VERTICALLY LAPPED FREE STANDING FILTER

摘要

A free standing filter (4) includes a non-woven material formed by vertical lapping of fibers to form a pleatedstructure. The non-woven material has decreased thickness portions (5-7) to increase the structural rigidity of the non-woven material. The free standing filter (4) is a frame free structure. The free standing filter (4) is manufactured by forming a non-woven material by vertical lapping of fibers to form a pleated structure.The non-woven material is then compressed to form decreased thickness portions (5-7) to increase thestructural rigidity of the non-woven material and avoid the necessity of a separate frame element. The decreased thickness portions (5-7) can be formed having a thickness slightly greater than a thickness of a support of a machine in which the free standing filter (4) is usable. Accordingly, the free standing filter (4) canbe a gasket free structure.