2011 Buyers' Guide 2011 Buyers' Guide - International Fiber Journal

Trends | Filtrationsaturated into polymeric filtration media or filters achievingseparations of oil and chemical suspensions as low as one micronin size. Examples of the ideal use for the technology aredifficult oil/water separations in produced and bilge water andstorm water applications. The same technology has proven capabilitiesfor removing oily mist from air at levels heretoforenot achievable by other media.High-capactiy pleated cartridge filters are capable ofusing a wide selection of filtration media, and are designedto have higher effective filtration surface area and dirtholding capacity.High-Capacity Pleated Cartridge: These commercial filtersare capable of using a wide selection of filtration media.The filters are designed to have significantly higher effectivefiltration surface area and dirt holding capacity than traditionalpleated filters of similar size for use where large quantitiesof liquid are processed. Specific market segments wherethe high-capacity filter has meaningful market share growthpotential, because of comparatively low cost and high dirthold capacity are: beer, wine and soft drink make-up waterprocessing, pulp and papers mills, RO prefilters, coolant andhydraulics filtration, swimming pool filters, coalescing filters,oil, gas, and chemical process filters; and for air: truck andoff-road vehicle engine in-take and gas turbine filters. Inshort, there are few applications where this patented filtercannot excel compared to incumbent filters.10 • August 2010 • www.filtnews.comPleated Ceramic Filters: Ceramic filtration materialsand products have traditionally held a micro portion of thefiltration market. Beyond wall-flow ceramic filters used indiesel exhaust filtration, ceramics have not gained a meaningfultoehold in the market in spite of their enormous potentialfor use in high-temperature and corrosion resistanceapplications. Now, wetlaid ceramic filter media with ceramicbinders fabricated into pleated filters are being sold.This patented technology reduces the cost of conventionalceramic filter systems and increases percent porosity withoutaffecting filter efficiency resulting in lower differentialpressure compared to well-established ceramic filter configurations.The filters are engineered for use in air or liquidapplications where polymeric and metal filters cannotwithstand challenging environments. Equally important,the filters are cleanable in-situ.UNMET NEEDSA number of unmet needs in the filtration market canbe seen, some of which potentially can be solved with indepthmarket research and an internal companyskunkworks devoted to basic and applied research in designingthe next big-think idea. To those who say, filtrationis a highly price-competitive market withouthigh-margin opportunities, one only has look at the profitabilityof membrane companies. Other high-margin examplesinclude precision woven wire cloth andmonofilament woven fabrics, neither of which are a bargain.As these examples demonstrate, customers clearlywill pay for performance. In the future, other new media