Cummins Filtration seals deal with nanofiber designer

user-gravatar Headshot

Cummins Filtration — a provider of filtration, exhaust, coolant and chemical technology for all engine-powered systems — announced Jan. 28 that it has entered into a cooperation agreement with Elmarco s.r.o, a Czech nanotechnology designer. The strategic objective of the agreement is to develop innovative solutions in nanofiber media technologies to allow Cummins Filtration to better serve global application needs in motor vehicle and related filtration systems.

“We are very excited and pleased to launch this cooperation with Elmarco because it allows us to bring innovative products more quickly to market,” says Pamela Carter, president of Nashville, Tenn.-based Cummins Filtration. “This agreement ensures that Cummins Filtration is well-positioned to exceed our customers’ requirements and establish a global leadership position in motor vehicle filtration.”

Elmarco, in cooperation with the Technical University of Liberec-Czech Republic, has developed its proprietary Nanospider technology, which it says is capable of producing a consistent web of nanofibers with diameters 50-300 nanometers, about 1,000 times smaller than a human hair. The extremely fine fibers provide enormously high surface area, about 150 times greater than that of commonly used spun-bond (or cellulose) fibers, according to Elmarco; filter media with this increased surface area collect a significantly greater number of particulates, which results in superior filter efficiency.

“The capability for high particle removal in motor vehicle filtration is a critical factor to protect the environment and to increase motor vehicle durability,” Carter says. “The use of such advanced technology, in conjunction with Cummins’ patented reduced-volume filter designs, enables the production of smaller, more efficient filters with greater design flexibility.”

Ladislav Mares, Elmarco’s chief executive officer, explains that nanofibers can be applied onto a substrate of cellulose or other material and can be combined in multiple layers of varying fiber diameters. Motor vehicle nanofiber filtration focuses on continuous fibers, with diameters in the range of 100-500 nanometers that are applied to a pleatable substrate. Such advanced multilayer nanofiber filter media can deliver high filter efficiency at low initial pressure drop, or high permeability, which offers superior benefits to the motor vehicle end-user customer.

Partner Insights
Information to advance your business from industry suppliers

“We are delighted to be able to combine our advanced Nanospider technology and know-how with Cummins Filtration’s expertise and market leadership,” Mares says.