Additive Manufacturing Moving To Replace Machining Processes

There are two main factors that are moving the process of using 3D Printing or Additive manufacturing into the product producing mainstream and replacing the traditional machining, CNC and injection molding processes. First, the number of skilled machinists and manufacturing engineers is rapidly declining and secondly, and most important, the younger generation has little or no interest in working for or with any manufacturing operation. The new generation sees their future in the digital world.

The other major reason is the speed in which additive manufacturing has advanced in every facet of product production. This is especially true in the use of additive manufacturing in producing parts from ferrous and nonferrous materials. The ability to produce a steel part that is one piece versus multiple parts or pieces using traditional machining is now blazing new trails in the ability to make a part in one print cycle that used to take five to eight steps. Also, the ability to quickly prototype a part and then change it and print again for five or more iterations in the span of one reduces prototyping and product development to less that 10% of the time for traditional machining.

Interestingly, the method of designing a part for manufacturing is identical in both traditional and additive manufacturing. The use of advanced CAD software allows for the design of any part and the design files are saved in different file types depending whether the part is made on a CNC machine or 3D Printer. This new generation of young workers already know how to use this software as their understanding computers, software, programming and object design is already in place. So, the 3D Printer is a perfect fit for this new group of workers who most likely will work remotely from the actual manufacturing operation.

Pure Air Systems began its operation in 1985 using hand drawings for the design of its HEPA based air filtration systems and then eventually moved into the CAD era and today is looking at using AI for some of its advanced equipment designs. The world of technology is moving at light speed and Pure Air Systems is keeping pace.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll free number at: 800-869-8025.

Interior view of 2000. HS HEPA unit

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US Designed – US Made – Pure Air Systems

Almost 80% of the products purchased on-line from Amazon, Walmart, Ebay and other web based stores, are manufactured in other countries. The majority being made in China. However, many of these products, including Apple iphones, etc, say they are designed in the US but made overseas.

Pure Air Systems has been designing and manufacturing their fan powered, commercial grade, HEPA air filtration systems since 1985. While some of the motors are now made overseas, over 90% of the components that make up the filtration system are made in the USA. These units have shown to be some of the best on the market and many of these systems are still in operation after over 20 years of service.

It is more expensive to purchase components and parts made in the USA and often times a wider selection of component and part types are available from outside the US. Manufacturing is a very challenging process and requires a lot of up front capital to obtain the machinery and skilled labor to make almost anything.

Pure Air Systems continues to look to the US companies to make any new components or parts that are needed for the existing and newly designed units. While these may be more expensive it is important to continue to use parts made in the US to keep these manufacturing operations viable. 

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon based air filtration systems please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

Pure Air Filtration Product Grouping
HEPA Systems For Every Application

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3D Printing Becoming New Way To Make Everything

3D Printing or Additive Manufacturing as it is called in the commercial market, has moved into almost every facet of manufacturing from small replacement parts and dental fittings up to Aerospace and Military applications. There are very large 3D printers making boats as well as printing houses and large structures and small bridges.

3D printing has a number of advantages including the ability to try the “what if” and prototyping of new design concepts. In addition, the materials available for the metal printers has moved this process in the main stream of manufacturing. 3D Printers take up much less space than traditional CNC machines and other fabrication systems and require fewer people to complete the manufacturing process.

One of the main advantages of using 3D manufacturing is the ability to get younger people to become more involved with manufacturing. The younger generation is very familiar with and is good at using CAD type software for design and 3D printing of parts. In truth, the ability to make things using 3D printing or Additive Manufacturing is not considered manufacturing to the younger generation. This is important as they are not interested in moving into the old type of making things. 

Pure Air Systems, an air filtration company started in 1985, has bee using some 3D printing processes for prototyping new parts for their metal housed HEPA based air filtration systems. This helps them more quickly determine the correct part design and more quickly complete the final design and get into production with minimal cost.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filters please go to our website at: http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll free number at: 800-869-8025.

Indy Air Show 09

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Visible vs Invisible

Our eyes allow us to focus on and see airborne particles as small as 20 microns. For comparison, the human hair is about 100 microns in diameter. Most bacteria are in the range of less than 1 to 5 microns in size and viruses are less than 0.12 microns in size. So the old adage that what you don’t see won’t hurt you is not correct.

Bacteria, when present in a warm, moist environment, can stay alive for very long periods of time. From many hours to days. Because it is heavier than viruses it will not stay airborne for very long. So most contact with bacteria comes from contact with a surface or body part that caries the bacteria.

