LEHIGH VALLEY, PA - Mack Trucks, Inc. launched a large scale program to remanufacture diesel particulate filters (DPF) for the trucking industry. The program will operate out of the Middletown Remanufacturing Center (MRC) in Middletown, Pa.

Diesel particulate filters use ceramic filter elements to trap and contain particulate matter in engine exhaust. The particulates are reduced to a fine ash which must be periodically cleaned from the filter element, usually every few hundred thousand miles in normal operation. Mack's innovative DPF design allows the filter element to be quickly and easily removed for service, and a replacement filter readily substituted. This reduces time and cost associated with DPF servicing.

The DPFs are remanufactured to more than 90% of their original capacity. The remanufacturing process begins by blowing air across the filter element and removing ash and contaminants via a powerful vacuum. Filters with a high level of oil or particulate buildup are baked in state-of-the-art industrial ovens to further reduce ash and contaminants. According to Bob MacPherson, MRC's manager of lean systems and new engine projects, the power of the program is in the ability to remanufacture in bulk, instead of servicing one filter at a time.

The efficient DPF cleaning process used by MRC was selected after a long search of available technologies. Testing showed the system is capable of removing more ash in one cleaning than other methods could in several cleanings. It can even clean and remove ash from a fully plugged DPF. The system is also able to detect cracked filter elements during the cleaning process. And the filter element is not subjected to high-pressure pulses that add additional stress, as with some other techniques.

The timing of MRC's launch of this program is significant, since trucks with US'07 engines are beginning to reach mileages at which the filters require servicing. Without remanufacturing, a DPF can't properly filter contaminants, which leads to decreased engine performance. But thanks to this new availability, customers receive the triple benefit of reduced cost, maximized performance and service life, and the knowledge that they are helping to clean the air in the communities where they operate.