200/65 equipped with the BOMAG’s innovative ION DUST SHIELD technology. “The ION DUST SHIELD makes it so we have almost zero dust on our jobs,” Lussier said, now ACI’s technical advisor and training manager.
“This is a hard job, but this innovation makes it a bit easier. It’s a very good step for our industry to prevent employees from breathing in dangerous silica dust.”

Founded in 1998, ACI specializes in cold asphalt recycling and is the largest milling company in Quebec, operating throughout the entire province. Since ACI’s inception, the company has milled approximately 1.6 billion square feet (150 million square meters) of the Quebec road network.

How the ION DUST SHIELD Works

The ION DUST SHIELD applies an electrical charge as the fine dust passes through the ION DUST SHIELD mounted atop the discharge conveyor. The positively charged fine dust becomes unstable and stabilizes by bonding with other fine dust particles. As more fine particles clump together, they form coarse dust that can be ejected with the milled material via the conveyor belt.

According to tests BOMAG has performed on the ION DUST SHIELD with health institutes in both Germany and France, the system reduces fine dust by 88% or more. The system, which received the silver BAUMA Innovation Award in 2019, is in addition to BOMAG’s standard dust extraction system. *

“As people have learned about the ION DUST SHIELD, interest in the system is growing,” Frenzius said, adding that the greatest interest so far has been in Europe. However, Frenzius said interest has also been growing in the North American markets, adding that every BOMAG milling machine with a front-loading conveyor sent to Canada this year has been equipped with the ION DUST SHIELD.

“Having the ION DUST SHIELD in the market improves visibility for this technology,” Frenzius said. “Whenever people become aware that there are new technologies to manage fine dust particles, that drives the discussion forward.” For example, World of Asphalt 2024 in Nashville drove a lot of interest in the system in the U.S. market.

“Our customers are very interested in protecting their operators from silica dust,” Frenzius said, adding that it’s also a matter of employee attraction and retention. “Interest in running a piece of machinery like this will be impacted if the operator’s health is at risk. That makes the ION DUST SHIELD even more important, because it offers the operator higher levels of protection.”

This has been Edwards’ first-hand experience in Canada, as well. “The more our customers learn about the ION DUST SHIELD, the more interested they become in having the system on their machines.”
On the Job with the ION DUST SHIELD

On the Job with the ION DUST SHIELD

One such company is Command Equipment Ltd., based in Edmonton, Alberta. “We want all our employees to be safe and healthy,” said Doug Booth , superintendent of Command Equipment’s milling division, “and it’s important for us to investigate solutions to the problems they face.” The company began using the ION DUST SHIELD in summer 2023.

Command Equipment already had one BOMAG BM 500/15 and needed another for a mill-and-fill project on Queen Elizabeth II Highway from Lacombe to Red Deer (18.6 miles/30 kilometres) for the Alberta Ministry of Transportation. The BOMAG BM 2200/65 they brought onto the project was equipped with the ION DUST SHIELD, so Command Equipment decided to put the new technology to the test.
“That’s a heavy commuter route, because it’s the main highway from Edmonton to Calgary,” Booth said, adding that the road had experienced significant surface cracking as a result of age and heavy use. Command Equipment was hired to mill to a depth of 2.4 inches (60 millimeters) and repave overnight to reopen each section of fresh pavement by the following morning.

They milled one lane (7.2 feet or 2.2 meters lane width) with their BOMAG equipped with the ION DUST SHIELD and one lane with another milling machine. “It was really good to perform a side-by-side comparison,” Booth said. “The guy running the BOMAG said he wasn’t getting as much dust and stuff blowing back at him as on the other machines.”

In addition to the operator’s anecdotal experience, SMS Equipment performed tests comparing the BOMAG mill with ION DUST SHIELD to a comparative milling machine with industry-standard dust suppression technology. The test found the ION DUST SHIELD reduced particulate silica emissions by 83 to 87% compared to the other milling machine.

