Norman Filter Company

• Founded: 1998
• Facility: 60,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Bridgeview, Illinois, USA
• Primary markets: Aerospace, oil and gas, and global industrial markets
• Certification: AS9100 quality management system (also referenced alongside ISO 9001)

NFC designs, manufactures and tests high pressure filter housings and elements in-house and supplies products to hundreds of companies and entities worldwide.

Manufacturing capabilities

Norman Filter Company operates a vertically integrated manufacturing facility with multiple cutting, welding and forming capabilities, including:

• 10 CNC machines
• GTAW (TIG) welding stations (including manual TIG with fixturing)
• Computerized orbital welding
• Micro TIG welding
• Plasma welding
• GMAW (MIG) welding
• Core tube manufacturing with GTAW (TIG) core winding
• Metrology lab with CMM, optical comparator and precision measuring equipment
• Ultrasonic cleaning tanks
• Bubble point testing facilities
• Nitrogen purge oven

Industries and applications

Norman Filter Company products are used in demanding hydraulic and pneumatic applications, including:

• Manned space flight and ground support equipment
• Defense and aerospace systems (e.g., propulsion systems, radar cooling, weapons systems)
• Subsea tiebacks and ROV (remotely operated vehicle) hydraulics
• Offshore energy and drilling
• Alternative fuels and hydrogen systems
• Industrial OEM equipment

Filters and elements are designed and tested for high pressure, high flow and austere operating environments where reliability is critical.

• Address: 9850 Industrial Dr, Bridgeview, IL 60455, USA
• Main phone: 708-233-5521
• Toll-free phone (listed on site): 1-800-207-6045
• Fax: 708-430-5961

Customers can use these contact details for general enquiries, technical questions, sales support and order-related topics.

Online contact options

The Norman Filter Company website provides the following forms and options:

• General contact form: For questions or to request information.
• Request a Quote form: For application details and quotation requests on catalog or custom products.

When using a form, customers are typically asked to provide:

• Name and contact details
• Company and address
• Application description or comments

Business hours

Regular business hours are not listed on the website. Customers who need current office hours or lead-time information should call or submit a contact form so the company can provide the latest details.

Key characteristics

• Maximum operating pressure: up to 30,000 PSI
• Configuration: Inline filters (compact when space is limited)
• Housing material: 17-4 stainless steel
• Typical applications: High pressure hydraulic and gas filtration where envelope size is constrained and very high pressure capability is required

Element options

30K Series housings can be fitted with several element types:

• Pleated stainless steel wire mesh elements
• Glass fiber elements (for increased dirt holding capacity)
• Porous sintered stainless steel elements

Elements are available in various micron ratings across an approximate range of 0.2 to 200 microns (exact options are element dependent).

Ports and flow

• Port type: High pressure connections
• Port sizes: 1/4" and 3/8" (depending on model)
• Typical flow rates:
• Approximately 2.5 GPM / 100 SSU
• Approximately 5.5 GPM / 100 SSU (depending on configuration)

For detailed dimensional data, pressure ratings by model and specific element part numbers, customers should refer to the 30K Series data sheet and the NFC product catalog, or contact Norman Filter Company directly.

Key characteristics

• Configuration: Miniature T-type filters ("Mini-T")
• Typical use: Protection of test equipment, valves, gauges and instrumentation
• Element style: Pleated elements, typically stainless steel wire mesh
• Operating pressure: approximately 6,000 – 15,000 PSI (depending on configuration)
• Typical flow range: up to about 2.5 GPM

Housing and connections

• Housing material: 316/316L stainless steel
• Port types available:
• Female or male NPT
• Compression fittings
• 37° flare
• Female O-ring ports
• Port size range: approximately 1/8" – 9/16"
• Mounting: Top mounting holes
• Flow direction: Left to right; out-to-in through the element

Element media and ratings

Available element types include:

• Stainless steel wire mesh
• Random metal fiber
• Porous sintered media

Many catalog elements are offered over a broad micron rating range (for example, approximately 0.2 – 200 microns, with some absolute ratings noted in catalog data). Exact options depend on the selected element.

Typical applications

4100 Series filters are used in a wide variety of services, including:

• Chemical process systems
• Compressed gases
• Cryogenic fluids (e.g., liquid oxygen, helium, hydrogen)
• Ground support equipment
• Hydrogen fuel cell systems
• Natural gas pipelines
• Hydraulic power units
• Subsea ROV hydraulic systems

If a standard 4100 Series configuration does not fully meet an application requirement, Norman Filter Company frequently customizes filter elements and/or housings to suit specific needs.

Engineering capabilities

A dedicated engineering staff uses in-house design tools, including SolidWorks for 3D modeling, to develop custom filter housings and elements. Capabilities include:

• Pressure vessel design
• Flow testing
• Tensile strength evaluation
• Weld development and non-destructive examination (NDE)
• Prototyping and iterative design
• Support through qualification testing in extreme conditions

NFC collaborates closely with customer engineering teams to meet project milestones and schedules, including time-sensitive development programs.

Custom applications and industries

Custom engineered solutions have been provided for:

• Aerospace missions and space flight programs
• Offshore energy projects
• Alternative fuel systems (including high pressure hydrogen)
• Drilling and oilfield services
• OEM equipment manufacturers
• Other specialized industrial applications

Materials expertise

Norman Filter Company has experience designing and manufacturing components in a range of standard and exotic materials, such as:

• Zirconium
• Inconel
• Monel
• Titanium
• Super alloy steels
• Nickel
• Brass

Data-driven design support

To support custom designs, Norman Filter Company can provide:

• Pressure drop and flow calculations (for example, with MatLab-based models)
• In-house test data on performance

Customers interested in custom filtration solutions are encouraged to contact Norman Filter Company or submit a request for quote with application details.

• High pressure filter assemblies
• 4500 Series
• U115
• 30K Series high pressure inline filters
• Various configurations and metallurgies

• High pressure, high flow assemblies
• 4900 Series

• High pressure mini inline filters
• 4200 Series (commonly used in aerospace applications and ground support / manned space flight applications)

• T-type filters
• 4100 Series Mini-T filters for compact, high pressure / low flow applications

• Cone and "witches hat" filters

• Medium pressure filters

• Low pressure filters

• Custom filters and manifolds
• Custom designs including manifold filters, subsea filters and B31.3 compliant designs

Filter elements and media types

Norman Filter Company designs and manufactures all welded filter elements in-house using proprietary manufacturing processes. Key media and element types include:

• Woven stainless steel wire mesh elements
• Formed into many sizes and shapes to match flow dynamics
• Surface filtration captures essentially all particles at a given micron rating
• Surface-based design allows cleaning by backflushing
• Regular cleaning can significantly extend service life because particulate does not embed deeply in the media

• Random metal fiber elements
• Used for high viscosity applications
• Commonly used with PAO fluids for radar cooling systems

• Sintered bonded stainless steel elements
• Used for low flow, low micron applications

Elements are available over a broad range of micron ratings (for example, many catalog products list options from approximately 0.2 to 200 microns, depending on element type).

Design flexibility

Catalog products are frequently customized, and Norman Filter Company can modify both housings and elements or develop fully custom designs to meet specific pressure, flow, material or connection requirements.

Ask anyway — the agent will say plainly that it is not published rather than guess.