Compressed Air Treatment

The Challenge

Compressed air is one of the most widely used utilities in industrial manufacturing, yet it is often the most neglected. A typical compressor draws in ambient air containing moisture, oil vapour, particulates, and microorganisms, then concentrates these contaminants at elevated pressure — delivering them directly to sensitive pneumatic equipment, packaging lines, and production processes.

Unfiltered or inadequately filtered compressed air leads to product contamination, premature equipment wear, increased maintenance costs, and potential regulatory non-compliance. In food and beverage, pharmaceutical, and electronics manufacturing, the consequences can be particularly severe, with product recalls, batch rejection, and audit failures.

ISO 8573-1 defines air quality classes for particulates, water, and oil content. Meeting these standards requires a properly designed multi-stage filtration system — not simply a single point-of-use filter.

Our Solution

R+F FilterElements provides a complete range of compressed air filters and replacement elements engineered for ISO 8573-1 compliance. Our aluminium and stainless steel filter housings accept industry-standard coalescing, particulate, and vapour-removal elements with minimal pressure drop and maximum service life.

Whether you need general-purpose protection for pneumatic tools or Class 1 oil-free air for pharmaceutical filling lines, our staged filtration approach ensures each contaminant type is addressed by the optimal removal mechanism — coalescing for liquids, depth filtration for particles, and activated carbon adsorption for vapours.

ISO 8573-1 Compliant

Achieve Class 1 air quality for oil, water, and particulates with properly staged filtration systems.

Ultra-Low Pressure Drop

Optimised element design minimises energy costs — every 1 bar of unnecessary pressure drop increases compressor energy consumption by approximately 7%.

Oil Removal to 0.003 mg/m³

High-efficiency coalescing elements achieve residual oil content below 0.003 mg/m³ at rated flow for oil-free air quality.

Sterile Air Capable

Terminal membrane filters provide 0.01 µm sterile-grade air for pharmaceutical, food, and biotechnology applications.

Universal Compatibility

Replacement elements designed as direct-fit alternatives for all major filter brands — no housing modification required.

Energy Cost Reduction

Regular element replacement at recommended intervals prevents progressive pressure-drop increase and reduces compressor running costs.

Typical Compressed Air Treatment System

A complete compressed air treatment system addresses all three contaminant categories: particles, liquids, and vapours. The following stages are installed downstream of the compressor aftercooler and water separator.

1
Pre-filtration (GP grade): Remove bulk water and particles >5 µm using RF-H-310 series general-purpose elements. Protects downstream coalescing stages.
2
High-efficiency coalescing (HE grade): Remove liquid aerosols and fine particles to 0.01 µm using RF-H-330/350 series coalescing elements — residual oil content ≤ 0.01 mg/m³.
3
Vapour removal (AC grade): Remove oil and hydrocarbon vapours using activated carbon elements in RF-H-370/395 series adsorption filters. Essential for achieving ISO 8573-1 Class 1 for oil.
4
Sterile filtration (optional): Terminal 0.01 µm membrane filters for pharmaceutical GMP, food-contact, and cleanroom air supplies.
5
Automatic drainage: Condensate management with zero-loss drains prevents re-entrainment and ensures continuous air quality.

Recommended Products

Explore the filtration products most commonly specified for this application.

RF-H-310 – RF-H-395 Series

Compressed Air Filters

Aluminium and stainless steel compressed air filter housings from 1/4″ to 3″ connections. Available in general-purpose, coalescing, and adsorption variants.

View Range

RF-C Series