The test concluded that operators and labourers on both milling machines were not overexposed to respirable silica dust during their work shifts, but unprotected workers in the exhaust zone were overexposed to respirable silica dust according to Canadian health standards—except when the ION DUST SHIELD was used.
Command Equipment’s milling division operates four milling machines and performs almost exclusively highway work throughout Alberta and into the Northwest Territories nearly up to Yukon.

Same Process, But Safer

Booth has worked at Command Equipment for 15 years and in the company’s milling division for seven before being promoted to superintendent last year. “Whenever a new machine comes in, I like to kick the operator off and try it out, like it’s a new toy,” he said. Among them, the BOMAG BM 2200/65 with ION DUST SHIELD. “I like that the ION DUST SHIELD is easy to use. You don’t have to do anything. It’s just there and it just works.”

Edwards said this experience has been shared by other SMS Equipment customers running BOMAG milling machines with the ION DUST SHIELD. “The system just runs as the machine runs,” he said. “It doesn’t change the operator’s job, and they don’t have to do anything extra, they don’t even have to think about it. They just do their job the same way they would on any other milling machine, but the job is a lot safer for them.”

The ION DUST SHIELD is just one way BOMAG puts ease of use at the forefront of its milling machines. For example, its BOMAG BM 2200/65 is equipped with BOMAG Easy Cut technology to automatically regulate the height of the rear drive so the rear of the machine follows the front to its set depth for more intuitive operation, as well as BOMAG Easy Level to clearly display grade and slope settings on the machine’s 7-inch display.

The machine also offers the operator all-round visibility to the machine, with an unimpeded view of the cutting edge, milling track, and front danger zone around the conveyor, as well as a stepless platform side-shift of up to 7.8 inches for visibility of the right cutting edge and a flat rear design for an improved view of the area behind the mill for increased operating safety.

“Our company is all about investing in the safety of its employees,” Booth said. The BOMAG BM 2200/65 with ION DUST SHIELD was one such investment. “Although the ION DUST SHIELD doesn’t make us run better or faster, it does make the environment healthier for the operator and ground crew.”

The Best Jobs for BOMAG’s ION DUST SHIELD

According to Lussier, ACI considers the amount of dust they anticipate on a project when deciding which jobs to send its BOMAG mill out on. For example, if the company is planing concrete or milling in confined areas such as tunnels and under bridges. It’s also great when milling into the wind, he said. “The water and VCS systems work well to suppress dust in most situations, but it’s been great to have the ION DUST SHIELD, too, when we have to mill into the wind,” Lussier said.

Where the BOMAG BM 2200/65 has most excelled for ACI is on projects where the crew must immediately pave after milling—for example, when the company recently milled and repaved highways 40, 35 and 10 overnight and had to reopen them by 5 a.m. “On these types of jobs, we have to put down less water so the surface is ready for paving shortly behind the milling machine,” Lussier said, estimating that they run the water systems at 20% on these jobs compared to 100% on jobs without this time constraint. “When we must use less water, the ION DUST SHIELD is perfect because it can help capture that extra dust.”

According to Lussier, ACI has 14 employees trained to use the BOMAG mill. “They all like the ION DUST SHIELD very much,” Lussier said. “They say that when they run this machine, they experience no issues with dust.”

Another factor when considering milling in confined spaces or those with minimal airflow is the mill’s emissions. BOMAG’s BM 2200/65 630 hp (470 kW) engine meets Tier 4 Final emissions standards, and the BOMAG BMS15L quick-change cutting tooth holder system reduces resistance while delivering up to 20% fuel savings.

Edwards said ACI’s experience matches his perspective on the types of jobs where the ION DUST SHIELD is most beneficial. “The ION DUST SHIELD is ideal for any scenario, because we should always be interested in reducing silica dust as much as possible,” he said, “but there are certain jobs where the system's benefits are particularly significant.” For example, on projects with stagnant air, either as a result of weather conditions or in the inner city surrounded by high-rise buildings, as well as in confined spaces such as tunnels and bridges.

