RATEC cartridge filters clean the air wherever smoke and dry dust are generated during laser cutting, welding, or production processes. These compact filter units operate reliably even under high dust loads and can be fitted directly to workstations, machinery, or smaller extraction systems. Each cartridge filter is fully designed to your requirements – we manufacture the housing and unit in-house at our plant in St. Veit an der Glan, depending on the project.
Table of Contents
How cartridge filters work
The extracted, contaminated air flows into the filter housing and through the filter cartridge. The particles remain on the filter medium, while the cleaned air leaves the filter on the clean air side. Because the filter medium in the cartridge is pleated, a large filter surface fits into a small space. This is what makes cartridge filters so compact and high-performing. On request, we can equip the unit with automatic compressed-air cleaning, which releases the dust from the cartridges and extends service life.
In an extraction system, cartridge filters usually form the main filtration stage. Pre-separators or filter cyclones can capture coarse particles beforehand, while HEPA filters ensure maximum purity afterward, if required.
What cartridge filters are suitable for
| Application | Typical source |
|---|---|
| Laser smoke | Laser cutting and laser engraving |
| Welding fume | Welding workstations, welding robots |
| Dry dust | Grinding, machining, filling, bulk material handling |
With fine, sticky, or oily particles, such as those generated during laser cutting, a standard filter medium clogs more quickly. That’s why we offer our laser smoke filter with precoat tank, which pre-treats the filter medium.
Filter classes and filter media
Which filter medium is suitable depends primarily on how hazardous the dust or smoke is. The dust classes L, M, and H according to DIN EN 60335-2-69 serve as a guide:
| Dust class | Separation efficiency | Suitable for |
|---|---|---|
| L | over 99% | Dusts with occupational exposure limits above 1 mg/m³ |
| M | over 99.9% | Dusts with occupational exposure limits from 0.1 mg/m³ |
| H | over 99.995% | Carcinogenic dusts and limits below 0.1 mg/m³ |
For welding fume, the ISO 21904 standard applies, requiring a separation efficiency of at least 99%. If the cleaned air is to be returned to the hall in the presence of carcinogenic components, such as when welding chrome-nickel steel, devices tested to ISO 21904 are required, often referred to as W3. For this, we use certified filter cartridges from specialized manufacturers, matched to the required class. Suitable filter media include, for example, polyester nonwovens, media with a PTFE membrane for very fine particles, or antistatic versions for combustible dusts.
Your benefits
- Compact design: large filter surface in a small space.
- Strong performance under high dust loads: reliable separation in continuous operation.
- Filter media by application: matched to smoke or dust and to the required dust class.
- Fully tailored to your requirements: size, design, air volume, and equipment.
- Tested filter cartridges: we exclusively use tested cartridges from specialized manufacturers.
- Clean air routing: better air quality at the workstation and protection for your employees.
Technical specifications
| Feature | cartridge filters |
|---|---|
| Application | Laser smoke, welding fume, dry dust |
| Location of use | Workstations, machinery, smaller extraction systems |
| Housing | sturdy, available in various sizes and designs |
| Filter media | depending on application and dust class |
| Cleaning | automatic via compressed air, optional |
| Airflow, dimensions, connections | designed individually to your requirements |
What matters for the design
- Contaminant: smoke or dust, particle size, quantity, sticky or oily content.
- Air volume: number of extraction points and required suction capacity.
- Installation situation: space at the workstation or machine, pipe routing, return or discharge of clean air.
- Requirements: occupational safety, fire and explosion protection, maintenance, and filter changes.
Complete solution from a single source
RATEC supplies not only individual filters but also complete extraction systems – from consultation, planning, technical design, and manufacturing to installation and commissioning. For capture at the source, we offer matching extraction arms and extraction hoods. We manufacture in-house at our plant in Carinthia, certified to ISO 9001, EN 1090-1, and ISO 3834-2.
Looking for a filter for smoke or dust?
Tell us about your application, air volume, and installation situation. We’ll get back to you with a concrete proposal.