Just like the human body, a vehicle engine as a "blood stream", its oil system. It also breathes in ambient air and consumes liquid; Fuel, like us engines can only live with clean fluids or run the risk of possibly serious problems.

Oil, fuel and air filters which prevent impurities from inside or outside getting into the engine, play an essential part in ensuring its longevity.

Automotive Filtration
The basis of all automotive filters is the material which actually separates the contaminants from the air or fluid being passed through it. Naturally different contaminants pose different problems and the facts that the fluids which they
contaminate also differ necessitates careful consideration of their composition before the choice of suitable filtering media can be made.

Extensive research and development in the field at automotive filtration has, over the years, produced many types of filtration media ranging from cloth and felt and other textile materials to technical papers made from fibers such as celluloses and glass.

Other materials as divers as foam polyurethane and sintered (porous) metals are also used. Production processes vary depending upon the filter type and the materials used. the production process starts with the papers being pleated by specially designed rollers before passing through an oven to cure the impregnated resins. This sets the paper fibers in position, imparting a stiffness which will repel water, withstand high pressures whilst immersed in hot oil, maintain its shape and ensure that the filtering characteristics are maintained over a long life span.

Filter design is always a compromise. While the objective is to remove abrasive contaminants before they cause damage, filters cannot be made to last forever and remove every particle. Clearly an acceptable balance has to be achieved between contaminant retention and filter service life and the filter manufacturer has to develop a product to last through the service period and remove the abrasive particles within the size range that has been deemed injurious by the engine manufacturer.

The finished product has to comply with the requirements of pressure, flow, temperature, durability etc., and where necessary, contain valves and other flow control devices.