01924 495 975
hello@sonicsolutionsltd.com

Laser Filter Cleaning in the Plastics Industry

Save you & your team time, hassle & money by getting your industrial parts cleaned to the highest possible standards using the latest industrial cleaning techniques, reducing downtime and eliminating excess spend on consumables.

✅ Save Time✅ Save Money✅ Save Your Parts

Laser filter discs form part of filtration systems used in the manufacturing of plastic products and plastics recycling. They are designed to remove impurities and contaminants from the molten plastic material as it flows continuously through the filter disc. They also eliminate any harmful particulates generated during the process, such as dirt, dust, and smoke.

Laser filters are used to remove particulate like metal, wood, glass, and sand from recycled plastic material, it also filters out other plastic types of a higher density to purify the final product.

The recycled plastic material is heated and extruded before passing through the laser filter disc, which removes any contaminants and impurities. The cleaned material is then pelletised and ready to be used at the manufacturing stage for all types of uses, sometimes the very thing it was recycled from and thats how you reach a circular economy in plastics.

Why do laser filters need cleaning?

They are used in a high-temperature environment where they are continuously exposed to molten plastic material. Over time, the filters can become clogged with contaminants, such as wood, steel, aluminium and sand. If left uncleaned, these contaminants can cause the filters to “blind” reducing their effectiveness, resulting in reduced filtration capacity, increased pressure and potential equipment damage.

Cleaning them is essential to maintain their performance and prolong their lifespan. Regular cleaning removes any accumulated contaminants and prevents them from building up and interfering with the filtration process. A properly cleaned filter ensures the production process runs smoothly, minimises downtime, and ensures the final product meets the desired quality standards.

Aswell as the production benefits the commercial savings are not to be underestimated as 1 laser screen can cost in excess of €2,000.00 and so simply replacing them everytime can be extremely costly. A properly maintained and professionally cleaned laser screen can last 3-4 times longer than conventional cleaning.

How do you clean laser filters?

The traditional method of cleaning laser filter discs typically involves a quick jet wash after burn off. However, the ultra-fine mesh of the laser filters requires a more complex, multi-process cleaning approach. 

Even after burn-off and jet washing, the fine mesh still contains trapped and burnt carbonized plastic, metals and sand which even a pressure washer cannot remove

To achieve near 98%+ cleanliness, ultrasonic cleaning is mandatory. 

To ensure the optimal performance of laser screens, it is essential to implement a cleaning regime that removes the contaminants and prevents their reaccumulation. 

  • Pyrolysis (burn off): A cleaning process that utilises high temperatures in a controlled setting to reduce the plastic to a fine ash. Leaving behind only inorganic material such as glass, sand and all metal types. Remember the plastic is not the problem, its everything thats left behind, so whilst the burn off is essential it doesnt get you any closer to a clean product.  
  • Jet washing: The jet washing process is important for removing all the loose particulate and ash from the surface, if you have a lot of aluminium trapped in your screen a high pressure wash can reduce this by sheer force. Its more of a hammer than a sclapal but effective in its own right
  • Ultrasonic cleaning: Utilising high-frequency sound waves, ultrasonic cleaning with a carefully chosen cleaning chemical, is a technique that effectively agitates and eliminates contaminants from the filter. This method is especially efficient in removing residual trapped inorganic particles that the jet wash simply could not remove. The sound waves generated by this process create high-energy cavitation bubbles that collapse and implode on a microscopic level, providing a blasting force in the extremely small filtration holes.

Take a look at some of the results we can achieve:

The benefits of cleaning laser filters

Cleaning laser filters is critical for sustaining performance, efficiency and quality within plastic recycling industry. 

By cleaning the contaminants from the laser filters, companies can ensure that the production process runs seamlessly and that the final product meets the necessary quality standards. Moreover, this practice helps prevent equipment breakdowns, minimises downtime, and saves businesses from costly replacement parts.

Although the multi stage process of cleaning filter discs takes longer and than the traditional method of just pyrolysis and jet wash the benefits make the extra effort  worthwhile. For instance, laser filter screen lifetimes can be extended up to double or triple compared to burning alone. 

Throughput can be increased by up to 20% due to reduced blinding. Longer times between blockages reduce downtime and bursts significantly. While the material type and quality going into the extruder are beyond your control, maintaining the hot melt filter line is something that can be managed

What sets Sonic Solutions apart from in-house cleaning and other subcontract cleaning operations is our ability to use a variety of cleaning processes to achieve the desired level of cleanliness. Our cleaning expertise, experience, flexibility, and commitment to meeting customers’ needs and demands are the reasons why major and highly demanding plastics manufacturers, such as Jayplas and BPI Berry rely on us to remove unwanted contaminants from their laser filters.

For friendly & knowledgable help contact us on:
01924 495 975     hello@sonicsolutionsltd.com

Request Your Free Trial Clean

Submit your details and one our Ultrasonic Cleaning Experts will get in touch to discuss your requirements. Terms & Conditions apply

  • Drop files here or
    Max. file size: 10 MB.
    • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

    Ultrasonic Cleaning Services

    Get in touch

    Our Clients

    Why Sonic Solutions?

