Innovations in Filtration through exploitation of metal Additive Manufacturing

1. Innovations in Filtration through exploitation of metal Additive Manufacturing Louise Geekie Project Director Project Manager www.additive–manufacture.co.uk www.filters.co.uk

2. 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

3. Croft as an SME: Vital Statistics Employees: 23 Turnover: £1.4 million Customer type: 40% new, 60% repeat Nature of business: • No standard products • No production line products • Everything hand crafted

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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 Filtration portion: woven wire mesh Inside to out (above) Outside to in (below) Welds

7. Filtration Pressure drop across a filter determines the amount of energy required for pumping Turbulence created by change in fluid flow direction increases resistance Fluid flow 13% UK industrial electrical energy is used for pumping Costing £728 million in 2007 Represents 6% of the UK’s carbon footprint Fluid flow Perforated plate Filter support Mesh filter 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

8. Effective Filtration: Product Development FILTER PROPERTIES Maximum open area Maximum strength Creates resistance LIMITED BY Required aperture size Operational pressure Space available

9. 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

10. 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

11. Advantages of AM Product materials No tooling Single product, multiple components Time to production Design freedom Prototype production Innovation & diversification Less labour

12. Becoming an Industrial Adopter of AM We invested in an AM machine… … and created new business: Croft Additive Manufacturing Ltd

13. Realizer 250 250 mm x 250 mm x 300 mm Stainless Steel 316L Video here

14. Additive Manufacturing INNOVATION AREAS Filter design Filter production processes New products VARIABLES Laser Intensity & duration Powder Layer thickness & type Support structures Angle of build Design

15. 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 Integrated filter support and mesh SS316L Scaled to height/filter diameter

16. 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

17. Integration: Support & Mesh • One component • Mesh & Support Integrated filter support and mesh Single aperture size Single Part Product Different aperture sizes

18. Wedge wire Tooling required Winding of wires End caps

19. AM Wedge wire Multi to Single Part

20. 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

21. A copy… CONVENTIONAL FILTER DISC Recesses in rim and mesh Difficult to clean to very high standard AM FILTER DISC No recesses Easier to clean ….no, not quite!

22. Combining conventional with AM Quick release filter CONVENTIONAL FILTER Woven wire mesh Perforated plate support AM Filter Disc combined with woven wire mesh Improved Industrial Process Easy to remove easy to replace mesh easy to clean Adhesives, Resins Hygenic processes Water Fuel dispensing

23. AM Filter Designs • Solution Design • Designed around holes • New Product • Designed for AM • Variable Lattices • New Product • Long Lead time • Multi-part to single part • New Manufacturing Process • Decrease pumping energy • Decreased carbon foot print • Improved Filtration

24. Industry’s adoption of AM Perceived Barriers Have a product that works Don’t need new productsWill it work? Will it cause down time? Expensive Don’t know what it is: metal 3D printing Lack of understanding of how it works

25. AM non-filter applications • Prototype Development • Scientific Research • New Component • Prototype Development • Shoe Industry • New Product & New patent • Rapid delivery • Automotive Industry • Complex series parts • Process Development • Pharmaceutical & Printing • Decreased downtime, novel • delivery

26. AM opportunities

27. Thinking differently opens doors Thank You Louise Geekie louise@croftam.co.uk 01925 767070 www.additive–manufacture.co.uk www.filters.co.uk