If you&#;re reading this, you likely already know a thing or two about sintered metal filters, though you may not know exactly what you need for your unique application. Here at Fluid Conditioning Products (FCP), our goal is to assist customers in procuring precisely the right porous metal filter for their larger-scale manufacturing or other custom projects that require at least 100 units.
For more information, please visit our website.
We work directly with sintered filter producers and can customize and adapt filters for a wide variety of applications. Need a housing for your filter, as well, to assure optimal performance? We can create one for you!
Still have questions about sintered metal filters? We designed this helpful FAQ to address some of our customers&#; most common questions.
A: Sintered filters can be made as small as the head of a pin, and maximum size is only limited by the size of the equipment the manufacturer has available. Generally, that maximum size is about the dimensions of a 5-gallon bucket. Though, it is possible to create sintered filters as large as a 55-gallon drum. Sintered material is not limited to cylindrical forms, either. It can be produced in sheets of various thicknesses that can be cut and shaped, too.
A: Unfortunately, no. Sintered filters are usually made to order with a custom die to create the exact size and shape you specify. In rare cases, a sintered filter manufacturer may have something in a size and shape you need, but it is unlikely.
A: Sorry, but no. The minimum quantity is 100. We realize that many prospective customers are disappointed when they learn that most sintered filter manufacturers require a minimum order of 100 pieces, especially with smaller size filters. Unfortunately, it&#;s just not economical to produce sintered filters in small quantities. With custom die setup costs, manufacturers have to charge a premium to then only create a handful of filters. Of course, if that premium cost does not bother you, a manufacturer might be willing to accommodate your request.
Note that in low volume situations, customers may want to look into woven wire mesh filter elements instead of sintered metal. Wire mesh filters can provide filtration down to 5 microns and can be easily formed to fit most configurations.
A: Custom die setup usually starts at $600-$900 and goes up from there. The reason setup costs are what they are has to do with the complexity of manufacturing filters from sintered material. The process requires significant pressure and precise heat applied by specialized machinery and utilizing sometimes quite valuable metals.
To manufacture a sintered filter, metal powder is pressed in the custom-made die at sufficient pressure to make the powder particles adhere at their contact points with adequate strength for the formed part to be handled after ejection from the die. The unsintered, &#;green&#; strength of the part depends on the metal powder characteristics (composition, particle size, shape, purity, etc.) and the forming pressure. After forming, the &#;green&#; parts are then heated, or sintered, in a carefully controlled atmosphere at a temperature below the melting point of the metal but still sufficient to bond the particles together, which markedly increases the part&#;s strength. Note that the manufacturer must allow for some shrinkage during the sintering process, so the original die is made oversized in a precise way.
A: Bronze, stainless steel, and various alloys are common. (Need something specific? Just contact us!) Bronze is the most popular and lowest cost alloy metal used for sintered filters. Reasons you may need to choose another metal type or alloy may be for higher strength, better corrosion resistance, or higher temperature applications. Stainless steel, another popular material, provides excellent heat and corrosion resistance &#; 316L stainless steel gives the best result.
For even more extreme environments, a nickel alloy may be desirable. Choices include Monel, Hastelloy, and Inconel. It&#;s true that these alloys each carry a premium cost, which is due to them being harder to work with and their basic makeup of more expensive metals.
A: Consider desired particle retention, the flow rate through the filter, operating fluid, and more when choosing sintered metal filters. Our previous blog post about filter design consideration focuses on specific uses, such as fuel filters and hydraulic fluid filters in industries like aerospace, defense, and marine. When thinking about sintered metal filters more specifically, you&#;ll want to the following additional points:
A: See the previous question about design considerations. You will need to understand your application thoroughly before you can order sintered metal filters. The following questions need to be answered before a die can be created to manufacture your sintered filters:
A: All of our contact details are on this page.
What are the Features of Best Quality Sintered Metal Filters?
To be honest, only the best quality sintered metal filter can work for your application and achieve the results that you want.
However, to be able to pick the best quality sintered metal filter for your application, you need to be vast with their features.
Sintered Metal Filters
Here is an in-depth look at these features.
Physical durability is one of the features of the sintered filter element that you can take advantage of.
The physical strength comes about as a result of the bonding of different metals during the manufacturing process.
Since there is no melting of these metals, they can maintain their physical properties.
It is these physical properties that can offer durability to your sintered filter.
The advantage of this is that your filter can offer quality service for a longer duration without the necessity of replacement.
Durability also implies that you can gain value for your sintered filter on your application.
To achieve the best of your filtration, you need a filter that can withstand the temperature of your application.
That is what a sintered metal filter offers for your use.
By choosing a metal that has a high-temperature resistance capability, you can have a sintered filter that fits your application.
The critical thing to note is that sintered metal filters are a product of different metals.
As such, when selecting a sintered metal filter, you need to ensure that the metal has the temperature resistance as your application.
Choosing any sintered metal filter may cause your filter to fail especially if the temperature range is lower than your application.
Many filters fail to achieve the desired level of filtration with time due to corrosion of the screen.
The filter element corrosion occurs when there is a reaction between your filter and either the environment or the fluid that passes through.
