Might I peak your interest with our Monitor program through Fleetguard & Polaris Labs: https://cms.fleetguard.com/en/literature/monitortm-fluid-analysis-program-technical/lt36251
NanoNet is definitely premium...I suppose StrataPore is technically premium, even though we've been using it for the better part of 30 years at this point. Very few of our lube filter part numbers are made with the NanoNet nanofiber concoction today...plenty of melt-blown StrataPore products...
We have some joint ventures in Asia, one being in India. Not sure about LF3970 at the moment, but with the supply chain disruptions, sometimes we have the JVs take on some capacity to help alleviate local demand.
Our two major plants for North America are in Tennessee and Mexico, one smaller plant in Wisconsin but it's mostly air filters and crankcase ventilation units.
That makes sense to me. If the filter is engineered for the OEM oil drain interval and nitrile gets the job done, silicone may just be an extra, unnecessary expense toward the cost of goods produced.
Here's the response I got from one of our materials engineers:
"I would agree with the comment that Silicone would probably be a premium to the Nitrile for an anti-drainback valve . Nitrile typically will have around 5 to 8% plasticizer in the compound. Over time in a lube filter, this...
I recorded it...it will be posted on the Fleetguard.com website next week hopefully. Sorry for the delay here...I was out of state buying a new car and driving back to TN the last two days.
Hey Justin! Thanks for taking the time to call in. Hopefully I did a decent job covering the material...it's a subject that can get deep pretty quickly, and that forum usually brings a wide audience, so I keep that in mind with the content.
Here's the training link on our website; we cover...
If you guys have specific questions you want me to try and answer, please drop those here or message me. Is everyone mostly interested in oil/lube filters, or are there other applications of interest?
Maybe give this one some consideration...much more accurate than the old mechanical gauges.
https://www.genosgarage.com/product/fleetguard-air-filter-restriction-indicator-sk15967-jx/new-products
If anyone is interested, I'm hosting a webinar on September 26th at 10:00 AM CST on the topic of filter media. Let me know if you have any questions in advance and I'll try to work that into the materials.
Registration link...
I know what you mean, but if you want an accurate read with a restriction gauge, this will be far more accurate tool than the old school gauges that pop prematurely. It's just wired into power for key-on, so not a big deal.