Industrial Filtration | Clean Filtration Screen Development

Client: Clean Filtration Inc. (later acquired by Dow Chemical)
Application: Self-cleaning filtration for highly contaminated industrial process streams.
Industry: Filtration

In the early 2000s, Clean Filtration developed a new continuous self-cleaning filter concept. The system used hydrodynamically driven brushes to clean a static cylindrical screen.

Early prototypes achieved fine-particle separation using 60-micron chrome-nickel screens. However, rapid abrasive wear limited service life and blocked reliable commercial deployment.

Filtration performance was proven, but durability was the system constraint. Screen wear and localised abrasion prevented scale-up into demanding applications.

ActionLaser partnered with Clean Filtration to resolve the wear limitation. The goal was to maintain fine filtration while delivering long-term mechanical durability.

ActionLaser worked with Clean Filtration on a solution that;

• Enabled the commercial launch of a new filter concept
• Had hard chrome-coated 316 stainless steel screens
• Designed with a spiral slot pattern, reduced brush wear rings
• Expanded into finer filtration (50–40 microns)
• Accelerated iteration and customisation
• Proven value in fracking water treatment

Clean Filtration’s system relied on continuous mechanical brush contact. This placed extreme abrasion demands on the filtration surface.

Chrome nickel screens filtered effectively but wore rapidly. Service life was too short for commercial viability.

Localised brush contact created wear rings. These accelerated the failure of both screens and cleaning brushes.

The system required a screen that combined fine apertures with high abrasion resistance. Durability needed to improve without sacrificing filtration accuracy.

ActionLaser developed laser-drilled cylindrical screens using 316 stainless steel. A hard chrome coating was applied to improve abrasion resistance.

Precise 60-micron slots were laser-drilled to match the required filtration performance. Laser drilling ensured geometry remained accurate despite coating and forming.

As development progressed, ActionLaser redesigned the slot layout. Vertical rows were replaced with a spiral slot pattern.

This distributed brush contact more evenly across the screen surface. Localised wear rings were eliminated.

The new screens delivered dramatically longer service life. Both screen and brush wear were significantly reduced.

Downtime and maintenance frequency decreased. Filtration performance remained over extended operating periods.

With durability resolved, Clean Filtration successfully commercialised the system. Initial deployment focused on produced-water treatment in oil and gas fracking.

Laser drilling also enabled expansion into finer filtration ranges. Screens with 50- and 40-micron apertures were produced without new tooling.

The technology’s success contributed to Clean Filtration’s acquisition by Dow Chemical.

Laser drilling enabled precise control of fine slot geometry. This ensured consistent filtration even with hard chrome coatings.

316 stainless steel provided structural durability. Hard chrome coating delivered abrasion resistance under continuous brush contact.

The spiral slot pattern is distributed evenly. This prevented localised damage and extended component life.

Programmable laser drilling allowed rapid iteration. Design changes were implemented without costly delays in tooling.

The screen solution removed the primary barrier to commercialisation. Filtration became durable enough for continuous industrial service.

Long service life reduces maintenance and operating costs. This was critical in cost-sensitive produced-water reuse applications.

The ability to scale to finer micron ratings expanded addressable markets. Screen innovation became a key value driver of the overall filtration system.

The outcome validated both the technology and the partnership model.