Initial Situation

The production process of paint manufacturing is subjected to strict regulations. The working conditions are comparable to the conditions of a chemical company, which means that there are different ATEX zones. These conditions have to be considered in the selection of machines and components. Due to the toxic gases the maintenance staff has to wear breathing masks when they change the mechanical filter bag. Because of the costly exchange of components, the customer was searching for a filter system which is automatically and self-cleaning without the expenditure of a filter aid and the loss of filter media.

Challenge

The focus is on the removal of metal particles and gel plugs from solvent-based resin varnishes. The separation limit was set at <60μm – 80 μm . In addition, there were the following requirements:
– Reduction of paint losses and manpower
– Use in ATEX zone 1 possible
– Completely made of stainless steel (V4A)
– Shortening of batch processing times
– Use of filter aids

Product Information

– semi-finished product
– Highly filled with titanium dioxide
– On nitrocellulose basis
– Flow rate: ~5m³/h
– Operating temperature: 50°C
– Viscosity: approx. 335mPa/s at shear rate 10001/s

Solution

After a comprehensive requirements analysis and a one-year test run, the customer opted for an AF 133 automatic filter with filter coil and segment cleaning system with external pressure on the recommendation of the Filtration Group employees. This made it possible to replace the previous bag filter system, which could only be maintained at great cost and effort. The modular design of the automatic filter made it possible to develop a tailor-made solution for the customer. In addition, the requirements of the various ATEX zones could be met without any problems, so that nothing stood in the way of use. For the future it is planned to use 8 additional automatic filters in the customer’s factory.

Customer Value

The lead time has increased four times in comparison to bag filters. The process is more reliable thanks to efficient filter cleaning. Further advantages are an effective, sequential cleaning process with high backflush pulse, improved protection of workers who are no longer exposed to toxic gases when changing filters and no expensive process downtimes due to maintenance work. The environment is protected by avoiding waste.