By Shagufta Patel, AFS Chair

An upcoming AFS Short Course, “Review of the Regulatory Requirements and Classifications of Respirators and Facemasks,” will help attendees gain a fundamental understanding of the medical mask and respirator industry. It also will provide must-know information about usage, regulatory and test methods. It is an excellent course for anyone who aspires to learn more than the basic information about medical masks and respirators. It is especially useful for those interested in this market, as it will provide the information needed to make informed decisions regarding a possible market entry.

The course will be presented live online on Tuesday, April 13, from 9 to 11am central and will be taught by Matthew McGarrity of AFS Corporate Sponsor SGS-IBR Laboratories. The course fee is $245 for AFS members and $345 for non-members.

A primary mission of the American Filtration & Separations Society (AFS) is to provide a forum for the exchange of information among engineers, scientists and technologists from all areas of our industry. One initiative that upholds this mission especially well is our upcoming major conference, FiltCon 2021.

FiltCon 2021 will be held virtually April 19-21, and our full conference schedule is now online. The conference will feature two plenary presentations, 42 technical presentations, an expo and a student poster competition. New Product Awards for 2019 and 2020, as well as Honorific Awards for 2020, will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday morning.

John Crane recently released a webinar on Seal Gas Filtration to provide insight on API 692, the latest standard for Dry Gas Sealing Systems for axial, centrifugal, rotary screw compressors, and expanders.

In this webinar on Seal Gas Filtration, Rogier Verheijen and Brian Adamson share the John Crane in-depth understanding of the newest API standard and its implication for the industry. Taking a close look at key changes to specifications, the rationale and in-the-field benefits of API 692 are explained in a practical manner, including changes to operation and documentation. Where applicable, API 692 optimized products such as new filtration systems are discussed.

The Great Lakes Chapter will meet Thursday, March 18, from 9:00 to 9:45 am central time. The topic, “Overview of the Current Requirements for General Barrier Face Coverings,” will be presented by Matthew McGarrity of AFS Corporate Sponsor SGS-IBR Laboratories. The meeting will be held virtually and is open to everyone.

AFS chapter meetings are an easy way to pick up specific and valuable knowledge from industry experts. The meetings are free for all AFS members and just $15 for non-members.

PureAir Filtration’s FiberShield^TM is a Nylon 6,6 nonwoven spunbond microfiber material impregnated with silver (Ag) ionic nanoparticles. The silver ionic mesh creates an antimicrobial Zone of Inhibition around and in between the fibers that deactivates viruses, bacteria and fungi. For example, FiberShield deactivates >99.89% of the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19).

FiberShield^TM has a basic weight of 34 g/m² per layer and a pressure drop of 0.11 iwg (27 Pa). The thin and light substrate allows for more pleats in the same size filter housing, increased media surface area and dirt holding capacity, lower pressure drop, and smaller and lighter weight filters. The particle filtration capability is rated as MERV 4. The melting point of the fiber is 265^oC, and its heat capacity is 1.47 J/g*K, with thermal stability that can withstand 150°C consistently.

Nominations are now open for key AFS leadership positions, including multiple 2-year Board positions (2022-2024) and 2^nd Vice Chair, who serves one year as 2^nd Vice Chair, a second year as 1^st Vice Chair, a third year as Chair and a final year as Immediate Past Chair. All terms begin September 2021.

All nominees and nominators must be current members of the American Filtration and Separations Society. Read the AFS leadership nomination guidelines here.

The AFS is presenting a new short course, “Automatic Filtration Technologies for the Chemical Process Industries,” which will be taught by industry veteran Barry Perlmutter.

The use of manual filtration solutions, such as plate filters, bag filters and filter presses, can create process problems and operator safety concerns in chemical manufacturing processes.  This course covers automatic technologies designed to help alleviate these potential problems and is designed to relay first-hand experience on the case for automatic filtration solutions.  Case studies are presented for each technology to illustrate existing problems and the improvements experienced with automatic filtration.

AFS FiltCon, our signature spring conference, will be a fully virtual conference and expo this year, with two concurrent tracks taking place Monday-Wednesday, April 19-21, 2021. Attend the full conference or drop in for select sessions that fit your interests and schedule. All presentations will be available for two weeks post-conference for registered attendees.

The three-day schedule will offer remarkable access to technical content. Through two concurrent tracks over three days, the schedule offers a total of 36 technical presentations.

The AFS Learning Center is now fully launched, providing a great wealth of technical knowledge for filtration and separations professionals. Our hub of educational resources represents the many years of technical knowledge we have assembled.

The AFS Learning Center contains two-hour and four-hour virtual courses on a variety of topics designed to educate both novice and expert filtration professionals. Courses are priced affordably with discounts for AFS members. Learn more about joining here.

Guest blog by Paul Hulme, Business Development Manager, John Crane

Before the recent shifts in the global economy, the polymer industry had been expected to grow with a CAGR of 3.9% over the period 2015-2020. The demand for polymers is driven by growth in multiple end use markets, such as packaging, automotive, infrastructure, transport and telecommunication, and mainly from emerging economies. Polymer is continuously substituting metals, glass, paper and other traditional materials in various applications due to its light weight and strength, design flexibility and low cost.

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. To accommodate a wide range of time zones, the virtual conference will take place from 10am to 2pm CST on both days.

The conference includes a keynote address each day:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. To accommodate a wide range of time zones, the virtual conference will take place from 10am to 2pm CST on both days.

The conference is offering six sessions covering various industry areas responding to the pandemic:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon. The conference has been timed from 10am to 2pm CST, to accommodate a wide range of world time zones.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the air filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

To drill down into specific filtration areas that are responding to the pandemic, the conference is offering six sessions:

The filtration industry has been thrust onto center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic. Never before have we had to confront so immediately and intensely the power of an airborne pathogen to endanger the lives of millions, rock public health and lay waste to the world economy.

The American Filtration & Separations Society will devote its entire fall conference on December 2 and 3 to the filtration industry’s response to COVID-19: What we have witnessed, what we have learned, and what is on the horizon.

Need a new supplier for a filtration product or service? Let the AFS Buyer's Guide be the first place you look. We have cross-refenced the goods and services of our corporate sponsors into an easy-to-explore catalog.

Our Buyer’s Guide is organized first by primary categories:

The new AFS Learning Center recently announced four two-hour live virtual courses now available for registration. All courses are $195/members and $295/nonmembers, and all employees of AFS Corporate Sponsors (see list here) can register at the member rate.

The upcoming courses include: