Filters slash downtime, swell savings
An absorbent polymer manufacturer replaces bag filters with sintered-plastic filter elements to reduce filter replacement downtime and cost.
Stockhausen, Greensboro, N.C., manufactures absorbent polymers -- swellable substances capable of absorbing many times their own weight of liquids by forming a gel -- for use in personal care applications, including diapers and toilet paper. The plant's annual production of 80,000 tons and 24-hour-a-day operation gave the plant's dust collectors a workout. Their bag filters had to be replaced frequently, which not only required shutdowns but spending a lot of money on replacement filters.