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Filtration 2004 – a review
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Filtration 2004 – a review In December of last year, the Filtration 2004 show took place in Philadelphia, USA. Filtration + Separation magazine was in attendance, and found much of the filtration industry’s supply chain represented. David Hopwood reports… If one ever wanted a representative cross-section of the filter media industry as it stands today, the latest Filtration conference and exposition, which took place in Philadelphia on 7-9 December 2004, provided an excellent indication of the kinds of products on offer across the filter media spectrum. As well as a number of high-profile filter media manufacturers displaying products containing the latest in filtration technology, there was also a representation of companies who provide back up to filter media manufacturers in the form of equipment and raw materials. It was interesting to get a feel for the latest developments in applications calling upon filter media technology. No longer confined to industrial processes, the trend towards providing filters that cater for the needs of the 'individual' or the consumer continues. Two examples are personal and business safety, as well as homeland security in the USA, for which several companies present have already developed filtration solutions for. And speaking on the safety theme, the conference's keynote speaker Ellen Kullman, group vice president for DuPont Safety & Protection, pointed out that safety has traditionally been defined as practices and products that reduce injuries at home and in the workplace. Yet as individuals feel less secure in an increasingly threatening world, 'safety' has now expanded into a broader value proposition based on the needs of people to be supported with products that keep them out of harm's way. “Our core desire as individuals is to live a safe life and to protect ourselves and our children,” she said. “Safety can be a part of the value equation a company can bring to the marketplace.” The filtration industry has long been an important player in this arena, and as the media continues to highlight the need for safer environments in which to live, opportunities for the filtration industry to tap into this safety-conscious mindset should remain for some time to come.
We have broken down our coverage of the show into several areas filter media, supporting equipment and raw materials . We also asked those we spoke to for their views on where the filtration industry is heading.
Filter media Joe Zazeski from BBA Fiberweb took us through the company’s new products, including its Chemshield filtration media used in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, and which is currently being used for national security applications to provide protection against potential chemical attack. “It’s an extremely interesting product used in embassies and buildings that would be near possible terrorist targets,” explained Zazeski. The media is built on the AQF technology platform using bicomponent fibres that anchor special grades of activated carbon granules in a three-dimensional fibrous matrix. The patented technology ensures that the carbon granules are secured in place while providing maximum access to the air stream. A variety of government-specified surrogate chemicals are used to evaluate the media’s performance. These products bring the AQF product line back to its roots because the technology was originally developed for chemical defence suits during the Gulf War. The company was also showcasing Reemay Freedom – an antimicrobial material used in pool and spa; Reemay SP – a specialty product designed for air filtration, dust cartridge
18 January/February 2005
Joe Zazeski, BBA Fiberweb “The main driver in many of these products is what we call antimicrobial; people are not satisfied with standard filtration products any longer – they want cleaner water, better protection from antimicrobials, especially in applications with high temperatures, a lot of oils, bodily fluids, etc.”
ISSN 0015-1882/05 © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
featurearticle Joe Petrosky, Lydall Filtration "Things get interesting any time environmental regulations are changing, as that usually poses significant challenges and opportunities for the filtration industry and filter media manufacturers. I would say diesel fuel media would be a good one to watch over the next six to twelve months, to meet the new standards and challenges facing that market. I think there will be a lot of development from all of the media and filter manufacturers, because I don't believe anyone has the solution yet, especially not for the 2010 regulations."
Matthew Miller, Crane & Co "There's been a continuing consolidation in most segments of the marketplace for some time as small, privately-owned businesses are being sold to larger companies. It's been pervasive and you can see how the players through the entire value chain have changed. Now, major multi-national conglomerates see huge opportunity to bring their management prowess, distribution capability and technology to these businesses. I think we're about to enter a very exciting time for the filtration industry; but if anyone thinks we are going back to the 'good old days', they are mistaken. The requirements are going to get tougher to meet, the resources needed for success will grow; only strong, focused companies will thrive."
applications and special liquid filter applications; and Nylon 6.6 Spunbond, which will be available in developmental quantities during 2005. This year’s show saw Crane & Co introduce its new fluoropolymer products, as well as publicise the company’s ability to offer products not only in roll form, but also in sheet form. Matthew Miller, manager, technical marketing explained that, “the fluoropolymer nonwovens are suitable for use as a filter media (for coarse applications compared to expanded PTFE membranes), as a backing for high performance filter membranes and for a variety of other filter constructions. The fluoropolymer nonwovens afford thermal stability and chemical resistance that are of value in challenging environments, including aggressive chemicals, semiconductor manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and flu gas emissions, for example.” Miller said that there are two general trends that have driven Crane’s efforts in the filtration market for some time: “materials that can withstand the rigours of challenging industrial
Filtration+Separation
environments, as well as more cost-effective materials that afford very fine filtration (sub-micron). Because we have a flexible and cost-effective manufacturing process suitable for producing highlyuniform wet-laid nonwovens with very narrow pore size distributions, we have a very unique capability.” We found USA, Rochester-based Lydall Filtration drumming up interest for its line of wetlaid products designed specifically for the liquid filtration market. “Our basic knowledge is wetlaid microglasses, wetlaid synthetic blends, and wetlaid carbon media,” said Lydall’s Joe Petrosky, director of marketing and sales for liquid filtration. “We also have a meltblown polypropylene operation, and we make various composites for customers to enhance the performance of their products along multiple dimensions.” The composites are important, he explained, because there are times when a customer might require the efficiency of a microglass with the strength of a spunbond: “making that type of composite is one of the focuses we take into account to provide niche solutions to our customer base.” One of Lydall’s newest products is its line of wetlaid microglasses for the liquid filtration market. “They can be dual or single layer, they can be thermoplastic or thermoset binders, and this helps give a robust platform for various needs in the industry, especially as markets move into areas where broader chemical compatibility is required,” Petrosky added. Another problem that some of Lydall’s customers face, particularly in areas such as fluid power, is producing filters that will be compatible with the continual development of the fluid that requires filtering. “These companies have to worry not just about the chemical compatibility with the current lubricant or fuel, but about what will happen in three years, or five years, with the additives that are being put in,” Petrosky explained. He continued that this is especially apparent with diesel, for example, and in the US this manifests itself in standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “to meet the requirements for low sulphur diesel fuel needed to meet the 2007 and 2010 EPA standards, fuel manufacturers are removing the sulphur – but they have to add in things to make up for some of the characteristics. These could be lubricants or de-icing or additives that help the engine burn cleaner. There have unknown effects as this evolution happens, and companies like the security of knowing that they have a thermoset binder that has water chemical compatibility, so that once the media has been qualified they don’t have to worry as much about what changes are coming down the line.”
