Filters Built for Harsh Environments

UAF delivers protection from wind-driven rain in diverse environments

Precision Engineering. Maximum Protection. Lower Cost. Longer Life

The experts at UAF have a range of custom products available to meet your specific needs and protect critical electronics from wind-driven rain. Utilizing a good / better / best system, they can find that sweet spot between protection level and price that will work best for your application.

Good: Hydrophobic Mesh

Our hydrophobic mesh air filters offer a water-repellant, low pressure drop media to reduce ingress of airborne mist and other liquids on indoor and outdoor enclosures deployed in harsh environments. These filters offer a cost-effective alternative to expensive, more air flow restrictive membrane media.  This hydrophobic filter media is a durable, cleanable, moisture-resistant solution for any outdoor cabinets, process equipment applications requiring mist elimination, or other harsh environment installations.  The hydrophobic mesh can help meet various enclosure-level standards such as MIL-STD, NEMA and IP ratings.  The media can be installed in a one-piece, low profile, ultra-thin frame by itself or combined as part of a two-stage filter with our Quadrafoam or Unifoam media for increased protection against dust and heavier water sprays.

Better: WR Filters

UAF’s weather resistant (‘WR’)  filter solutions are developed and engineered using an approach that’s become the go-to standard for keeping dust, water, wind-driven rain and salt fog out of electronics enclosures located in harsh environments. 

Using our exclusive 3-stage filtration system, an open-cell polyurethane foam pre-filter combined with a PTFE treated hydrophobic mesh layer captures coarse dust particles and impedes the majority of potential water ingress while a MERV 15 primary filter blocks the fine dust and airborne water droplets. The resulting custom, two-piece solution offers sufficient equipment protection with lower initial resistance in applications normally reserved for more expensive membrane filters. As a two-piece solution, the pre-filter can be cleaned or replaced independently at a lower cost to prolong the life of the primary filter. With lower upfront and maintenance costs, the UAF WR filter solution is the ideal, economical alternative to membrane filters for outdoor applications.

UAF WR filters are in compliance with the most stringent industry standards including GR 487, NEMA, IP, MIL-STD-810E enclosure standards, and all filters are RoHS compliant and UL900 rated. 

Best: OSP

The UAF Outside Plant (‘OSP’) series of filters are the premier protection available for enclosures and relied on by the world’s top telecom providers, power generation equipment producers, EV charging and interactive signage manufacturers and dozens of ‘Internet of Things’ developers to protect their critical electronics.

Custom OSP filters keep dust, water, wind-driven rain and salt fog out of electronics enclosures utilizing direct air cooling systems. Using advanced technology, OSP filters not only elevate the protection concepts of the WR filter solution, but do so in a single piece form factor. UAF OSP filters offer a ruggedized, water-tight construction that support up to IP 65 ratings when installed on well-designed enclosures.

Cabinets for telecom, wireless, digital signage, and power applications can now use outside air vented cooling systems in place of costly, inefficient, closed-loop air-to-air heat exchangers. OSP filters are compliant for use with industry standards including UL 900, GR 487, NEMA, and IP enclosure ratings. 

Partnering with UAF

UAF understands not just how to design the right filter, but other ramifications of what you’re trying to accomplish: that limiting air bypass, or the seal and fit of the fiter, is just as important as the filter itself. We can partner with you on gasket, adhesive, and other solutions that will contribute to achieving the enclosure rating you need to meet. 

Contact a protection specialist to discuss our solutions in greater detail, and learn how our engineers can work with you to ensure the filter you include in your cabinet not only meets all requirements for protection, but does so while maintaining accessibility to the filters, fan trays, and other components you need to service.