Corrosion may be a result of either chemical or physical reaction between your filter and the external factor.
As a result, there is your filter gets &#;eaten away&#; which in turn reduces its efficiency.
However, that is not the case with a sintered metal filter.
No reaction takes place between your filter and the external factor which in turn makes it hard for the filter to be &#;eaten away.&#;
This ensures that your filtration is as effective and as efficient as possible.
You can obtain the filtration that you desire with a sintered filter.
This is due to the availability of the pores in the element.
The ability to adjust the porous material during filtration makes it quite easy to achieve the level of filtration that you want.
That means that if you want finer filtration, you can easily select a sintered metal filter with tiny pores.
Likewise, if you want average filtration, you can select a sintered metal filter with average pores.
One of the features that you look for when selecting a filter is quality.
Getting a filter that will offer you the best service for a long duration is very vital to your filtration.
The advantage of a sintered metal filter is that you have the highest quality material to select from when purchasing a filter.
The reason for this is that the bonding of different metals ensures that you obtain high-quality metal for your sintered metal filter.
You can have different sintered metal elements which are a result of different bonding metals.
The result is of a higher quality as a result of maintaining the individual properties of the metals.
The fact that you can customize your sintered metal filter gives you the advantage of achieving the result that you want.
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For instance, you have a wide range of filtration range to select when you are designing your filter.
Filter Beta Ratios &#; Photo Courtesy: Advanced Fluid Systems
You can select from as low as 0.1 microns to as high as 100 microns of the filtration grade that you want your filter to be.
This, of course, depends on the level of filtration that you want to achieve.
If you want to achieve finer filtration, you will select a smaller filtration grade for your application.
With a sintered metal filter, you are at liberty to customize the pore sizes and the flow characteristics to suit your application.
That is to say; if you want a tiny or large pore size for your filter, you can quickly achieve it using a sintered metal filter.
This is thanks to the ability to control the porosity of the sintered metal filter during the manufacturing process.
Also, you can easily customize the flow of the fluid on your screen to match that of your application.
If the flow of your application is from the bottom to the top or from right to left, you can quickly change your sintered metal filter to correspond with it.
During the manufacturing process, you can weld most parts of the sintered metal filter together.
This gives a much more stable filter than screwing the components together.
Screwing can make these components fall apart in an application that has high vibrations.
The disadvantage of this is that you will continuously be maintaining your filter.
This may result in a loss of productivity of your application.
However, you can minimize all these by using a sintered metal filter.
The welding of these filters allows for little movements of the components thereby ensuring maximum productivity of your application.
One of the main features of a sintered metal filter that you will find crucial is the ability to hold the contaminants.
Contaminants holding capacity is essential since it will determine how long you can continue operating without stopping.
You can have different sintered metal filters that have different dirt holding capacities.
The choice of which sintered metal filter to pick depends on the application that you are using.
Large applications need a high dirt holding capacity filter whereas if you have a small application, a smaller capacity filter will do.
Another feature that is very common with sintered metal filters is that you can select the metal you want.
We have seen the sintering process is all about the bonding of different metals either individually or as alloys.
The resulting product is a durable and efficient filter that you can use.
This, therefore, means that you are at liberty to select the right metal that you can use for sintering your filter.
Among the considerations to make when selecting a metal for your sintered metal filter is the application that you are going to use.
The metal needs to withstand the conditions of the application for it to be effective.
Permeability refers to the pressure drop measurement of a given fluid at a given flow in a filtration unit area.
High permeability is one of the characteristics of a sintered metal filter that makes it adaptable to its function.
For efficient filtration to occur, there is a need for a high-pressure drop which this feature makes it possible for the sintered filter to have.
The pressure drop needs to be in line with the maximum temperature of your fluid for efficient filtration to take place.
Different sintered metal filters have different permeability levels that you can select depending on the fluid that you are filtering.
An attractive feature of a sintered filter metal is its ability to maintain the pressure of the fluid of your application.
The advantage of this is that you can completely filter your fluid.
What happens when the pressure drops are that there is a lack of enough force to allow for the fluid to pass through the filter.
As a result, you will find the filtration of your fluid not complete since there will still be the presence of contaminants.
Also, you will find that your application may not be able to achieve the fluid requirement that it needs.
However, the use of a sintered metal filter helps to prevent all this from occurring.
There is no doubt on the quality of a sintered metal filter more so the filter disc.
The manufacturing process ensures that you only obtain the best of your sintered metal filter.
The filter disc, in particular, is an important component of your filter.
It is here that the pressure builds up as filtration takes place.
You, therefore, need to ensure that this disc is strong enough to withstand this pressure.
Different filter disc always breaks after some use due to this pressure.
However, the sintered metal filter disc is strong enough to withstand the pressure of fluid for a long duration.
This ensures efficiency during the filtration process.
The sintered metal filter cartridge is the most important part of your filter.
It is here where the actual filtration takes place.
As such, sintered metal filter cartridge ensures that you have the best filtration of your fluid.
The durability of this cartridge ensures that you get value for money when you are using them.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of sintered metal powder filter. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.