Filter Order Process

Overview

Global Filters Ltd (GFL) is an international business supplying industrial goods and services worldwide: high performance low cost filters and innovative filtration solutions to manufacturers, and through them to their distributors.

Our by-line is “Innovation in Filtration”. GFL experts offer a wide range of filter solutions for demanding applications. Injection molded plastic mesh and metal wire mesh filters are a specialty.

GFL designs, develops, prototypes and produces cost-effective custom moulded filtration components and filter solutions for demanding client applications across a wide range of industries.

Filter Applications

Filtration solutions can be found in a large number of industries. If your application is in one of these areas, please contact us to discuss how we can help you:

  • agricultural, aerospace,  air filtration, automotive,
  • beverages, biotechnology, building trades,
  • chemical analysis, clean rooms, cleaning products, clothing,
  •  computers, confectionery, construction, consumer durables, cosmetics,
  • dairy products, dental, domestic appliances, drinks,
  • electronics, fishing, flour, food,  furniture,
  • gas, grain, health care, heating, hotels,
  • industrial engineering, laboratory, livestock,
  • machine tooling, manufacturing, medical, mesh filters,
  •  metalworking, military, mining,
  • oil, petroleum, pharmaceutical, plastics, printing and publishing, pulp, paper,
  • quarrying, refining, restaurants,
  • semiconductors, shipping, smelting, space, steel, sugar, swimming pools,
  • textile, timber, tobacco production, toys, transport,
  • utilities, ventilation, waste management, water purification.

Preliminary Enquiry

Customers often find us through a search engine, references from academic or professional organisations, or word of mouth recommendations from current and previous customers.

Our website has a Contact Us page, with details of how to contact us by email, fax, phone, letter, mail or personal visit to our headquarters in the beautiful surroundings of the New Forest, Hampshire, England.

In the first instance let us know your contact details, industry and proposed application. We will make contact with you, confirm receipt of your enquiry and initiate a discussion.

Filter Consultancy

Perhaps you have an existing filter component that you wish to improve in terms of quality or cost. Perhaps you are planning a new filter component or filtration application and need advice and assistance to validate the specification and design of a filtration solution. Or you have encountered an issue that needs our specialist problem-solving skills.

Whatever your filtration issue, feel free to ask the experts at GFL to help you. We will look at the situation, the current filtration problem and the budget, and together consider possible filtration solutions.  Through discussion we explore the feasibility and cost of different filtration solutions and how they can be adapted to match your exact requirements.

Filter Design and Development

Once we have an outline design or a full design from an earlier (or future) filter component, we can assist you in optimising the design for the best filtration solution to meet your current requirements. See Filter Design and Development.

With SolidWorks computer-aided design (CAD) technology we can prepare the necessary drawings and computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing instructions to realise your filter component.

Filter Material Selection

The choice of material is important in terms of quality, reliability, performance and value for money. See Filter Material Selection.

The choice of filter medium for the filtration application includes plastic, metal, microporous membrane mesh, needlefelts, nylon mesh and non-wovens . Mesh filter media can be electroformed, etched, expanded, extruded, knitted, perforated, welded, woven etc depending on the filtration application and customer requirements. Woven media can be monofilament or multifilament. The most popular plastic filtration materials are Nylon 6.6, Polyester and Polypropylene and others to a lesser extent. Even PTFE membrane material or HEPA filter type material can easily be overmoulded to provide it with a rigid frame for inserting into other equipment.

Materials that could be used to encapsulate a mesh filter component include a wide variety of plastics (organic and inorganic polymers) and synthetic thermosetting resins – shown here with some typical brand names from plastic manufacturers:

  • Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS),
  • aromatic Polyester  (Vectran),
  • Copolyamid (Technora),
  • cross-linked Polyethylene (PEX, XLPE),
  • Cyanate esters,
  • Duroplast,
  • Epoxy,
  • Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA),
  • glass-reinforced plastic,
  • graphite-reinforced plastic,
  • high density Polyethylene (HDPE),
  • Para-aramid (Kevlar /Twaron),
  • low density Polyethylene (LDPE),
  • Melamine,
  • Polychloroprene (Neoprene),
  • meta-Aramid (Nomex),
  • Polyacrylic acid (PAA) ,
  • Polyamide (PA/Nylon),
  • Phenol-formaldehyde (Bakelite),
  • Polyacrylonitrile (PAN/Orlon),
  • Polyamide 11 and polyamide 12 (Rilsan),
  • Polybutylene (PB)
  • Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT)
  • Polycarbonate (PC),
  • Polychlorotrifluoroethylene  (PCTFE),
  • Polycyanurates,
  • Polyester fibreglass,
  • Polyester (PEs),
  • Polyethylene (PE) ,
  • Polyethylene terephthalate (PET/PETE/Mylar),
  • Polyimide (PI/Ultem),
  • Polylactic acid (PLA) ,
  • Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA),
  • Polyoxymethylene (POM),
  • Polyphenyl ether (PPE),
  • Polyphosphazene,
  • Poly-p-phenylene-2,6-benzobisoxazole (PBO/Zylon),
  • Polypropylene (PP),
  • Polysiloxane,
  • Polystyrene (PS),
  • Polysulfone (PES),
  • Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE/Teflon/Viton),
  • Polyurethane (PU),
  • Polyvinyl chloride (PVC),
  • Polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) ,
  • Styrene maleic anhydride (SMA),
  • Styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN),
  • thermoplastic Polyurethanes (TPU),
  • Urea-formaldehyde.

For example, in an aerospace application the best plastic material is probably light and strong; in an automotive application, weight may be less important than shock resistance and thermal tolerance to high and low temperatures. For a medical application, keeping shape and performance after sterilisation could be a high priority. In a domestic appliance the cost of an extruded or injection molded mesh filter component can be as important as having a reliable filter with robust performance under adverse conditions. Whether materials are insulating, conductive, anti-static or flame retardant can be important in critical environments.

With our experience we can help you choose the right materials for your filtration application to get the best value for money.

Prototyping

We can help you manufacture a batch of prototype filter components for testing the design of your filtration solution. We have specialist computer-controlled injection molding machines and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) equipment to manufacture filter components in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. We can also supply 3D printed parts in Nylon, which is ideal for proving a design concept.

The design and manufacture of prototypes, as for production items, is subject to our rigorous ISO 9001 accredited quality assurance tests and filter performance tests. See Quality.

We discuss the prototype results with you and adapt the design, materials etc., until you are satisfied.

Filter Performance Testing

Our quality assurance and performance-testing laboratory includes specialised microprocessor technology and equipment for assessing filter components. See Filter Performance Testing.

The pore size of a filter component is a balance between the need to trap larger objects and the requirement for a fluid flow, (e.g. air flow, water flow, gas flow) called the permeability, within the desired range of flow rates without clogging. A sterilising grade filter and a domestic washing machine water filter clearly require very different pore sizes.

The bubble point of a filter component is related to the pore diameter and shape, fluid pressure, capillary action and surface tension. The test is used to check integrity, consistency and uniformity and to indicate where small adjustments can improve performance.

Fluid flow, including diffusion and pressure hold (or pressure drop) is a measure of performance.  The integrity of the filter is checked after a filter challenge test to make sure its performance characteristics are retained under demanding conditions at the boundaries of the filter design.

Filter Production

When the design and prototype have been tested and agreed, we can move on to automated production for medium or high volume mass production. We also have facilities to produce lower volumes without automation. We are flexible, for example with the capability to assemble filter components into sub-assemblies if needed. We can also manufacture the necessary machine tools for you, if you prefer to set up your own production facility elsewhere.

Overmoulding of all types of insert parts

Our manufacturing facilities lend us to producing all types of complex overmoulded insert parts. Vertical injection moulding machines are used for this overmoulding process as the parts can be laid flat on the non-moving half of the tool. Materials can be any metal like Steel, Copper, Zinc, Tin, etc. or stainless steel metal mesh or even a combination of metal parts and filtration media. Many different materials can therefore be encapsulated using this process. Parts can be made in the shape of a cone, cylinder or disk – or with a hinge to be folded open/closed in application. See Filter Manufacturing.

Feedback

Feedback from you and your clients is always welcome because it provides valuable information for adapting the filter component design, reducing the cost, improving the quality and perhaps suggesting an alternative filtration solution.

Please allow for a difference in UK and US spelling, for example injection moulding = injection molding, realise = realize, speciality = specialty. Also a filter is often referred to as a separation filter, sieve, filtration filter, filter screen or even a strainer.

Maintenance

As requirements change, technology progresses and raw materials prices change; the original design can be modified to make an improved filter component with better value for money.

Future Development

With our contacts and expertise we keep in touch with current research and development (R&D) in filtration solutions. This enables us to advise you on new materials and advanced techniques to guide your future development plans. Our relationship is a partnership from which we mutually benefit.