Freudenberg Indian Arm Develops PM2.5 Cabin Filters

The Pune- headquartered Freudenberg Filtration Technologies India (FFTI), part of the Freudenberg Group, will introduce a new media, PM2.5 filter that can filter particulate matter up to 2.5 micron, for vehicle cabin filters in India.

- T Murrali

This will meet the evolving market demand for better dust filters with fractional efficiency for different sizes of particles. The domestic market expects this filter to have the same replenishment frequency as the conventional filters.

“We are ready with such a product and it is undergoing tests to check if it would fulfil the Indian mileage expectancy,” Ashok Pandey, Head, Automotive, FFTI, told AutoParts Asia. FFTI supplies filters for engine air and cabin air. Its engine air filter is made of synthetic non-woven unlike the cellulose or paper-based filters used extensively in India. The present market share of synthetic filter is only three to four percent. However, the demand for high-end filtration systems will increase along with other developments, he said.

Cabin Filters

 Freudenberg’s worldwide share in cabin air filters is about 68 percent. In cabin air there are two types of filters: particle filter and combination filter.

Particle filter takes care of measurable pollutants like dust, carbon particulate, etc. Cars in India use this technology. Some brands now show interest in the combination filter as it filters dusts and harmful gases also. Particle filters are basically non-woven, one-layered media starting from 60 up to 150 GSM (grams per square metre).

The material is made of coarse fibre that is compacted and pleated together to make the filter. In India it is called PM10 filter as it can block particles till 10 microns, below that it will allow. It is being used by almost all passenger car OEMs. The company caters to the entire requirements of particulate filters of the Indian OEMs except Maruti Suzuki where its share is 50 percent, he said.