1. Product Overview

FineArc is a solid-liquid separation screen equipped with Fine Wedge to provide fine apertures of the order of several tens of micrometers.

Fine Wedge is a metal screen (sieve, or filter) with fine slits (gaps) formed by ultrafine wires shaped like inverted wedges and arranged at equal intervals using our proprietary technology. (Fig. 1) 

Fig. 1 Enlarged View of Fine Wedge

With previous products the limit for solid-liquid separation was 100 μm, but we have been able to reduce this to 20 μm by developing high-precision wires, successfully creating an automatic screen welder, and using a supply system with a pump to provide pressurized injection for the separation.

The applicable industries of this product cover a varied range from food (especially organic effluent), to plastics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, electronics materials, environmental services, textiles, and most recently, biomass-related water treatment facilities. It can also be used for applications such as concentration and classification, in addition to collection of fine solids in liquids (solid-liquid separation) and removal of foreign matter.

The product is environmentally friendly because the screens can be repeatedly reused by washing them, and can be recycled at disposal since they are made of stainless steel.

Fig. 2 Appearance of FineArc-60

2. Product Details

FineArc-60 is a solid-liquid separator whose unique design makes it simple and compact. (Fig. 2)

The screen that is its key component was initially technologically limited by a slit (aperture) accuracy of around 50 μm. However, we succeeded in developing uniform fine slits with high precision of the 20 µm level as a result of research and cultivation of manufacturers of irregularly-shaped fine wires, the configuration/precision development of ultrafine wires, the identification of factors related to automatic screen welding machines, and repeated improvement.

As a means of evaluating these fine slits, we also developed a proprietary optical measurement method involving magnification of the slits, rather than the previous visual measurement.Subsequently we went even further and developed a system capable of measuring to the 1 µm level, and we have developed a system that can automatically measure slits in response to operating a single switch. This has made it easy to check uniformity and accuracy of fine slits, and made it possible to assure the accuracy of the product.

FineArc is configured with an inclined ultrafine high-precision screen that has a header pipe holding the liquid to be supplied at the top. Extending from the header pipe are branch pipes with nozzles fitted to their ends. In order to improve separation performance, the nozzle tips are arranged tangentially to the screen. This is a technology developed over many years that efficiently filters large volumes of water discharged under pressure with a screen.

It is a simple technology requiring no power consumption by the screen itself during processing, just the supply pump. We can also note that nozzle tips with different bores are available to allow a varied range of liquids and solids to be processed appropriately based on our knowhow.

As an optional countermeasure against clogging of the screen, front and rear washers can be installed. They wash the screen periodically without stopping operation so as not to reduce productivity, and minimize the human intervention required.

3. Sales Performance

With its ability to process down to the 20 µm level as a fine aperture solid-liquid separator, the FineArc-60 is a unique product with no peers.

We have recorded sales of 61 units in Japan alone, with a market share of 100%, but we are still running sample tests in-house and on-site in response to customer inquiries, and we report the results of the tests to the customers before accepting their orders so that they can use the product with confidence.

We aim to help many companies by continuing to make proposals and promote the product more widely within the fields and industries where we already have a record of deliveries.

Toyo Screen Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Corporate Member, 2-10-6 Kozen, Ikaruga-cho, Ikoma-gun, Nara Prefecture, 636-0103