Manufacturers Use Self-Cleaning Filters to Minimize Waste and Maximize Profits
Filtration has long been recognized for its ability to improve product quality, increase throughput and protect downstream equipment in the production of a vast array of coatings. Due to the predominant use of disposable media filters, however, it was also seen as a necessary contributor to a company's environmental impact. Today, that view is changing as manufacturers are tasked with the strategic corporate mandate to reduce the amount of waste they produce and dispose. As a result, many paint manufacturers are re-evaluating their filtration strategy and turning to self-cleaning filters, which promise not only to minimize waste at the source but also maximize productivity and increase profits.
In accordance with the recommendations of the EPA's Priority Hierarchy of Waste Management, manufacturers have shifted their focus from end-of-pipe pollution controls to minimizing waste at the source. The reasons for this shift are well documented. Minimizing waste at the source provides a cleaner, safer environment; saves resources and money - in some cases, millions of dollars; and reduces long-term risk and liability. Also, by filtering early in the manufacturing process, the cost of filtration decreases significantly since capturing and eliminating undesirable solids is often much more difficult later in the process.