The filtration market is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the non-woven fabric industry. The increasing demand for clean air and drinking water from consumers, as well as the tightening regulations worldwide, are the main growth drivers of the filtration market. Manufacturers of filter media are focusing on new product development, investment, and growth in new markets to maintain a leading edge in this important nonwoven field.
Product Innovation
Bondex is a member of Andrew Industries, a multinational company headquartered in the United Kingdom. Brian Lite, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at the company, stated that Bondex’s parent company has always viewed the filtration industry as its strategic market, as the technological and commercial requirements in this field align with Andrew Inusties’ core competencies in quality, service, and innovation, and both Bondex and Andrew are witnessing growth in this area.
With the continuous growth of the manufacturing industry, the market requires higher performance filter media, which is a necessary element to meet emission regulations and high productivity goals, “IE said.” Achieving this balance between filtration efficiency and factory production is driving the growth of pleated filter media and new materials.
Bondex’s recent innovation is the use of unique process technology to produce Hydrolox and Hydrodrl0x HCE products. Hydrolox adopts ultra-high pressure hydraulic entanglement, which is a new type of high-strength filter felt. Its pore size is finer than needle felt, and compared with existing filter felt, it has higher filtration efficiency. At the same time, Bondex combines its process technology with ultrafine fibers and split fibers to develop Hydrol0x HCE, which represents “high collection efficiency” and can achieve the same filtration efficiency as laminated needle felt. Bondex launched Hydrolox in 2017 and expanded its Hydrolox product portfolio beyond aramid, polycarbonate, and PPS, now including PTFE blends (which will be commercialized this fall). We expect the Hydr0l0x HCE product of aramid/PTFE to provide filtration efficiency comparable to film coating, making it suitable for various applications where the filtration efficiency of film coated needle felt may be affected, “Litte said.
Bondex has also developed a pleated polyester Hydrolox product to meet the growing market demand for pleated filter media.
We understand that the market demand for higher filtration performance is constantly growing, so we designed Hydrol0x to meet these needs without sacrificing breathability, “Lile explained.” As industry demand continues to change, the filtration market needs companies that can develop innovative solutions to achieve growth. Our Hydrodr0lox series products can provide high-value solutions for these challenging customers“
Pay attention to indoor air quality
People are increasingly aware that dust, mold, pollution, bacteria, and allergens in indoor air can pose a range of related health risks, which is driving the continued growth of the filtration market. Globally, we continue to see an increasing interest in improving health and productivity, and a growing awareness that the time spent in workplaces, schools, and public indoor spaces can affect people’s health and productivity, “said Juniana Khou, Marketing Manager at Kimbent Clark Professional.” Air filters with high particle capture efficiency, especially submicron particles, are crucial for achieving good indoor air quality (IAQ) and helping residents in buildings avoid related health risks”
Kimberly Clark offers a range of non-woven air filtration media. Among them, Intrepid high tarpaulin two-component spunbond media is commonly used in wave filters, bag filters, and non partition filters (from MERV7 to MERV15), and can be used in commercial and institutional HVAC systems; Low porosity media are commonly used in rigid wrinkled applications, including automotive filters and air purifiers.
Kimberly Clark’s professional air filtration media meets the requirements of improving indoor air quality and reducing energy consumption/costs, “Khour said.” The key to meeting these requirements is the electrostatic charge of non-woven filtration media, which provides high initial and sustained particle capture efficiency and low airflow resistance.
Kimberly Clark is launching a new commercial project – Solution Squad, which is a professional team of experts who can work hand in hand with customers to help them develop excellent filters for competitive advantage. When a customer applies for a Solution Squad, we arrange a phone consultation within 24 hours to learn more about filter design, performance specifications, and manufacturing processes, “Khoun explained.
Despite fierce competition in the filtering market, it is still highly attractive to Kimberly Clark. Kimberly Clark can not only provide excellent products to strengthen the competitive advantage of filter manufacturers, but also provide support as a true partner because we know how to help them succeed in the market, “Khouri said.
New acquisition
Lydal/Company recently acquired the precision filtration business of Precision Custom Coatings (PCC). PCC Precision Filtration Business is a premium supplier of high-quality air filtration media, primarily providing products from MERV7 to MERV11 for the commercial and residential HVAC markets. Through this acquisition, Lydal can provide customers with a full range of air filtration media, from inefficient MERV7 to high-performance ULPA. In addition, this acquisition further enhances Lydal’s flexibility in production, planning, and logistics, enabling it to provide better services to new and existing customers.
We are very excited to acquire PCC’s filtration business as it fully aligns with our strategy of continuing to strengthen high-quality products that customers value in the filtration field, “said Paul Marol, President of LydalPeriodic Materials.
