Filters
Pre-Filters
Particulate filters or pre-filters remove harmful oil/water condensate, pipe scale, dirt and rust from your compressed air system. This prevents corrosive damage to compressed air equipment and finished products. Typically, particulate filters are installed upstream of some refrigerated dryers and pressure regulators to prevent valve failure. They are also used as pre-filters to oil removing and coalescing filters to insure high efficiency and long element life in applications such as paint spraying, instrumentation and pharmaceuticals. Particle removal can be tailored to specific needs starting with either 40 or 5 micron bronze elements, and to 1 micron for extra-fine particle removal and are also used as after-filters for desiccant dryers. When used as a pre-filter to a coalescing filter, pre-filters can increase the life of the coalescing element by 4 to 6 times.
Coalescing Filters
A coalescing oil removal filter functions in a different way from a standard particulate filter, where particulate filters remove particulate and water, coalescing filters are designed to remove oil. Coalescing, by definition, means "to come together." It is a continuous process by which small oil aerosols come in contact with the fibers in the filter media, uniting with other collected aerosols and growing to emerge as a droplet on the downstream surface of the media which by its weight is gravitationally drained away. For maximum performance and efficiency, coalescing filters should be preceded by a particulate or pre-filter. Several grades of coalescing filters are available; from lower grade .3 micron units when longer element life and low pressure drop are a concern, to .001 micron. Coalescing filters are often used with critical instrumentation; paint spraying equipment; more sophisticated air systems; blow molding bottling; in the food industry, and where air blows on a finished product. The finest grade elements are offered for the most critical filtration applications, such as those found in clean rooms.
Activated Carbon Filters
Activated carbon or adsorber filters were engineered specifically for those critical applications that will not tolerate the presence of oil vapors and associated odors. Activated carbon filters will remove oil vapor and hydrocarbon odors and should be preceded by a pre-filter and coalescing filter.
Medical and Breathing Air Filters
Scales Industrial Technologies carries a complete line of NFPA and breathing air filters. Please call one of our local offices for help with your specific needs.
Oil/Water Separators
Oil water separators separate the water from the oil contaminant of compressed air condensate. Current wastewater limits classify condensate collected from a compressed air system as hazardous waste. 
However, by separating the oil from the water you can effectively minimize the amount of hazardous waste and reduce your disposal costs. Most compressed air condensate is 97% water and only 3% contaminant. The operation of an oil/water separator is simple: a pressure-relief chamber separates condensate and expanding air, the condensate then passes into a primary settlement tank and a main settlement tank where the droplets of oil are separated and rise to the surface. Then an adjustable oil funnel allows the oil to be continuously skimmed off the surface and siphoned off into an oil container. The water that remains is purified through a pre-filter and an activated carbon adsorber, and the water then leaves the oil/water separator ready for disposal. Scales Industrial Technologies has various models and types of oil/water separators to meet any system size.