Big hopes for tiny filter

15 Dec.,2022

 

Cap Filter Mesh

A new, single-piece, injection molded filter is providing industrial work for micromolder Miniature Tool & Die Inc. ``Most of what we do is for the medical market, but our new filter technology runs over into the industrial side of the business,'' said Donna Bibber, vice president of sales and marketing. The company has created what it calls one of the world's smallest single-piece, injection molded filters. The filters have more than 1,000 76-micron (0.003-inch) squares with wall thicknesses of 0.006 inch that can be used in nylon and polypropylene filtration products. The filters can be used for medical devices and micoelectronics, biomedical, industrial and automotive products. In the past, a metal mesh was passed through a mold in a seven- or eight-step process, but Miniature Tool has reduced the effort to one step that cuts costs and improves efficiency, Bibber said. Charlton, Mass.-based Miniature Tool & Die operates in a 16,000-square-foot facility and employs 15. It runs one shift, but the machines run around the clock. The company has Class 100,000 and 10,000 clean room areas.