January/February 2005 19
featurearticle Angelika Mayman, Hollingsworth & Vose "A general trend is for higher performing materials, meaning increased durability, higher capacity and ability to meet complex technical requirements. The result will be more sophisticated materials, where multiple requirements can be met by one material; or composite materials, where each component addresses a specific technical requirement."
Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V) has been in the news recently with its expanding operations in China; the company has formed a new subsidiary - Hollingsworth & Vose (China) Ltd, and announced plans for a new manufacturing site. Angelika Mayman, the company’s director – new markets, explained that this course of action is in response to market needs: “we have customers in the region and the Asian market is growing, so it makes sense for us to take the next step given that we have been established there for quite a while.” And she added that despite the challenging nature of operating in the region, H&V has done its homework: “it is quite a complex culture to work in, but we have thought very carefully and strategically about how to go about implementing a venture of this magnitude – we have applied a good level of research and ‘feet on the street.’” In terms of filter media developments, she explained, the company continues to pursue its philosophy of “innovating in media that is higher performing, that has longer life, and that needs increasing technical specifications.” Several product lines were being publicised at Filtration 2004, including the Advanced Cure Resin (ACR) product line – a solventbased engine filtration media that can cure to a customer’s desired specification, reducing emissions in a manufacturing facility. High efficiency air and liquid filtration media was also on display: “we have developed a pleatable synthetic composite, designed for customers who want very high efficiency without microglass.” The company has also developed a range of AquaSure pool and spa media: “this includes base media, as well as media with antimicrobial treatment actually built into the fibre, as opposed to coating on a treatment. Because H&V’s treatment is built into the fibre, it doesn’t wash off and gives longer life and better cleanability,” she added. The Filtration 2004 show was one of the first opportunities Filtration + Separation had to meet up with the former BHA Group Holdings Inc since its acquisition by GE Energy earlier in 2004. We spoke to Bill Zimmerman about the company’s newly
Bill Zimmerman, GE Energy "Since 9/11, especially in the USA, there has been a big movement for people to spend more time at home. This phenomenon is being referred to as 'cocooning' or 'nesting.' Given the increase in time spent at home, many of these consumers are now more interested in improving indoor air quality, and these consumers are protecting the health of their families by using air purifiers, allergen bed covers, point-of-use water filtration systems and HEPA rated vacuum cleaners."
20 January/February 2005
launched HEPA-rated vacuum bag. This filtration application is a perfect example of the role that filtration-related devices are now playing as consumers’ needs and expectations become more sophisticated. BHA, for example, had predominantly been an industrial company supplying air pollution control devices, but has recently started targeting the consumer market. “Since 9/11, especially in the US, there has been a big movement for people to spend more time at home. This phenomenon is being referred to as ‘cocooning’ or ‘nesting,’” explained Zimmerman. Given the increase in time spent at home, many of this new breed of consumer are more interested in improving indoor air quality. And they are protecting the health of their families by using air purifiers, allergen bed covers, and point-of-use water filtration systems. And it is this growing segment that GE Energy is targeting with its HEPA rated vacuum bag, explained Zimmerman – those consumers who want more than just a ‘trash bag.’ Sears is launching the vacuum cleaner bag, which uses GE’s ePTFE membrane. “We take PTFE resin and stretch it to a membrane that we laminate to a nonwoven, and then we seal it up into a vacuum bag. The membrane is extremely efficient at capturing sub-micron particulates. The use of a HEPA rated vacuum bag improves the air quality of what is exhausted from the vacuum,” he added. In addition, the bags are co-branded with the DuPont Teflon trademark, so that the consumer can identify with the protective attributes of Teflon Surface Protection. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for a product that they feel protects them. “Our use of a non-woven in the product to improve the strength of the bag communicates this value position, in a market that traditionally equates a paper bag as a ‘trash’ receptacle, or rubbish bin. We are seeing more nonwovens in vacuum bags in Europe that meet near HEPA ratings, and we feel that a significant portion of the US market will be moving in that direction as well.” In addition to its new activity in Korea, Ahlstrom’s Jerome Barrillon, pictured below left, told us that the company’s June acquisition of the filtration division of Hollinee had generated a lot of interest at the show, especially as Ahlstrom’s range of air filtration products has now been boosted. “There are a number of HVAC and air filtration products that are not new to the market but are new to Ahlstrom, giving us the opportunity to leverage our knowledge in filtration while incorporating the new range – I think people have come to find out what this is adding to the Ahlstrom portfolio, and how they can leverage it as well. A customer might be buying a lot of liquid filtration products from us, for example, and suddenly we now have a bigger offering in air filtration that they might be able to take advantage of.” Barrillon was also keen to talk about Ahlstrom’s alliance with Lydall on a specific microglass product for engine filtration. The deal is a typical example of a strategic partnership benefiting both parties; as one of the major suppliers of engine filtration media, Ahlstrom has access to a large portion of the engine filtration market; and Lydall provides the technology for the new product. “They brought the product and we brought the market,” he said. Foss Manufacturing Company Inc was presenting at the filtration show for the first time, and was showcasing its patented Fosshield antimicrobial fibres – for use in a number of filter media applications from fuel filters to anti-mould air filters – as well as a range of specialty needlepunch filter media. Alfred Bobst told us, “Hollingsworth & Vose has incorporated our
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featurearticle Fosshield fibre into its AquaSure spa filter media. With regards to our specialty products, we have received a very favourable
Jerome Barrillon, Ahlstrom "Out of Europe we have the new common rail diesel engines, which require very high purity of the diesel going into the injectors because it's very high pressure, so we've developed some laminate filters based on fine fibre nonwovens combined with traditional wetlaid paper filter media. In the US, we are also moving more from solvent-based resins to water-based resins. There's been more emphasis on change in Europe at the moment than in the US, and the percentage of diesel cars in Europe to the US is much higher."