In fact, the BOMAG BM 2200/65 was designed for tight spaces, with a 58-inch milling radius (up to 14% smaller than competitive models) and a conveyor with a 16-foot discharge height and a 130-degree slewing angle to discharge material into trucks on either side of the mill. The BM 2200/65’s range of milling drum designs and three rotor speeds enable the machine to be used on a wide range of asphalt and concrete milling applications.

Maintain, Foster Relationships

The BOMAG BM 2200/65 wasn’t the first BOMAG milling machine that ACI had used. The company first rented a BM 2200/75 from SMS Equipment in 2020, shortly after SMS Equipment became a BOMAG distributor. ACI’s existing relationship with them was a significant factor in that decision. Lussier said SMS Equipment provides service that exceeds ACI’s expectations. Given the arduous applications in which milling machines operate, Lussier understands that downtime is bound to happen, “so it is very important to have good service,” he said.

“SMS Equipment prides itself on the whole customer experience throughout the lifetime of the machines our customers purchase from us,” Edwards said. “If we have a machine issue or breakdown scenario, we want to be there to support our customers with on-site mechanics that can be there in no time.”
Although ACI has long had a positive relationship with SMS Equipment, the company came to realize that BOMAG shared SMS Equipment’s commitment to its customers. “We’ve learned that BOMAG is a company that really listens to their customers,” Lussier said. After ACI had used the BM 2200/75 for a while, BOMAG invited ACI employees to Charlotte, North Carolina to see the new BM 2200/65, to discuss their experience with the machine, and to brainstorm the features they’d like to see on the next generation of BOMAG mills.

For example, ACI found the BM 2200/75 they rented several years ago was a bit too noisy. On the BOMAG BM 2200/65 ACI purchased in 2023, BOMAG put the fan at a 45-degree angle at the back of the machine for a quieter work environment for the operator. The new machine also came with the ION DUST SHIELD included. “That wasn’t something we had to choose to add on or pay extra for,” Lussier said. “It is a useful feature that comes standard in Canada.”

Alsond, it’s a feature that doesn’t require much maintenance. According to Frenzius, the ION DUST SHIELD does not rely on filters, which reduces the need to clean, service, and dispose of these filters as a hazardous material. “It’s a very maintenance-friendly system,” Edwards added. “At the end of the shift, all the operator needs to do is rinse out the chamber with the water on the machine as they perform daily maintenance/cleaning.”

In fact, ease of maintenance has been considered throughout the BM 2200/65. Filters and fill ports are accessed via the operator’s platform through the wide-opening engine hood, large left- and right-hand service panels provide access to the machine’s auxiliary drive and milling gear, and engine service points can be accessed from both above and below.

In addition to the many customer-focused features of the BM 2200/65, the ION DUST SHIELD remains a standout feature to Edwards. “When we received our first BOMAG mill with the ION DUST SHIELD, we immediately recognized the value of that technology,” he said. Then, it became a matter of explaining the benefits of this technology to the company’s customers.

“The more our customers come to understand how the ION DUST SHIELD works, the more interested they become in this technology,” Edwards said. Among those most interested are transportation agencies and associations, such as the Alberta Roadbuilders & Heavy Construction Association (ARHCA) Edwards recently spoke to about the ION DUST SHIELD. “That was probably our first real push to governmental agencies to let them know about this technology and how it makes the job site safer.”

Just as it took time for the industry to realize the hazards of silica dust, it will take time for the industry to catch on to what the ION DUST SHIELD can do, Edwards said. “We’ve started down the path of educating people on what the ION DUST SHIELD has to offer, and it’s certainly starting to gain traction.”
* The tests and results were scientifically confirmed by measurements conducted by the Institute for Hazardous Materials Research (IGF) of the Ruhr University Bochum and the IRNS. Both performed job site testing with dust collectors around the machine and the operator.

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