Filters are more important today than they ever have been before. Manufacturing tolerances, safety standards, environmental regulations, and scrap reduction requirements only seem to move in one direction: more stringent. Filters often play a critical role in achieving these challenging goals. The following four problem/solution scenarios illustrate why it is so important to adhere to a preventative maintenance schedule for filter replacement.
Reason 1: Utility Cost Reduction
Problem: Compressing air costs a lot of money. The higher the pressure generated, the higher the cost, so any opportunity to decrease line pressures is a potential cost savings. All filters will produce a restriction over time as dirt is captured. That increased restriction must be overcome by generating higher pressures. The ideal element exchange interval is when the cost of the increased differential pressure over time exceeds the replacement cost of the filter.
Donaldson Solution: Donaldson’s Economizer system on the DF series filter housings can calculate this service interval automatically. An alarm signals that it is time to exchange elements at the lowest cost point.
Reason 2: Production Cost Reduction
Problem: Today’s production lines each include hundreds of thousands of mechanical devices and a substantial number of those are pneumatic. This pneumatic equipment requires good sealing and tight tolerances to ensure efficient operation.
Solution: Donaldson filters prolong the life of pneumatic equipment and prevent unexpected shutdowns. Because shutdowns incur the cost of lost production, strain internal resources and often involve hiring a specialist to fix the problem, Donaldson filters can save you money.
Reason 3: Brand Protection
Problem: A product recall can be devastating in the food and beverage industry. Sterile filters endure torturous conditions, so they must be replaced according to manufacturer recommendations.
Donaldson Solution: Donaldson's sterile air filters can withstand the thermal stresses associated with repeated steam sterilization. Donaldson has tested its sterile air filters repeatedly and statistically determined the maximum acceptable amount of sterilization cycles to ensure the filter is not damaged during use.
Reason 4: Regulatory Requirements
Problem: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans and Hazard Analysis and Risk-Based Preventative Controls (HARPC) Plans involving filters require that the manufacturer’s recommended replacement intervals be followed and records retained to show compliance. A quality or safety issue traced to a failed filter that was in use longer than its recommended service life could result in costly problems and a tarnished reputation for the end-user.
Donaldson Solution: Donaldson sterile filters are 100% integrity tested and serial-number traceable to ensure your protection. Have you checked your filters lately?