Alfred Bobst, Foss Manufacturing Company Inc "One trend that was very evident from the show was the need for active filter media to enhance performance. We also believe major market needs in the area of safe drinking water and indoor air quality have already had a significant impact on the marketplace. Ensuring water quality at the point of dispensing is imperative. Mould is a major issue for indoor air quality."
response to our Fosspleat pleatable filter media. This can be designed for different efficiencies, dust holding capacity and permeability. We also can include Fosshield antimicrobial fibre in the media.”
Supporting equipment Moving away from filter media itself, several manufacturers at the show demonstrated machines that improve the way in which filters can be manufactured. Amongst the products on display by Sonobond Ultrasonics for example was an innovative three-headed machine used to join felted bags to plastic circular collars (pictured overleaf). The RingMaster was the recipient of the 2004 IDEA Equipment Achievement Award – designed to recognise new product introductions in nonwovens and engineered fabrics – and is capable of joining up to 200 or more filter bags per minute. According to president Janet Devine, the RingMaster can be equipped to accommodate most manufacturers’ specific collar designs: “the filter market is looking at ultrasonic bonding to
Filtration+Separation
January/February 2005 21
featurearticle Janet Devine, Sonobond Ultrasonics "Our sense from talking to manufacturers is that the world filter market is experiencing rapid growth. This is occurring because of increased insistence on improved air and water purification, and also in the gradual elimination of the 'grandfathering' clause protection for power plants. Newer regulations and greater demand for electrical power will boost air purification expenditures in this segment. Also, the manufacture of more sophisticated electronic devices increases the need for ultra-pure air filtration systems. The USA's Homeland Security department could generate demand for better filtration systems for large buildings to protect against possible biohazards."
replace the sewing process because ultrasonic bonding is quicker, cleaner and avoids possible compromise of the end product caused by needle holes,” Devine said. As well as the RingMaster, Sonobond displayed the SeamMaster, an ultrasonic seaming machine, which is fitted with a special fixture for joining pleated material; this pleated material is then used to make cartridge filters. Also on display was the PlungeBonder, which is an ultrasonic plunge welder equipped to seal the open end of a felted bag filter. Devine added that Sonobond’s customers for these machines include manufacturers of air, vacuum and liquid filters. Sheepscot Machine Works was showing off a machine designed to provide the adhesive bond between the filter media and the frame or the end cap (pictured below). Sheepscot’s Todd Williams told us that the machine is suitable for use on the types of filters that find their way into products such as vacuum cleaners and respirator filters that can be bought in hardware stores, as well as air filters and automobile filters: “we also get involved with manufacturers that are making the panel or HEPA filters. In fact this could handle almost any variety of filter that uses an adhesive bond between the media and whatever the frame is.” Perhaps the largest machine on display belongs to Miller
Weldmaster, a supplier of heat-sealing technology to filter bag manufacturers. The company’s James Miller explained: “with a combination of heat, speed and pressure, the material will adhere to itself if heated up enough, actually liquefying at the point the heat is being applied to form a bond. It is very strong because there is no hole where the thread has been stitched in, and you don’t need to go and buy a very expensive, heat resistant thread.” The A2Z Filtration team displayed a new version of the company’s cam driven blade pleater. Digvijai Singh (pictured below) told us that the pleat depth can be altered without the user having to open anything, and there is no human intervention required. The version pictured has a speed of 180 pleats per minute.
Raw materials Many of the companies present at Filtration 2004 operate as part of a ‘supporting cast’ for filtration media suppliers, providing the raw materials and components that help the development of the latest filter media products. Phifer Wire Products Inc supplies parts and components to filter manufacturers. “Our products basically go hand in hand with a lot of nonwoven fabrics that are used in filter media,” Greg Rhoden told us. Phifer supplies various types of woven metal products such as aluminium oxicoated steel, bronze and copper mesh, which helps the media withstand the pressures of being in various applications. The meshes are used primarily in hydraulic fluid filters, he explained: “hydraulic fluids cause high pressure through the filter, and the wire mesh becomes necessary to help the media withstand the pressures, without the filter collapsing.”
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featurearticle Toyota adopts cartridgeless filter for global production line One of the more unique pieces of equipment we came across at the show was a cartridgeless filter that is already very popular in Japan, with car manufacturer Toyota one of its biggest recent converts. Colin Rogers, authorised importer of the Filstar in the UK, Germany and USA, explained that it works purely by centrifugal action: "the dirty liquid is pumped in and set into a spinning motion, creating a vortex; that vortex spins all the heavier particles to the outside, and from there the particles are collected." According to Rogers, the Filstar will operate continuously with no filter media, no expendables and no maintenance for as long as it has a supply of liquid pumped at the right flow rate. It has the capacity to handle 8 litres/minute (minimum), but up to 250 litres/minute in a standard range of 6ft products. "The whole thing is driven simply by the flow of liquid through the unit." Rogers believes that the Filstar could be used to replace cartridges in some applications: "it's only going to be fully effective down to about 10 microns (it is possible to go smaller, but special equipment needs to be added.) But below 10 microns, it drops off fairly rapidly," he said, "so it could be used as a pre-filter, or as a secondary filter, after coolant filtration." He explained that because of the compromise that has to be made between flow rate and efficiency when using filter fabrics, some of the bigger particles can get through. "The Filstar could be used post-primary filtration taking out those particles the filter fabrics have missed," he added.