Viruses, on the other hand, are very tiny and light and can stay airborne for long period of time. This is how the flu and cold bugs are normally transmitted. Coming in a room or close contact where these viruses are airborne can infect another human once the viruses are inhaled and ingested. This is the reason masks are used in all medical facilities, especially surgical units.

For information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filters manufactured by Pure Air Systems, please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll-free number at, 800-869-8025.Pure Air Systems Homepage Screenshot

 

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2023 Will Be The Year of Innovation

With all of the new technologies coming into the market place the year of 2023 will issue in some great new innovations that will change the way we work, play and travel. There are new energy sources, other than solar, that could generate enough power in a small package to power your entire home for pennies a day. The new Electric Vehicle tax benefits recently passed by Congress will unleash a whole new line up of cars, trucks and Heavy Haul vehicles. Opening up new opportunities for both service jobs and driving opportunities.

We tend to forget that advancements in technology is constant even though we may not see the evidence of that right away. The global economy is constantly adding new businesses and products as we see through the millions of things available on Amazon and other business websites. In addition, new social media venues are being added daily and our ability to interact with people all over the world 24/7 is now incredible.

Pure Air Systems has been making significant changes to its product line since its inception in 1985 and continues to add new and better innovations to its line of commercial grade HEPA based air filtration systems. Our website has a vast amount of information on the operation and application of our systems. There is also an entire section dedicated to providing basic information on the field of air filtration and purification. 

For more information on the complete line of air filtration systems please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll free number at 800-869-8025.

600 HS PLUS Plus Diagram - Components with Descriptions
600 HS PLUS – Split Housing Design

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Comparing UV to HEPA Filters

While this subject has been addressed once before, it is important that people understand the stark differences between the two types of air purification/filtration systems. 

First, UV ( A,B or C ) is purely a type of wave length of light that has certain affects on a variety of materials, both organic and inorganic. The UV rays from the sun, for example, have a significant affect on carbon, plastics, and the human body. While the UV rays can destroy some airborne contaminants, the amount of time ( in minutes ) the contaminants are exposed to the UV rays determines the efficacy of the process. In essence, UV only works if the UV rays are in contact with the air stream for an extended period of time. 

HEPA filters are a mechanical device that captures airborne particulate ( down to under 0.3 microns and smaller) at an efficiency of 99.99% and greater. This is important as even organic particulates that are destroyed can create issues once inhaled into the lungs. 

One reason UV is often used in-lieu of HEPA filters is the overall cost of UV versus HEPA filters. Also, the use of HEPA filters requires an auxiliary fan source as HEPA filters have a very high resistance to air flow and in order to pull enough air through the filter media requires a motor/blower assembly in addition to the blower assembly that comes with all HVAC systems.

Pure Air Systems offers a complete line of fan powered air filtration systems to meet the needs and demands of any residential or commercial application requiring the reduction and/or removal of airborne contaminants and also odors and gaseous pollutants.

For more information please go to our website at:  http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

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Covid and the Mask Issue

The issue regarding masks and their effectiveness has been a constant battle in this country. Facts of how masks work and their value have been bashed by the uneducated and anti-vax groups for the past year with no viable, technical data to support their claims. N95 Style masks do provide some viable protection against sub-micron sized particles.

Pure Air Systems has been making HEPA based air filtration systems since 1985 and has over 36 years of experience in dealing with airborne allergens and pathogens. HEPA filters are used extensively in the CDC and pharmaceutical companies around the world. The N95 masks have similar particle reduction capabilities and are very affective in keeping the wearer safe from airborne viruses and bacteria.

For some strange reason people want to discount the science of air filtration in lieu-of nonsense spewed by the social media pawns. It is important that the general public do their own research and not listen to the TV pundits who are only trying to get their ratings up for their sponsors and are not interested in providing reliable information to the public.

Covid and its new strains will be with us for a long time and the more we debate the value of the masks the longer we put off making these mask issues a useful and necessary part of daily life the longer we will deal with the virus.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filters please go to our website at   http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

 

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Using Metal Instead of Plastic Composites

Many products that used to be fabricated from metal are now made by using an injection molding process and a wide variety of plastics to keep the cost and weight down. In many cases this option works as the strength of many of the composite plastics are very strong and will work for most applications.

