Since March of 2013, I have been working on a re-design of a unit I built for PAS in 2006. The  portable HPS series HEPA filter  units I designed in 2006 were  used in small laboratory applications, homes and institutional operations. Like many new products I built, this one used the same commercial grade components and was not aesthetically pleasing from a consumer point of view…but it out performed everything else on the market in its size and capacity range. These units are still head and  shoulders above whatever new small commercial HEPA units are currently in the market.

The new APPAIS unit, as it will be called, is a variation on the HPS series theme and is designed as a Class II Medical Device. It will also be patented. The APPAIS unit and HPS unit used the same identical components, with one exception, and operate in the same basic manner. The major differences are in the housing design and final exit filter. The APPAIS unit is fabricated from aluminum and powder coated painted white. It also has two slots in the top housing where the prefilter ( inlet filter ahead of blower/motor) and exit filter ( after HEPA ) are located. Unlike the HPS unit, access to the prefitler and the new exit filter require no tools. They just slide out from the top where they are held in place with new slot covers.

Locating the prefilter and exit filter through slots was an idea that came to me as I was looking at the overall use of this system in the Pharmacy, Walmart, etc. market place along with typical medical facilities. Since the unit was a reverse blower/motor/HEPA filter design from the HPS, meaning the blower/motor was now on the negative side of the HEPA, replacement of the prefilter, the only filter protecting the blower/motor and electricals, would have to be changed much more frequently than in the HPS unit. This idea had some merit and actually made sense from a practical/performance point of view. There was one problem.

The fabricator of the new prototype housings was challenged to find a suitable slot cover so I worked with a local High School engineering class to design the slot covers using their Solid Works software and then produce the units on their 3-D Printer. This was the best and fastest solution to the problem and has allowed for rapid development of a part that is necessary to complete the project. Designing on the fly will create some unique challenges but also some creative solutions. Moving forward is always better than staying still or worse yet, moving backwards.

The first five pre-production units are now in the works and should be completed by the end of January 2014. Then they go out for trial testing to the FDA and other operations. Once they pass the final “usage” test the next step is introducing the new systems to the selected market.

For more information on Pure Air Systems please go to our website at: www.pureairsystems.com or follow us on Twitter @pureairsystems or call us at anytime on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

Post Tags: air filtration systems allergens bacteria HEPA Filters Virus

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About the Author: Don Musilli

My name is Don Musilli. I started Pure Air Systems in 1985 and then sold it in 2006. I continue to consult for PAS and write their blog and control their Twitter account. I also, on occasion, make changes to the website. The company is now almost 26 years old and has been a major player in offering commercial grade, high performance HEPA and Carbon based filtration systems for the commercial, institutional, industrial and residential markets.

I currently reside in Englewood, Florida where I write blogs and do social media marketing for a number of clients.

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