The Filstar's inventor, Kazu Takahashi, demonstrates the machine in action
Filtration 2004 best booth awards Delstar Technologies Inc came away with the award ‘winner best large booth.’ The company acquired Coretec in April 2004, and now hopes to sell cores primarily to the Reverse Osmosis market, which it already sells a lot of its Naltex netting products into.
Porous Materials Inc took away the award for Winner - Best Small Booth. Products on display at its booth included its Capillary Flow Porometer, which provides fully automated through-pore analysis including bubble point; pore size distribution; mean pore size; gas, liquid, and Frazier permeability; hydro-head; and integrity, as well as its Complete Filter Cartridge Tester, providing fully-automated through-pore analysis of entire filter cartridges of various geometries.
Bruce Korb, Delstar Technologies Inc "Most of the trends now are really a lean towards composite structures – bringing a variety of materials together and supplying them in a single rollgood form such as a netting media type structure that has already been pre-combined for specific end use. The other things that people have been asking for are the higher-temperature type medias like nylon and polyester. A fair amount of this demand is coming out of the automotive sector - in engine-related applications."
Filtration+Separation
January/February 2005 23
featurearticle There were several companies we came across supplying various carbons for use in filter media. Kenneth Thomas of PICA Activated Carbons said the company had experienced an increase in demand for carbons that can be used in respirator products, as well as for homeland security. The company is also working on military carbons. “People are looking for carbons that can absorb military toxins as well as industrial toxins, so they are looking for an all purpose carbon,” he explained. “Carbons can be used in respirators, suits, or filters used in hospitals or other protected areas like ambulances – or other vehicles used by ‘first response’ personnel.”
George Doemling, Calgon Carbon Corp
radiological contaminants. Traditionally, adds Doemling, Barneby has been strong in coconut-based carbon, and Calgon in coal-based carbon, and that has allowed for synergies between the two organisations. “Barneby was also very effective in very small customers’ niche applications and Calgon has traditionally been very active in large applications
Quentin Mackenzie, Purification Products Ltd "Everything is getting smaller and smaller, so our customers are wanting the same performance in a smaller and smaller area. That's what we are working on, using thinner and thinner material. Obviously there are limits, because the smaller it gets the less carbon we can put there!"
"Water treatment has always been big and we've always been strong in that area. It's become more competitive over the years; Also things like odour control, as well as issues surrounding emissions. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) seems to be getting tighter on these kinds of regulations and I am sure there is money to be spent in those areas."
He also mentioned supercapacitors as another possible area of development for carbon manufacturers. Another well-known carbon manufacturer is Calgon Carbon Corp, which makes activated carbon for use in various applications such as water treatment, liquid phase applications, and vapour phase applications. Calgon’s George Doemling explained that activated carbon is irregular in its chemical structure, making it ideal for absorption because the irregularities or pores within the carbon structure allow for the absorption to take place. “When people talk about activated carbon, the activation process is actually the opening up of those pores within the carbon surface,” he said. Calgon recently acquired acquired Waterlink’s Specialty Products Division – made up of Barneby Sutcliffe in the USA and Sutcliffe Speakman in the UK – and Calgon was using the show as a way of publicising its new Protect containment line for HVAC applications, acquired as part of this deal. The products offered within the Protect Containment Systems line include single-pass activated carbon absorbers for the filtration of weapon-grade toxicological agents, including biological, chemical, and
Jenny Nash, Donaldson Membranes "we concentrated on both the filtration and technical markets for this show. Some of the applications were chemical processing, coal fire boilers, the utility industry and minerals. We are seeing a trend in the steel and utility markets. Steel is going from a polyester to a membrane fibreglass bag for longer life; the utility market is going to a membrane bag for efficiency and the ability to recover from upset conditions. We will also be seeing an increase of use in the utility market because the bag can capture smaller particles - this will be driven by the Mercury legislation."
Filtration+Separation
so there are also synergies there,” he added. Quentin Mackenzie of UK-based Purification Products explained that the company has a unique way of adding activated carbons into woven and nonwoven material, without blinding or destroying the properties of the activated carbon: “we put the powder in first, then the binder on afterwards, so it doesn’t ‘blind’ the carbon with adhesive – i.e. cover the pores up and make it ineffective. Many other companies make a slurry of the powder and binder and then spray it in.” The company mainly sells a rollgood to customers, who then turn it into something else. “One of our main customers is Dr Scholl, a company which makes the super odour destroyers, a competitor of odour eaters. The company also makes ‘breather’ filters that go into disk drives. According to Mackenzie, “these require a very thin, clean and robust material. When the disk spins, the centrifugal force brings in a little bit of air and this filters it. It also absorbs any off-gasing of the plastic within the computer. This is a big market for us.” And finally, Timothy Donovan from KX Industries, which supplies traditional activated carbon core extrusions, told us that most of the interest at the show had focused on the company’s flatsheet extrusion Plekx media for both liquid and air separation. KX, he explained, is also working on nanofibre technology: “we’re hoping this will be groundbreaking, in how we’re creating the nanofibre to fit a particular size requirement – that we think has a niche market – and then converting it into a nonwoven as a deliverable media.” Watch this space.
