Air Filters in use

• Public Buildings

  • Outside air is brought into the building, filtered, and circulated throughout the building. Smog, dust, pollen and other particles are filtered out to create a comfortable and healthy environment for people inside. As public awareness increases, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is becoming more important. Poor IAQ can lead to sick building syndrome (symptoms include headaches, eye irritation, and fatigue) which can lead to discomfort and low productivity.

  • Government buildings are using more efficient filters not only to improve IAQ, but also to help protect people from the threat of bioterrorism, such as anthrax.

• Medical Facilities

  • Hospitals and clinics use high efficient filters to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Clean air is especially important in operating rooms, intensive care units, and other critical care areas. Enzymic filters are also used because of their ability to capture bacteria and actually destroy it.

• Food Industry

  • Facilities require clean air to prevent contamination and to ensure the food being processed and packaged is safe for consumers.

• Critical Manufacturing

  • Industries such as pharmaceutical, microelectronics, and research laboratories require super clean air for their manufacturing processes. One use for high efficiency filters is in pharmaceutical and research laboratories to prevent cross contamination. Other industries requiring highly filtered air are semiconductor, LCD manufacturing, microelectronics, and nanotechnology. Particles smaller than a single piece of dust can ruin an entire process in these industries, so clean air is critical. Industries requiring this level of cleanliness do their manufacturing in cleanrooms.

·         What is a cleanroom?

Cleanrooms have a controlled level of contaminants specified by the number of particles per meter-cubed and by the maximum particle size. They are classified by their level of cleanliness. The following tables are of the different cleanroom classifications:

Cleanroom Classifications

US FED STD 209E cleanroom standards

NOTE: US FED STD 209E was canceled November 29, 2001. Reference

ISO 14644-1 cleanroom standards

Cleanroom class comparison

Common particles and their sizes

• Human hair         70 – 100 μm

• Human sneeze  10 -100 μm

• Pollen                  5 – 100 μm

• Spores                6 – 100 μm

• Mold                    2 – 20 μm

• Smoke                0.01 – 1 μm

• Bacteria              0.35 – 10 μm

Choosing the right filter

First you need to ask yourself “what am I trying to filter?” Are you trying to filter dust? Odors? Sea salt? Chemicals? Etc, etc, etc. Next you need to know the filter’s application. Will it be used for recirculation units? Cleanrooms? Medical facilities? Tools? What level efficiency you require?

Answers to these questions will vary as will the type of filter you should use. Below are our recommended uses for filters based on specific applications.

If you are still uncertain about what filter you should be using in a particular application, contact one of our sales representatives.

Filters are used to clean air in a variety of applications. They work to protect people in public buildings, patients in hospitals, and critical manufacturing processes. Filters are carefully engineered and designed to operate at specified efficiencies. Higher filter efficiency means that filter is retaining smaller particles. It is important to know why a filter is being used and what requirements need to be met (for example, efficiency, airflow, pressure drop, and dimensions) to optimize the filter’s performance. Cambridge Filter is committed to quality and service. Let us help you with your filtration needs.