For jet engine blade manufacturer Alcoa Howmet, Dover, N.J., there’s a simple way to avoid problems with their fleet of cartridge dust collectors: only use Ultra-Web replacement filters with patented and proven nanofiber technology.
Andy Camporini, senior project engineer at Alcoa Howmet, knows firsthand what happens if Ultra-Web filters aren’t installed in the plant's 54 Donaldson® Torit® Downflo® cartridge collectors. Several years ago the company’s integrated supplier serviced their dust collectors with another brand of cheaper, lower efficiency commodity filters and problems quickly arose.
"After four to six months, the collectors began plugging up. The pressure drop was high and we had to shut down a few of the collectors and stop blade production," said Camporini. A halt in production is unacceptable for this leading supplier to the jet aircraft, gas turbine and other advanced technology industries.
As a trusted partner to Alcoa Howmet, Donaldson Torit was called in to check the dust collectors and diagnose the problem. Much to Camporini’s surprise, it was a filter problem, not a collector issue. Donaldson Torit quickly provided the solution by re-installing Ultra-Web filters.
Alcoa Howmet has experienced close to two years of life from these Ultra-Web filters—3 to 4 times the life of the polyester/synthetic blend (80/20) filters they replaced. Since then, Alcoa Howmet has mandated that ONLY Ultra-Web replacement filters be installed in their dust collectors.
"I want the highest filtration efficiency so my workers won’t get sick and I also want long filter life. With Ultra-Web filters, I get both," said Camporini. |
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TRUSTED TECHNOLOGY
INDUSTRY: Metalworking—jet engine blade manufacturing
PROBLEM: Commodity filters plugged too quickly, forcing a shut down of several dust collectors and production
SOLUTION: Ultra-Web
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