January/February 2005 25
Filtration 2004 – a review In December of last year, the Filtration 2004 show took place in Philadelphia, USA. Filtration + Separation magazine was in attendance, and found much of the filtration industry’s supply chain represented. David Hopwood reports… If one ever wanted a representative cross-section of the filter media industry as it stands today, the latest Filtration conference and exposition, which took place in Philadelphia on 7-9 December 2004, provided an excellent indication of the kinds of products on offer across the filter media spectrum. As well as a number of high-profile filter media manufacturers displaying products containing the latest in filtration technology, there was also a representation of companies who provide back up to filter media manufacturers in the form of equipment and raw materials. It was interesting to get a feel for the latest developments in applications calling upon filter media technology. No longer confined to industrial processes, the trend towards providing filters that cater for the needs of the 'individual' or the consumer continues. Two examples are personal and business safety, as well as homeland security in the USA, for which several companies present have already developed filtration solutions for. And speaking on the safety theme, the conference's keynote speaker Ellen Kullman, group vice president for DuPont Safety & Protection, pointed out that safety has traditionally been defined as practices and products that reduce injuries at home and in the workplace. Yet as individuals feel less secure in an increasingly threatening world, 'safety' has now expanded into a broader value proposition based on the needs of people to be supported with products that keep them out of harm's way. “Our core desire as individuals is to live a safe life and to protect ourselves and our children,” she said. “Safety can be a part of the value equation a company can bring to the marketplace.” The filtration industry has long been an important player in this arena, and as the media continues to highlight the need for safer environments in which to live, opportunities for the filtration industry to tap into this safety-conscious mindset should remain for some time to come.
We have broken down our coverage of the show into several areas filter media, supporting equipment and raw materials . We also asked those we spoke to for their views on where the filtration industry is heading.
Filter media Joe Zazeski from BBA Fiberweb took us through the company’s new products, including its Chemshield filtration media used in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) systems, and which is currently being used for national security applications to provide protection against potential chemical attack. “It’s an extremely interesting product used in embassies and buildings that would be near possible terrorist targets,” explained Zazeski. The media is built on the AQF technology platform using bicomponent fibres that anchor special grades of activated carbon granules in a three-dimensional fibrous matrix. The patented technology ensures that the carbon granules are secured in place while providing maximum access to the air stream. A variety of government-specified surrogate chemicals are used to evaluate the media’s performance. These products bring the AQF product line back to its roots because the technology was originally developed for chemical defence suits during the Gulf War. The company was also showcasing Reemay Freedom – an antimicrobial material used in pool and spa; Reemay SP – a specialty product designed for air filtration, dust cartridge
18 January/February 2005
Joe Zazeski, BBA Fiberweb “The main driver in many of these products is what we call antimicrobial; people are not satisfied with standard filtration products any longer – they want cleaner water, better protection from antimicrobials, especially in applications with high temperatures, a lot of oils, bodily fluids, etc.”
ISSN 0015-1882/05 © 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
featurearticle Joe Petrosky, Lydall Filtration "Things get interesting any time environmental regulations are changing, as that usually poses significant challenges and opportunities for the filtration industry and filter media manufacturers. I would say diesel fuel media would be a good one to watch over the next six to twelve months, to meet the new standards and challenges facing that market. I think there will be a lot of development from all of the media and filter manufacturers, because I don't believe anyone has the solution yet, especially not for the 2010 regulations."
Matthew Miller, Crane & Co "There's been a continuing consolidation in most segments of the marketplace for some time as small, privately-owned businesses are being sold to larger companies. It's been pervasive and you can see how the players through the entire value chain have changed. Now, major multi-national conglomerates see huge opportunity to bring their management prowess, distribution capability and technology to these businesses. I think we're about to enter a very exciting time for the filtration industry; but if anyone thinks we are going back to the 'good old days', they are mistaken. The requirements are going to get tougher to meet, the resources needed for success will grow; only strong, focused companies will thrive."
applications and special liquid filter applications; and Nylon 6.6 Spunbond, which will be available in developmental quantities during 2005. This year’s show saw Crane & Co introduce its new fluoropolymer products, as well as publicise the company’s ability to offer products not only in roll form, but also in sheet form. Matthew Miller, manager, technical marketing explained that, “the fluoropolymer nonwovens are suitable for use as a filter media (for coarse applications compared to expanded PTFE membranes), as a backing for high performance filter membranes and for a variety of other filter constructions. The fluoropolymer nonwovens afford thermal stability and chemical resistance that are of value in challenging environments, including aggressive chemicals, semiconductor manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and flu gas emissions, for example.” Miller said that there are two general trends that have driven Crane’s efforts in the filtration market for some time: “materials that can withstand the rigours of challenging industrial
Filtration+Separation
environments, as well as more cost-effective materials that afford very fine filtration (sub-micron). Because we have a flexible and cost-effective manufacturing process suitable for producing highlyuniform wet-laid nonwovens with very narrow pore size distributions, we have a very unique capability.” We found USA, Rochester-based Lydall Filtration drumming up interest for its line of wetlaid products designed specifically for the liquid filtration market. “Our basic knowledge is wetlaid microglasses, wetlaid synthetic blends, and wetlaid carbon media,” said Lydall’s Joe Petrosky, director of marketing and sales for liquid filtration. “We also have a meltblown polypropylene operation, and we make various composites for customers to enhance the performance of their products along multiple dimensions.” The composites are important, he explained, because there are times when a customer might require the efficiency of a microglass with the strength of a spunbond: “making that type of composite is one of the focuses we take into account to provide niche solutions to our customer base.” One of Lydall’s newest products is its line of wetlaid microglasses for the liquid filtration market. “They can be dual or single layer, they can be thermoplastic or thermoset binders, and this helps give a robust platform for various needs in the industry, especially as markets move into areas where broader chemical compatibility is required,” Petrosky added. Another problem that some of Lydall’s customers face, particularly in areas such as fluid power, is producing filters that will be compatible with the continual development of the fluid that requires filtering. “These companies have to worry not just about the chemical compatibility with the current lubricant or fuel, but about what will happen in three years, or five years, with the additives that are being put in,” Petrosky explained. He continued that this is especially apparent with diesel, for example, and in the US this manifests itself in standards set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “to meet the requirements for low sulphur diesel fuel needed to meet the 2007 and 2010 EPA standards, fuel manufacturers are removing the sulphur – but they have to add in things to make up for some of the characteristics. These could be lubricants or de-icing or additives that help the engine burn cleaner. There have unknown effects as this evolution happens, and companies like the security of knowing that they have a thermoset binder that has water chemical compatibility, so that once the media has been qualified they don’t have to worry as much about what changes are coming down the line.”
