Innovations in Filtration through exploitation
of metal Additive Manufacturing
Louise Geekie
Project
Manager
www.filters.co.uk
Project
Director
www.additive–manufacture.co.uk
About Croft
• Croft Filters was founded by two brothers – Neil and
Mark Burns – in Warrington in 1986
• Initial focus was retailing mesh and finding practical
uses for it
• Natural progression led to the introduction of filter
production
• Today, Croft Filters is a leading manufacturer of
customer specified filters
Croft as an SME: Vital Statistics
Industrial Filter Types
Bespoke filters can be made in any shape or size. Popular styles include cones,
cylinders, baskets and screens.
Woven wire mesh sleeve
Anchor bonding
Mesh screen
Removes particulates from waste water
Wedge Wire screen
Cylinder Filter
Vacuum filter housing & filter
Removes powder particles from air
Filters can be manufactured in wire mesh and metal perforated plate
In-House Automation
SUCCESSFULLY COMBINED FOUR OF
SIX PROCESS STEPS ON ONE MACHINE
PRODUCTION COSTS LOWERED
SIGNIFICANTLY
Slit Mesh drawn
into machine
2. Tube formed 3. Welded
4. Cut to length
5. Crimped
6. Flange
1. Slit Mesh
TSB Smart Grant
Conventional Manufacturing Process
• Layers: filter and filter support
• Possibility for one or two mesh
layers to suit filtration requirements
• Subtractive manufacturing method
Perforated Plate:
Bespoke Automation
Welds
Filtration portion: woven wire mesh
Inside to out (above)
Outside to in (below)
Filtration
Pressure drop across a filter
determines the amount of energy
required for pumping
Turbulence created by change in fluid
flow direction increases resistance
13% UK industrial electrical energy
is used for pumping
Costing £728 million in 2007
Perforated Mesh filter
plate
Filter support
Represents 6% of the UK’s carbon
footprint
The British Pump Manufacturers Association commissioned Report into pump usage
in the UK (UK Pump Market Study”, by Steve Schofield (BPMA) and John Veness.2007
Effective Filtration: Product Development
FILTER PROPERTIES
Maximum open area
Maximum strength
Creates resistance
LIMITED BY
Required aperture size
Operational pressure
Space available
Prototype Development and AM
FIRST PROTOTYPE:
Acrylonitrile Butadiene
Styrene (ABS)
Fused Deposition
Modelling AM technology
3 inch / 76.2 mm
‘Straightliner’ filter
Technology Strategy Board
Feasibility Study
Prototype Evaluation
Short Knowledge Transfer
Partnership: Product specifications
Flow Test Rig
Measures (±3%) the pressure
drop of filters for water
across a wide range of flow
rates (100-450 l/min)
Decreased resistance
Decreased pumping energy required
Cost savings to end user
Decreases carbon footprint
Advantages of AM
Product
materials
Time to
production
Single product,
multiple
components
No tooling
Design
freedom
Innovation &
diversification
Less labour
Prototype
production
Becoming an Industrial Adopter of AM
We invested in an AM machine…
… and created new business: Croft
Additive Manufacturing Ltd
Realizer 250
250 mm x 250 mm x 300 mm
Stainless Steel 316L
Video here
Additive Manufacturing
INNOVATION AREAS
VARIABLES
Filter design
Laser
Intensity & duration
Filter production processes
Powder
Layer thickness & type
Support structures
Angle of build
Design
New products
Metal AM: holes–in-line filter
Designed around the holes in the filter
Built layer by layer
AM technology delivered energy saving filter
New Product
Design delivers decreased pressure
drop, decreased resistance and
decreased carbon footprint as per
prototype
SS316L
Scaled to
height/filter
diameter
Integrated filter support and mesh
Aperture Size and Shape
• Woven wire mesh distorts
aperture size and shape when
moulded
Improved Product
• Equivalent AM filters can
maintain aperture size and
shape
Integration: Support & Mesh
• One component
• Mesh & Support
Integrated filter
support and mesh
Single aperture size
Different aperture sizes
Single Part Product
Wedge wire
Tooling required
Winding of wires
End caps
AM Wedge wire
Multi to Single Part
AM Wedge wire
• No tooling
• Lead time greatly reduced
• Can be easily made in other sizes, with
no tooling requirements
• Customer customisation
• Multiple parts produced as single
component
Improved Manufacturing Process
A copy…
CONVENTIONAL FILTER DISC
Recesses in rim and mesh
Difficult to clean to very high standard
AM FILTER DISC
….no, not quite!
No recesses
Easier to clean
Combining conventional with AM
CONVENTIONAL FILTER
Quick release filter
Woven wire
mesh
Perforated
plate support
Improved Industrial
Process
Adhesives, Resins
Hygenic processes
Water
Fuel dispensing
AM Filter Disc combined with
woven wire mesh
Easy to remove
easy to replace mesh
easy to clean
AM Filter Designs
Solution Design
Designed around holes
New Product
Long Lead time
Multi-part to single part
New Manufacturing Process
Designed for AM
Variable Lattices
New Product
Decrease pumping energy
Decreased carbon foot print
Improved Filtration
Industry’s adoption of AM
Perceived Barriers
Have a product that works
Don’t need new products
Will it work? Will it cause down time?
Expensive
Don’t know what it is: metal 3D printing
Lack of understanding of how it works
AM non-filter applications
Prototype Development
Shoe Industry
New Product & New patent
Rapid delivery
Automotive Industry
Complex series parts
Prototype Development
Scientific Research
New Component
Process Development
Pharmaceutical & Printing
Decreased downtime, novel
delivery
AM opportunities
Thinking differently opens doors
Thank You
Louise Geekie
louise@croftam.co.uk
01925 767070
www.filters.co.uk
www.additive–manufacture.co.uk