RATEC pre-separators, also known as pre-cleaners or primary separators, catch coarse and medium particles such as dust, chips or fibres before they reach the main filter of your extraction system. Cartridge and HEPA filters last much longer, the system runs more evenly and maintenance drops noticeably, even with high dust loads. We design every pre-separator around your air volumes, dust types and site conditions and build it at our own plant in St. Veit an der Glan, Austria.
Table of Contents
Why pre-separation makes sense
Without a first stage, all the dust lands directly on the main filter, including coarse particles, chips or fibres that would be far easier to separate. The filter medium clogs faster, needs cleaning or replacing more often, and the pressure drop rises. A pre-separator takes this load off the main filter. It is therefore the first stage of an extraction system, followed by the cartridge filter and, where the highest purity is required, the HEPA filter.
Two designs
Gravity separator: The air is slowed down and redirected in a chamber. Coarse, heavy particles cannot follow the flow and settle out by gravity. This design is simple, robust and particularly suitable for coarse particles.
Cyclone pre-separator: The air is set rotating and centrifugal force carries the particles outwards and down. This is compact and efficient, even with smaller particles. We show how the cyclone principle works in detail on our cyclone filters page.
Which design is right depends on the type of dust, particle size, air volume and available space. We clarify this together during the design phase.
Your benefits
- Longer main filter life: less dust on cartridges and filter cells.
- Less maintenance: cleaning and filter changes are needed less often.
- Integrates into existing systems: also suitable for retrofitting.
- For high dust loads: robust housings for continuous industrial use.
Key technical data
| Feature | Pre-separators |
|---|---|
| Function | first cleaning stage before main filtration |
| Designs | gravity separator, cyclone pre-separator |
| Separation | coarse and medium fractions |
| Housing | robust, for continuous industrial use |
| Air volumes, dimensions, connections | designed individually to your requirements |
What matters in the design
- Dust: particle size, type (dust, chips, fibres), quantity, abrasiveness.
- Air volume: volume flow and permissible pressure drop.
- Discharge: collection container or onward conveying of the separated material.
- Installation: available space, connection to the existing system, fire and explosion protection.
Everything from a single source
RATEC supplies pre-separators individually for retrofitting or as part of a complete extraction system, from consulting and planning to technical design, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning. We manufacture at our own plant in Carinthia, certified according to ISO 9001, EN 1090-1, and ISO 3834-2.
Want to take the load off your filters?
Tell us the type of dust, air volume, and your existing system. We will get back to you with a specific proposal.