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featurearticle Angelika Mayman, Hollingsworth & Vose "A general trend is for higher performing materials, meaning increased durability, higher capacity and ability to meet complex technical requirements. The result will be more sophisticated materials, where multiple requirements can be met by one material; or composite materials, where each component addresses a specific technical requirement."
Hollingsworth & Vose (H&V) has been in the news recently with its expanding operations in China; the company has formed a new subsidiary - Hollingsworth & Vose (China) Ltd, and announced plans for a new manufacturing site. Angelika Mayman, the company’s director – new markets, explained that this course of action is in response to market needs: “we have customers in the region and the Asian market is growing, so it makes sense for us to take the next step given that we have been established there for quite a while.” And she added that despite the challenging nature of operating in the region, H&V has done its homework: “it is quite a complex culture to work in, but we have thought very carefully and strategically about how to go about implementing a venture of this magnitude – we have applied a good level of research and ‘feet on the street.’” In terms of filter media developments, she explained, the company continues to pursue its philosophy of “innovating in media that is higher performing, that has longer life, and that needs increasing technical specifications.” Several product lines were being publicised at Filtration 2004, including the Advanced Cure Resin (ACR) product line – a solventbased engine filtration media that can cure to a customer’s desired specification, reducing emissions in a manufacturing facility. High efficiency air and liquid filtration media was also on display: “we have developed a pleatable synthetic composite, designed for customers who want very high efficiency without microglass.” The company has also developed a range of AquaSure pool and spa media: “this includes base media, as well as media with antimicrobial treatment actually built into the fibre, as opposed to coating on a treatment. Because H&V’s treatment is built into the fibre, it doesn’t wash off and gives longer life and better cleanability,” she added. The Filtration 2004 show was one of the first opportunities Filtration + Separation had to meet up with the former BHA Group Holdings Inc since its acquisition by GE Energy earlier in 2004. We spoke to Bill Zimmerman about the company’s newly
Bill Zimmerman, GE Energy "Since 9/11, especially in the USA, there has been a big movement for people to spend more time at home. This phenomenon is being referred to as 'cocooning' or 'nesting.' Given the increase in time spent at home, many of these consumers are now more interested in improving indoor air quality, and these consumers are protecting the health of their families by using air purifiers, allergen bed covers, point-of-use water filtration systems and HEPA rated vacuum cleaners."
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launched HEPA-rated vacuum bag. This filtration application is a perfect example of the role that filtration-related devices are now playing as consumers’ needs and expectations become more sophisticated. BHA, for example, had predominantly been an industrial company supplying air pollution control devices, but has recently started targeting the consumer market. “Since 9/11, especially in the US, there has been a big movement for people to spend more time at home. This phenomenon is being referred to as ‘cocooning’ or ‘nesting,’” explained Zimmerman. Given the increase in time spent at home, many of this new breed of consumer are more interested in improving indoor air quality. And they are protecting the health of their families by using air purifiers, allergen bed covers, and point-of-use water filtration systems. And it is this growing segment that GE Energy is targeting with its HEPA rated vacuum bag, explained Zimmerman – those consumers who want more than just a ‘trash bag.’ Sears is launching the vacuum cleaner bag, which uses GE’s ePTFE membrane. “We take PTFE resin and stretch it to a membrane that we laminate to a nonwoven, and then we seal it up into a vacuum bag. The membrane is extremely efficient at capturing sub-micron particulates. The use of a HEPA rated vacuum bag improves the air quality of what is exhausted from the vacuum,” he added. In addition, the bags are co-branded with the DuPont Teflon trademark, so that the consumer can identify with the protective attributes of Teflon Surface Protection. Consumers are willing to pay a premium for a product that they feel protects them. “Our use of a non-woven in the product to improve the strength of the bag communicates this value position, in a market that traditionally equates a paper bag as a ‘trash’ receptacle, or rubbish bin. We are seeing more nonwovens in vacuum bags in Europe that meet near HEPA ratings, and we feel that a significant portion of the US market will be moving in that direction as well.” In addition to its new activity in Korea, Ahlstrom’s Jerome Barrillon, pictured below left, told us that the company’s June acquisition of the filtration division of Hollinee had generated a lot of interest at the show, especially as Ahlstrom’s range of air filtration products has now been boosted. “There are a number of HVAC and air filtration products that are not new to the market but are new to Ahlstrom, giving us the opportunity to leverage our knowledge in filtration while incorporating the new range – I think people have come to find out what this is adding to the Ahlstrom portfolio, and how they can leverage it as well. A customer might be buying a lot of liquid filtration products from us, for example, and suddenly we now have a bigger offering in air filtration that they might be able to take advantage of.” Barrillon was also keen to talk about Ahlstrom’s alliance with Lydall on a specific microglass product for engine filtration. The deal is a typical example of a strategic partnership benefiting both parties; as one of the major suppliers of engine filtration media, Ahlstrom has access to a large portion of the engine filtration market; and Lydall provides the technology for the new product. “They brought the product and we brought the market,” he said. Foss Manufacturing Company Inc was presenting at the filtration show for the first time, and was showcasing its patented Fosshield antimicrobial fibres – for use in a number of filter media applications from fuel filters to anti-mould air filters – as well as a range of specialty needlepunch filter media. Alfred Bobst told us, “Hollingsworth & Vose has incorporated our
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featurearticle Fosshield fibre into its AquaSure spa filter media. With regards to our specialty products, we have received a very favourable
Jerome Barrillon, Ahlstrom "Out of Europe we have the new common rail diesel engines, which require very high purity of the diesel going into the injectors because it's very high pressure, so we've developed some laminate filters based on fine fibre nonwovens combined with traditional wetlaid paper filter media. In the US, we are also moving more from solvent-based resins to water-based resins. There's been more emphasis on change in Europe at the moment than in the US, and the percentage of diesel cars in Europe to the US is much higher."