    UK's Most Powerful Fiber Laser

    The UK's only Full-Service industrial parts cleaning company

    Capacity

    We've been going for over 16 years. Est. 2004

    Quick Laser Cutting Quotes

    We offer a Satisfaction Guarantee on our cleaning

    We're the Highest Rated ultrasonic cleaning company online

    Continued Investment

    ISO 9001:2015 Certified

    Excellent Customer Care

    Unrivalled Expertise on Industrial Cleaning Methods

    Quality & Accuracy

    We provide a Fast Turnaround

    Fast & Free Delivery

    Your parts are in safe hands as we're Fully Insured

    Annual Savings of at least £75,328

    “All in all a massive win for us, reducing costs and increasing revenue simultaneously in a very competitive market.”

    Simon - Engineering Support Manager
    Berry BPI Group

    How we saved Simon £75,328 - Simon’s calculations were based on the following;

    1. An average 13 filters a month were cleaned in 2019. Erema laser discs in Simon’s case, but this process also applies to Ettlinger, MAS or other hot melt filters.
    2. Our multi-stage cleaning process means that each filter now lasts at least twice as long as they would’ve done otherwise
    3. Any hot melt filter costs well in excess of £1,000
    4. Total cost of cleaning, carriage, packing etc.. costs in the region of £100 per filter.

    Simon’s conservative calculation of an annual saving of £75,328 was based purely on replacement costs.  He also benefited from higher throughput, longer runtime and less downtime.

    We often work with

    Plastics Recycling & Processing

    Read More

    Oil & Gas

    Read More

    Power Stations

    Read More

    Precision Engineering

    Read More

    Automotive

    Read More

    Print

    Read More

    Contact us

    Click onPress the button to open our enquiry form and we’ll come back to you ASAP (usually within the hour) with answers, options, prices and services or call us today on 01924 495 975

    Get In Touch

    Fill out the form below, or if you would prefer you can call us on 01924 495 975
    or email us at hello@sonicsolutionsltd.com

    • Drop files here or
      Max. file size: 1 GB.
        We can accept the following file types: .jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .ppt, .pptx, .odt and a maximum upload size of 50mb. For anything else please consider using WeTransfer and leaving your download link in the message section of this form
      • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
      dont-spend-another-penny-cover

      Don’t Spend Another Penny on Replacing or Cleaning Parts Until You’ve Asked These 7 Critical Questions.

      Asking These Questions Saved One Customer over £70,000 a Year, Seriously!

      What Cleaning Process Do I Need? A Quick & Easy Reference Guide...

      Use this quick reference guide to compare parts vs contaminants to shortlist possible cleaning processes (Ultrasonics vs Pyrolysis vs Jet Wash vs Vapour Blast vs Soak)

      The Ultimate Guide to Industrial Ultrasonic Cleaning

      Get a complete understanding of the underlying science, equipment and characteristics of ultrasonic cleaning.

      What Our Customers Say About us

      google-review

      We approached Sonic Solutions after our parts manufacturers let us down and wasted precious time by supplying oily parts. Not only were they friendly, helpful and happy to rush our parts through - the quality was unbelievable! They arrived back at our factory just in time to not hold up production and we couldn't recommend them highly enough.

      Martin Frings

      google-review

      Our company AssetCool found the entire team at Sonic Solutions to be responsive and incredibly supportive of a new project. Their technical knowledge is superb, and they delivered exactly what they promised. We're very happy to recommend them to anyone with ultrasonic cleaning needs, and look forward to working with them again in the future.

      Tonia Parris

      google-review

      I reached out with a problem to various companies prior to talking with Sonic Solutions, most were unhelpful. These guys insisted on the first trial being for free! The job was excellent and the turn around time very impressive. We are now setting up a monthly cleaning regime with them. A joy to deal with.

      Andy Sim

      Our Story

      Hi. I’m Andy, owner of Sonic Solutions for 14 years. Our aim is simple, to get your dirty parts clean, as efficiently and effectively as possible, so you can get on with your business.

      We provide a cleaning service, cleaning chemicals, and ultrasonic cleaning equipment, so whether you want to do the job in-house or just let someone else sort it out we can help.

      So if you require any cleaning of your equipment to help maintain your parts, increase production and reduce money loss, why not get in touch with our friendly and professional team.

      We look forward to hearing from you.

      - Andy

      FAQ's

      How does ultrasonic cleaning work ?

      Read our article here.

      What are the key factors in successful Ultrasonic Cleaning

      Read our article here.

      How to specify the level of cleanliness required ?

      Read our article here.

      How to clean anilox rollers?

      Read our article here.

      How to clean Industrial filters?

      Read our article here.

      How to remove cutting oil and swarf from machined parts?

      Read our article here.

      How to clean heat exchangers?

      Read our article here.

      How to clean a circuit board (PCBs)?

      Read our article here.

      How to remove grease form metals?

      Read our article here.