In 1985 Pure Air Systems began its process of making fan powered, commercial grade, HEPA air filtration systems for both the residential and commercial markets. The cabinets used to house the filter components was mild steel that was powder coated. These rugged housings allowed for the use in both interior and exterior applications and provided a housing structure that would last 20 years or longer under heavy use.

The housings ranged in size from the small portable which is approximately 13 inches square by 21 inches long, the 600HS series which is 16 inches square by 34 inches long ( high ), The 1200 HS series which is 25 inches square by 48 inches long and the 2000HS series which is identical to the 1200HS in size. All of these units are fabricated from 16 gauge powder coated steel and are built to last.

Early in the 90’s. Pure Air Systems looked at the possibility of using strong, composite plastic materials in-lieu of metal housings but found both the cost and challenge of making a unit strong enough to hold the metal blowers, ECM motors and HEPA filter and associated prefilter material. In this case, metal was and has always been the best choice for making the high performance HEPA based air filtration systems.

For more information on the complete line of HEPA and Carbon filters go to our website at: http://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll-free number. 800-869-8025.

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Bacteria vs Viruses. Size Does Matter

In past blogs we discussed the fact that you can only see down to about 20 microns in size with the naked eye.  For comparison, your hair is about 100 microns in diameter. Dust particles that you see floating in the air are around 100 microns and larger. The larger particles are too heavy to stay airborne so they tend to fall on the floor or other surfaces. 

Airborne allergens such as pollen, ragweed and grasses can also be airborne and they can be smaller than 20 microns in size and stay airborne for a period of time. Allergy sufferers know this all too well. Bacteria can be as large as 10 microns and smaller than 0.3 microns. Bacteria can be on any surface and stay airborne for long periods of time. Viruses, on the other hand, are extremely tiny, as small as .005 microns or 1/1000th of an inch. They can stay alive and airborne for hours both indoors and outside. Covid -19 is a virus.

Removal of airborne particles (both organic and inorganic ) is done best using media style air filters ( think furnace style filter ) that can capture these particles and remove them from the air. For larger dust particles the furnace filters or Merv 7-9 rated filters, are adequate in capturing 90% of the larger dust particles. But less than 10% effective in capturing bacteria or viruses.

Removing these tiny particles requires a HEPA filter. These High Efficiency Particulate Air filters are designed for the commercial, medical and institutional markets and now also used in the residential markets. A standard, true, HEPA filter is rated at 99.99% efficiency for particles 0.3 microns or larger and is over 95% effective at removing particles particles less than 0.005 microns in diameter. Some HEPA filters use a more dense media and are called ULPA  ( Ultra Low Particulate Air) or SULPA ( Super Low Particulate Air ) filters. These are designed for applications like the CDC and micro chip manufacturers.

For more information on HEPA filters and their capabilities go to our website at:   http://www.pureairsystems.com  or call us on our toll-free number at 800-869-8025.

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Covid-19 HEPA Masks

The Corona Virus pandemic has brought out a cry for protective gear, masks, respirators and ventilators not to mention HEPA based air filtration systems to maintain positive pressure rooms in make-shift hospitals. HEPA filters are made from special paper-like materials that are extremely dense and designed to capture a very high percentage ( usually 99.99% or greater ) of sub-micron particulate. These filters are used in surgery suites, laboratories, chip manufacturing, and any place where airborne particles ( bacteria and viruses ) are present. 

With the Covid-19 pandemic there is a race to provide any type of mask for the first responders, medical personnel and now the general public. This demand has brought out a number of individuals and groups making masks ( or printing them ) out of various materials; mostly cloth of some kind. However, some are offering HEPA masks that look like a regular cloth type mask. True HEPA masks worn by first responders are PAPR masks. Positive Air Pressure Respirators.These masks have true HEPA filters in their design and also have fans to assist in pulling the air through the HEPA filters. These masks are battery powered. Without the assistance of the fan you would would have difficulty pulling air through the mask with your own lungs as the HEPA paper has extreme resistance compared to standard surgical masks. 

The N-95 masks are similar to MERV 8 air filters. They are good for 95% of particles in the 3.0 to 10.0 micron range. Certainly much better than cloth but not as good as HEPA media. The reason this is important is that viruses, such as the Covid-19 virus, can be as small as .0005 microns in size. As a comparison, your hair is about 100 microns in diameter. This sub-micron size makes Covid-19 airborne and allows it to pass through standard mask materials. This is why this virus is so deadly. 

For more information on HEPA filters please go to our website at:  https://www.pureairsystems.com   or call us on our toll-free number at: 800-869-8025.

 

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