Lydali has been focusing on investment for years. The company recently acquired Interface Performance Materials, a sealing solution provider. In 2016, Lydal acquired German needle punched manufacturer MGF Guische and Canadian needle punched manufacturer Texel. Prior to this, it also acquired Andrew Industies’ bag filter sourcing business in 2015.
Expand into new markets
Since its establishment in 1941, automotive component supplier Mann+Hummel has made significant contributions to the development of filtration technology. The company now offers various filtration systems, including automotive OEM systems and components, automotive aftermarket products, industrial filters, and water filtration products. Miriam Teige, the Corporate Communications Manager of the company, stated that their goal is to seek new markets independent of the automotive industry – approximately 90% of the company’s business is currently linked to internal combustion engines and related fields.
Mann+Hummel is achieving this goal through mergers and acquisitions outside of the automotive industry, including the recent acquisition of Tri Sim Fite’s building filtration business. Mann+Hummel completed the acquisition of air filtration company T-Dim at the end of August. The latter focuses on air filtration for various commercial and industrial applications, including hospitals, schools, automotive factories and paint shops, data centers, food and beverage equipment, and more commercial environments. Mann+Humme is committed to expanding its air and water filtration business, so we are very excited to join the Ti Dim team, “said H à kan Ekberg, Vice President of Mann+Hummel’s Life Sciences and Environment Business Unit.
This initiative reflects our continued commitment to product innovation, customer service, and growth, “Teige said.” We also hope to fully utilize Mann+Humme! Practical experience in operations, distribution, and logistics systems provides Tri Sim with nutrients for rapid growth. ”
Seeing growth opportunities
Some of the main factors that affect the filtration market and promote its sustained growth include the development of big cities, the increase in the number of vehicles on roads, and stricter regulations on indoor air quality. Peter Reich, Deputy Director of Sales for Sandler Filtration Products, stated that these require new product solutions. Especially, he added that the increasingly stringent requirements for indoor air quality have also brought about new international standards for filtration performance, such as the ISO 16890 standard. The product development in the filtration industry is responding to these changes. Filter media must provide high filtration performance and energy efficiency, “he explained. In this market, the continuous development trend of fully synthetic filter media has created additional growth opportunities for Sandler.
Sandler develops and produces synthetic filter media for HVAC applications, transportation industry, vacuum cleaner bags, as well as customized special filters for liquid filtration and medical and hygiene applications. The product range includes fiber based non-woven fabrics and melt blown filter media, suitable for G1-E11MERV1-16 grade filters, as well as all efficiency ranges of IS016890. Sandle’s bag and pleated filter media are made of ultrafine fibers and use submicron fibers, resulting in a large inner surface that helps improve mechanical deposition efficiency. They combine long-lasting high filtering performance and long service life, “Reich explained.
Its latest development achievement is the use of filter media for activated carbon filters. With the help of these filter media, the functionality of activated carbon filters can be combined with the optimal particle filtration efficiency of non-woven Haobu media in a durable product, which can be used for air filtration in vehicles. Reich added that filtration has always been an important business unit for Sandler, and like all segmented markets, they work closely with customers to develop new products. Overall, the filtration industry has a great demand for innovation.
Product development is constantly underway, and new norms and standards are also changing the market, “he said.” Given new legislation and environmental issues, the importance of the filtration industry may increase day by day. Major trends such as electric vehicles and new players from regions such as China have brought new growth potential and challenges to this market. ”
New standards, new challenges
In the air filtration market, the German TWE Group offers a range of filtration media. With the launch of the new standard IS0 16890, the market requires new 100% synthetic media with higher filtration efficiency, “said Marcel Boersma, Air Filtration Sales Manager at TWE Group. TWE’s R&D department has been working hard to achieve this goal and will release new products in the third quarter of 2019.
Through these new products, we will be able to capture more opportunities in the market while also adding value, “Boersma explained.” Fiberglass has a long tradition in the filtration business, but we believe that synthetic fiber based filtration media will have a better impact on the health of those who use media and process them into complete filters. The latest achievement of TWE in the liquid filtration market is Paravet evo, which is a new product in the Paravet product line. These products are made from a fiber mixture of polyester and micro polyester fibers through cross laying and hydraulic entanglement. Due to the use of a new fiber mixture, higher separation efficiency can be achieved. It can be used in various application fields such as metal processing, automobiles, steel mills, wire drawing, and tool manufacturing.
Boersma believes that the growth potential of the filtering market is enormous. Our goal is to become an important partner for our clients. With such a diverse range of clients, the sourcing market is full of challenges, and we are happy to embrace such challenges.
(Source: Jung Nonwovens Information)
Dongguan Liansheng Non woven Technology Co., Ltd. was established in May 2020. It is a large-scale non-woven fabric production enterprise integrating research and development, production, and sales. It can produce various colors of PP spunbond non-woven fabrics with a width of less than 3.2 meters from 9 grams to 300 grams.
Post time: Sep-01-2024