Unlike other filters our filter uses airflow to assist in trapping the particulate instead of blocking both the particulate and air as other filters do. This is why our filter is patented and air flows better through our filter. With few exceptions, spray booth operators say they can “breathe better” and less over spray gets in their face or goes outside the booth. The principal used to trap the over spray is quite simple, but effective:

The widths of the vanes are wide to catch the over-spray and the first channel forces it to swirl like a tornado. The openings are offset and gets smaller - increasing air velocity - forcing the over-spray to the outside wall and continues to the second channel. (Think of a thumb over a water hose.)

There is a change in direction forcing the particulate to slow down to reverse direction, and 96% of the particulate is trapped in this second channel.

There is a third channel and another change in direction to aid in trapping the particulate. Air flows out of the filter while the particulate remains.

Look at the Big Picture! (Remember, better then 85% of our filters that are four years old are still being used.) Hazardous waste disposal is normally your largest expense followed by labor and finally the replacement cost.

Here is a quick way to determine the payback for purchasing our reusable filter.

If you talk to the Air Quality inspectors for your city or state they will probably say efficiency. If you talk to your OSHA inspector they will say airflow. It gets confusing doesn’t it? Until the development of our filter, the more efficient the filter, the sooner it would clog, restricting airflow. When we were developing the filter, we found many companies did not change their filters often enough, restricting airflow or they may have had poor airflow to begin with. This would cause “clouds” inside the booths or employees complained of the smell thus creating a potential heath hazard. (Remember a clogged filter is 100% efficient, nothing can get past it!) Many times the loaded filter would sag, or when a new filter was installed in a hurry, gaps where created. This increased airflow, but dramatically reduced the efficiency of a filter.

When we developed our filter, we first set out to meet or exceed any standards set by the Federal and State EPA, and OSHA. We found more companies had airflow problems, and their efficiency problems were created not from using a less efficient filter, but because of sagging, or gaps created because of poor installation or not changing the filter out often enough. The 90+ % efficient filters they were using were now considerably less efficient because of openings. Certain companies would even clean out their filters with the air exhaust fan on blowing the trapped overspray out the building!

We decided to sacrifice additional efficiency in order to maintain airflow for a longer time. (From 95.5% to current 93.7%). But we found it made a significant difference. Because our filter does not surface load and it maintained better airflow for a longer period, companies which were changing (or should have been changing their filters) every four hours could make it to the end of the shift before sweeping them down. Without question the two things finishing operators like most about our filter is that they “they can breathe better”, and “it is easier to clean”.

We have been selling our filter since 1996. 85% of our filters that are four years old are still being used. Our filter is made of a rigid polymer material and is resistant to solvents. Each vein is ultrasonically welded at four separate areas. We occasionally take a sample filter and continuously drop it from 6 feet onto concrete flooring to test our welds. Since solvent does not harm our filter only abnormal wear and tear on the filter will normally cause it to not last five years or longer. Currently better then 86% of our filters are still in use for those companies that have had our filter for five years or longer.

Many companies use solvent-based paints, stains, or lacquers. Sometime employees clean out their guns or lines and spray the residue onto the filters. Most filters are made of porous material and will absorb the solvent making them potentially flammable or at times will simply combust all by themselves. Our filter is much like a piece of finished furniture. It is non-porous and resistant to solvents causing the solvent to evaporate and not be absorbed. Has your nightstand ever self ignited? No! An Anti-Static Agent is also added to our filter further insuring your safety. We conducted a survey for companies that have used our filter for more than 3 years. With other types of filters, better then 50% have said they had to take special precautions to keep them from combusting. Not one said they had to take a special precaution with ours.