Draw the shop
Set the room's walls, ceiling and main height. Drag Tools and your collector from their catalogs onto the floor.
Windows dust collection planner · Version 2.0
Plan your dust collection before you buy the pipe.
DCShop lets you lay out your shop's dust collection system on a floor plan, from the collector through the main, wyes and drops to each Tool, and checks that every Tool gets enough airflow. It adds up every pipe, fitting and hose between the Tool and the collector and finds where that resistance meets your collector's fan curve.
Paid license for Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit). Checkout and license key come from Polar. DCShop needs internet to activate and periodically check the license.
The finished product is an HTML report you can print or email. Open the sample report in your browser.
How it works
Most layouts are guessed from a chart. DCShop draws the layout to scale and calculates from what you drew.
Run the duct
Snap pipe, elbows, wyes, reducers and blast gates together. Make drops down to each Tool automatically, finished with flex. Fittings that won't fit together are refused.
Run the analysis
See the airflow (CFM), air speed (FPM) and static pressure at every Tool, with a fan chart and an air speed chart for each path.
What's new in 2.0
2.0 is a rebuild. Version 1.0 shop files do not open in 2.0. See the FAQ.
Drops and flex, built for you
Turn a fitting down and DCShop plans the drop to the Tool's port. Fine-tune it in Drop view. Flex length and fit are checked.
Tool and collector catalogs
Save your own Tool and collector designs once, with footprint, port size and height, and reuse them in every shop. Trace a collector's fan curve from the maker's chart.
Analysis panel
Pick a Tool's path and see the legend, fan chart, air speed chart and report text right beside the plan.
A full HTML report
A picture of the shop, a summary for each Tool, the charts, the full calculation and a parts list, ready to print or email.
Handles big shops
Tested on shops with 100 Tools and 700 parts. Analysis stays quick.
Everyday comforts
Undo, recent shops on the File menu, open ends flagged in red, and a complete built-in manual with a tutorial.
See it
Screenshots from 2.0.
On the floor
A single pipe size isn't the right answer for every Tool. Stepping the main down is part of the plan.
- Main + wyessnapped to size
- Drops + flexplanned to the port
- Every Tool checkedCFM, FPM, static pressure
- HTML reportcharts plus parts list
What it does and does not do
DCShop plans with the pipe you drew, one open Tool at a time. The limits are intentional.
Does
- Use the drawn lengths, fittings and flex
- Keep air speed (will chips stay moving?) separate from collector capacity (can it pull that air?)
- Let you enter your own measured fan curve
- Refuse a part that can't be built or would leave the room
- Flag every open end before the analysis
Does not
- Invent lengths you did not draw
- Analyze several blast gates open at once
- Model duct leaks or dirty filters, so leave some margin
- Replace an engineered or NFPA design
- Upload your shop file (it stays on your PC)
Questions
Short answers.
Is this a replacement for a manufacturer's design service?
No. A dealer design is a parts list tied to a purchase. DCShop is the plan you check before you order pipe from anyone. Use both if you want.
Can I run two Tools at once?
DCShop analyzes one open Tool at a time with the other gates closed. That is how most one-person shops run blast gates.
How accurate are the collector curves?
Curves in the Collector catalog are estimates unless you enter your own. You can trace a curve from the maker's published chart or type in measured points.
I have 1.0. Do my shops open in 2.0?
No. 2.0 uses a new shop file format. Redraw the shop in 2.0. Your 1.0 license does not activate 2.0.
How do I buy it?
Buy through Polar. You get a license key and download link by email. Install DCShop, open Help → License, paste the key and click Activate. One key activates one PC.
Can I move it to another PC?
Yes. Open Help → License on the old PC and deactivate, then activate on the new one. Uninstalling DCShop also releases the key.
Does it work with no internet?
Activation needs the internet. After that, DCShop re-checks the license now and then and keeps working through short outages. Save, Open and Run analysis are locked until a key is active.
Get it
Pay through Polar. The email has the installer and your license key. If SmartScreen warns about a new download, choose More info → Run anyway.