Alfred Bobst, Foss Manufacturing Company Inc "One trend that was very evident from the show was the need for active filter media to enhance performance. We also believe major market needs in the area of safe drinking water and indoor air quality have already had a significant impact on the marketplace. Ensuring water quality at the point of dispensing is imperative. Mould is a major issue for indoor air quality."
response to our Fosspleat pleatable filter media. This can be designed for different efficiencies, dust holding capacity and permeability. We also can include Fosshield antimicrobial fibre in the media.”
Supporting equipment Moving away from filter media itself, several manufacturers at the show demonstrated machines that improve the way in which filters can be manufactured. Amongst the products on display by Sonobond Ultrasonics for example was an innovative three-headed machine used to join felted bags to plastic circular collars (pictured overleaf). The RingMaster was the recipient of the 2004 IDEA Equipment Achievement Award – designed to recognise new product introductions in nonwovens and engineered fabrics – and is capable of joining up to 200 or more filter bags per minute. According to president Janet Devine, the RingMaster can be equipped to accommodate most manufacturers’ specific collar designs: “the filter market is looking at ultrasonic bonding to
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featurearticle Janet Devine, Sonobond Ultrasonics "Our sense from talking to manufacturers is that the world filter market is experiencing rapid growth. This is occurring because of increased insistence on improved air and water purification, and also in the gradual elimination of the 'grandfathering' clause protection for power plants. Newer regulations and greater demand for electrical power will boost air purification expenditures in this segment. Also, the manufacture of more sophisticated electronic devices increases the need for ultra-pure air filtration systems. The USA's Homeland Security department could generate demand for better filtration systems for large buildings to protect against possible biohazards."
replace the sewing process because ultrasonic bonding is quicker, cleaner and avoids possible compromise of the end product caused by needle holes,” Devine said. As well as the RingMaster, Sonobond displayed the SeamMaster, an ultrasonic seaming machine, which is fitted with a special fixture for joining pleated material; this pleated material is then used to make cartridge filters. Also on display was the PlungeBonder, which is an ultrasonic plunge welder equipped to seal the open end of a felted bag filter. Devine added that Sonobond’s customers for these machines include manufacturers of air, vacuum and liquid filters. Sheepscot Machine Works was showing off a machine designed to provide the adhesive bond between the filter media and the frame or the end cap (pictured below). Sheepscot’s Todd Williams told us that the machine is suitable for use on the types of filters that find their way into products such as vacuum cleaners and respirator filters that can be bought in hardware stores, as well as air filters and automobile filters: “we also get involved with manufacturers that are making the panel or HEPA filters. In fact this could handle almost any variety of filter that uses an adhesive bond between the media and whatever the frame is.” Perhaps the largest machine on display belongs to Miller
Weldmaster, a supplier of heat-sealing technology to filter bag manufacturers. The company’s James Miller explained: “with a combination of heat, speed and pressure, the material will adhere to itself if heated up enough, actually liquefying at the point the heat is being applied to form a bond. It is very strong because there is no hole where the thread has been stitched in, and you don’t need to go and buy a very expensive, heat resistant thread.” The A2Z Filtration team displayed a new version of the company’s cam driven blade pleater. Digvijai Singh (pictured below) told us that the pleat depth can be altered without the user having to open anything, and there is no human intervention required. The version pictured has a speed of 180 pleats per minute.
Raw materials Many of the companies present at Filtration 2004 operate as part of a ‘supporting cast’ for filtration media suppliers, providing the raw materials and components that help the development of the latest filter media products. Phifer Wire Products Inc supplies parts and components to filter manufacturers. “Our products basically go hand in hand with a lot of nonwoven fabrics that are used in filter media,” Greg Rhoden told us. Phifer supplies various types of woven metal products such as aluminium oxicoated steel, bronze and copper mesh, which helps the media withstand the pressures of being in various applications. The meshes are used primarily in hydraulic fluid filters, he explained: “hydraulic fluids cause high pressure through the filter, and the wire mesh becomes necessary to help the media withstand the pressures, without the filter collapsing.”
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featurearticle Toyota adopts cartridgeless filter for global production line One of the more unique pieces of equipment we came across at the show was a cartridgeless filter that is already very popular in Japan, with car manufacturer Toyota one of its biggest recent converts. Colin Rogers, authorised importer of the Filstar in the UK, Germany and USA, explained that it works purely by centrifugal action: "the dirty liquid is pumped in and set into a spinning motion, creating a vortex; that vortex spins all the heavier particles to the outside, and from there the particles are collected." According to Rogers, the Filstar will operate continuously with no filter media, no expendables and no maintenance for as long as it has a supply of liquid pumped at the right flow rate. It has the capacity to handle 8 litres/minute (minimum), but up to 250 litres/minute in a standard range of 6ft products. "The whole thing is driven simply by the flow of liquid through the unit." Rogers believes that the Filstar could be used to replace cartridges in some applications: "it's only going to be fully effective down to about 10 microns (it is possible to go smaller, but special equipment needs to be added.) But below 10 microns, it drops off fairly rapidly," he said, "so it could be used as a pre-filter, or as a secondary filter, after coolant filtration." He explained that because of the compromise that has to be made between flow rate and efficiency when using filter fabrics, some of the bigger particles can get through. "The Filstar could be used post-primary filtration taking out those particles the filter fabrics have missed," he added.
