Improve Products’ Performance, Longevity with Membrane Laminate from GE

The microfiltration industry faces ever-increasing requirements for particulate retention and airflow. Medical and life science companies must keep liquid and particulate contaminants out of sensitive devices. Yet sufficient venting is needed to relieve pressure and temperature build-up found in challenging conditions that change quickly.

To help enhance products’ performance and longevity, technical experts at GE Energy Services’ Filtration Technologies Team have developed one of the top-performing membrane laminates. It’s called ASPIRE microfiltration media. The membrane’s chemistry and physical characteristics are tailored to provide the right solution and help our customers differentiate themselves in the marketplace. These microfiltration and venting membrane laminates can be easily integrated into a range of product designs and filter housings, offering different economic or environmental benefits.

Our advanced material enhancement and testing processes enable ASPIRE membranes to allow more airflow, breathing freely and venting gases, while also blocking contaminants. Our membranes are chemically resistant, hydrophobic (water repellent) and oleo-phobic (oil repellent), so they’re ideal for helping protect or improve the filtration and separation needed for a variety of products in a variety of applications.

To optimize flow and retention characteristics, we make ASPIRE vents microfiltration media from treated expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE). It’s an air permeable, hydrophobic, micro-porous membrane.  Compared to other porous materials, ePTFE membranes perform better as a barrier to liquids, particles and aerosols that may contain viable bacteria and viruses while being gas permeable.

Each square inch of the ePTFE’s three-dimensional web-like structure contains millions of tortuous path microscopic pores. They allow air and gases to pass through easily, while liquids and particulates – even as small as 0.1 micron – get collected on the membrane’s outer surface.  The particulates and liquids captured can then be easily removed from the membrane’s surface – through cleaning in place techniques such as direct water spray or air – because of ASPIRE microfiltration media’s inherent fluid resistance and non-stick nature.

Our patented Direct Venting technology lets millions of pores per square inch in ASPIRE microfiltration media vent at their full potential while still improving the membrane’s ability to resist wetting by most fluids.  Advanced processes and computer-controlled equipment manage various manufacturing variables. Among them: pore size, pore distribution and membrane thickness – all of which have a significant impact on membrane efficiency and effectiveness.

The results speak for themselves. Membrane testing methodology measures both airflow through the membrane and the membrane’s ability to repel different types of fluids at different surface tensions.  The industry uses the AATCC 118 test to determine the ability of the membrane to retain its breathability as it comes into contact with fluids.  Test fluids are rated “1” through “8” in increasing levels of difficulty. Water ranks as a “1” – the easiest fluid to repel – and oil is an “8,” the most difficult.  Many membranes used today may rate a value of “6” using this test, and the substrates, the layer to which the membrane is applied, may rate a value of “3.”

ASPIRE’s oleo-phobic grade 8 technology addresses this weakness. Our microfiltration media is rated a value of “8” on both the membrane and the substrate sides of the laminate. This, along with the unimpeded airflow, makes ASPIRE microfiltration media one of the top performing membrane laminates available today.  And it gives us another tool for partnering with companies and finding the right solutions.

A leading medical device company approached us, for instance, looking for a standard laminate. They had a new device that worked only if worn by patients, but the company worried that sweat and natural body oils could be contaminating. We realized a laminate with a standard membrane would not be enough, so we suggested the treated ePTFE membrane. The idea worked and enabled the customer to have a successful product launch.

Here’s a closer look at other GE Advantages

• Edge lamination— The technology in GE’s media allows lamination only on the edges of the ePTFE film. Manufacturers who want to update their pleating technology can now place this in their equipment and maintain air permeability without needing an expensive equipment upgrade. The media was developed through a partnership with GE Power & Water for a new line of pleated cartridge filters.
• Edge lamination was a major benefit to GE Power & Water. Their manufacturing process has been simplified with the use of this technology and production rates have increased significantly.  In terms of product performance, their new products utilizing the edge laminates show performance advantages over the previous laminated versions in terms of flow. Their customers have confirmed this improved performance in applications in water, chemical process and medical device manufacturing.
• Green chemistry technique for oleo-phobic technology—This new treatment process uses supercritical CO2 as a vehicle for applying GE’s proprietary oleo-phobic treatment only to the ePTFE nodes and fibrils. The inherent open pore structure of the ePTFE film is maintained, allowing equivalent or higher air permeability than other technologies, while maintaining performance-resistant specifications to guard against oil contamination. One company we worked with reported as much as a 50 percent savings for their customers that need venting solutions.
• Steam sterilization—These membranes maintain stable performance even after as much as 200 steam sterilization cycles. As a result, customers can use the cartridge to provide a barrier to airborne and liquid contaminates.

GE engineers studied the challenge presented by these severe environments and designed, developed and commercialized an advanced ePTFE membrane technology to help customers meet their customers’ requirements. The result: a membrane that performs the first time, every time.

Rigorous testing, Performance Benefits

At GE, we understand the value of rigorously testing our products to ensure high performance and to meet your expectations.  In independent laboratory tests, ASPIRE microfiltration media  outperformed membranes available from other manufacturers.  ASPIRE treated ePTFE provides performance benefits such as:

• Increasing resistance to wetting and particle penetration by coating individual fibers within the microstructure.
• Offering outstanding hydrophobic and oleo-phobic properties.
• Maintaining high level of air and gas permeability.
• Customizing membrane treatment chemistry for specific applications

Listen to a short presentation at http://info.ge-energy.com/go/2489

Contact us for more information. We’ll tailor a filtration solution that will keep your sensitive devices running at their best. And that’s not just a promise. That’s the promise of something better.

Christopher Keller
816-313-4783
Christopher.keller@ge.com

About GE
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that's built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. GE serves the energy sector by developing and deploying technology that helps make efficient use of natural resources. With 60,000 global employees and 2009 revenues of $37 billion, GE Energy www.ge.com/energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies. The businesses that comprise GE Energy — GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas - work together to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; and other alternative fuels.For more information, visit the company’s Web site at www.ge.comGE is imagination at work.