MD, Dust
Ms Thembisa Tau manages dust extraction at Feature Equipment, focusing on safe, practical solutions for CNC workshops across South Africa.
Ms Thembisa Tau writes and reviews technical notes for Feature Equipment. Browse specsheet notes for recent pieces or send us a message about your bay.
Send a messageMs Khumalo is responsible for all aspects of dust and fume extraction at Feature Equipment. She makes sure every Feature Dust Cell unit and filter stage pack fits the workshop’s real needs, from routers cutting MDF to compact mills machining alloys.
Her daily work covers advice on filter selection, staged filtration for fine dust, and practical ways to keep machines within the local exposure limits set by the Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents. She helps organise the layout of extraction lines, checks practical airflow requirements, and reviews extraction effectiveness during site visits and machine handovers.
In Gauteng, she tackles dry winter dust and static build-up, while at the coast she focuses on humidity and corrosion risks inside extraction systems. She also assists teams dealing with power cuts by recommending staged filter setups that protect equipment during unplanned shutdowns.
Most of Ms Khumalo’s work involves production managers, workshop owners and technical school teams who need safe, compliant dust and fume capture on CNC routers, laser markers, engravers and mills. She is often called in when wood dust, aluminium fines or laser fume become a problem for staff or equipment.
She gives practical advice on fitting Feature Dust Cell systems to suit everything from a single desktop engraver to multiple large routers in a busy cabinet shop. Her support covers filter change routines, airflow checks, and simple operator training to avoid blockages and downtime.
Customers also rely on her to interpret regulations, such as setting up dust capture at source and marking noise zones if extraction fans exceed the 85 dB(A) rating limit. If a site is in Durban, Gqeberha or Cape Town, she always checks for salt air and offers tips on rust prevention inside the system.
Customers can work with Thembisa by sending us a message through our contact form. She starts with a practical discussion about the workshop’s layout, machine types and current dust issues.
Once she has the details, Thembisa recommends extraction kit that suits both the machine family and the site’s power supply. She can also arrange for visits to our Sunnyrock machine hall for hands-on demonstrations of Dust Cell units, or set up test fits and filter trials in local showrooms.