The Filstar's inventor, Kazu Takahashi, demonstrates the machine in action
Filtration 2004 best booth awards Delstar Technologies Inc came away with the award ‘winner best large booth.’ The company acquired Coretec in April 2004, and now hopes to sell cores primarily to the Reverse Osmosis market, which it already sells a lot of its Naltex netting products into.
Porous Materials Inc took away the award for Winner - Best Small Booth. Products on display at its booth included its Capillary Flow Porometer, which provides fully automated through-pore analysis including bubble point; pore size distribution; mean pore size; gas, liquid, and Frazier permeability; hydro-head; and integrity, as well as its Complete Filter Cartridge Tester, providing fully-automated through-pore analysis of entire filter cartridges of various geometries.
Bruce Korb, Delstar Technologies Inc "Most of the trends now are really a lean towards composite structures – bringing a variety of materials together and supplying them in a single rollgood form such as a netting media type structure that has already been pre-combined for specific end use. The other things that people have been asking for are the higher-temperature type medias like nylon and polyester. A fair amount of this demand is coming out of the automotive sector - in engine-related applications."
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featurearticle There were several companies we came across supplying various carbons for use in filter media. Kenneth Thomas of PICA Activated Carbons said the company had experienced an increase in demand for carbons that can be used in respirator products, as well as for homeland security. The company is also working on military carbons. “People are looking for carbons that can absorb military toxins as well as industrial toxins, so they are looking for an all purpose carbon,” he explained. “Carbons can be used in respirators, suits, or filters used in hospitals or other protected areas like ambulances – or other vehicles used by ‘first response’ personnel.”
George Doemling, Calgon Carbon Corp
radiological contaminants. Traditionally, adds Doemling, Barneby has been strong in coconut-based carbon, and Calgon in coal-based carbon, and that has allowed for synergies between the two organisations. “Barneby was also very effective in very small customers’ niche applications and Calgon has traditionally been very active in large applications
Quentin Mackenzie, Purification Products Ltd "Everything is getting smaller and smaller, so our customers are wanting the same performance in a smaller and smaller area. That's what we are working on, using thinner and thinner material. Obviously there are limits, because the smaller it gets the less carbon we can put there!"
"Water treatment has always been big and we've always been strong in that area. It's become more competitive over the years; Also things like odour control, as well as issues surrounding emissions. The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) seems to be getting tighter on these kinds of regulations and I am sure there is money to be spent in those areas."
He also mentioned supercapacitors as another possible area of development for carbon manufacturers. Another well-known carbon manufacturer is Calgon Carbon Corp, which makes activated carbon for use in various applications such as water treatment, liquid phase applications, and vapour phase applications. Calgon’s George Doemling explained that activated carbon is irregular in its chemical structure, making it ideal for absorption because the irregularities or pores within the carbon structure allow for the absorption to take place. “When people talk about activated carbon, the activation process is actually the opening up of those pores within the carbon surface,” he said. Calgon recently acquired acquired Waterlink’s Specialty Products Division – made up of Barneby Sutcliffe in the USA and Sutcliffe Speakman in the UK – and Calgon was using the show as a way of publicising its new Protect containment line for HVAC applications, acquired as part of this deal. The products offered within the Protect Containment Systems line include single-pass activated carbon absorbers for the filtration of weapon-grade toxicological agents, including biological, chemical, and
Jenny Nash, Donaldson Membranes "we concentrated on both the filtration and technical markets for this show. Some of the applications were chemical processing, coal fire boilers, the utility industry and minerals. We are seeing a trend in the steel and utility markets. Steel is going from a polyester to a membrane fibreglass bag for longer life; the utility market is going to a membrane bag for efficiency and the ability to recover from upset conditions. We will also be seeing an increase of use in the utility market because the bag can capture smaller particles - this will be driven by the Mercury legislation."
Filtration+Separation
so there are also synergies there,” he added. Quentin Mackenzie of UK-based Purification Products explained that the company has a unique way of adding activated carbons into woven and nonwoven material, without blinding or destroying the properties of the activated carbon: “we put the powder in first, then the binder on afterwards, so it doesn’t ‘blind’ the carbon with adhesive – i.e. cover the pores up and make it ineffective. Many other companies make a slurry of the powder and binder and then spray it in.” The company mainly sells a rollgood to customers, who then turn it into something else. “One of our main customers is Dr Scholl, a company which makes the super odour destroyers, a competitor of odour eaters. The company also makes ‘breather’ filters that go into disk drives. According to Mackenzie, “these require a very thin, clean and robust material. When the disk spins, the centrifugal force brings in a little bit of air and this filters it. It also absorbs any off-gasing of the plastic within the computer. This is a big market for us.” And finally, Timothy Donovan from KX Industries, which supplies traditional activated carbon core extrusions, told us that most of the interest at the show had focused on the company’s flatsheet extrusion Plekx media for both liquid and air separation. KX, he explained, is also working on nanofibre technology: “we’re hoping this will be groundbreaking, in how we’re creating the nanofibre to fit a particular size requirement – that we think has a niche market – and then converting it into a nonwoven as a deliverable media.” Watch this space.
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