air filter

Over the years, focus in the air filtration industry has shifted from just particulate capture to also include adsorption of gaseous contaminants. In fact, the label “molecular contamination” was created to identify this additional danger to products made in cleanrooms. The market for filters in cleanrooms not only includes the high-efficiency final filters but also the prefilters used to protect the final filters. Typically, HEPA filters are replaced every few years, whereas prefilters are replaced every few months. Since the price of the prefilter is only a fraction of the price of the high-efficiency filter, the total cost of prefiltration is much less than that of final filtration. Revenue in the cleanroom air filter market is closely associated with the growth of the individual industry. When the semiconductor industry is strong, for example, larger orders for HEPA filters are seen. The larger air filter companies have plants and sales offices located internationally. AAF, for example, has 18 locations worldwide, and media companies such as Hollingsworth & Vose are now producing in China. Sales of filters to purify recirculating air in homes, commercial buildings, and industrial plants around-the-world will rise from $6 billion in 2005 to $7.5 billion in 2009.