Sydney-based swimming pool and water treatment company Waterco has developed a new fibreglass winding machine which is capable of manufacturing the world’s largest fibreglass wound filters.
The company, which is headquartered in Rydalmere, revealed the system this week at its manufacturing facility in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
International customers, suppliers, engineers and Waterco staff members attended the launch, which was tied-in with the company’s 30th birthday celebrations.
The new fibreglass wound filters measure 12 metres in length and 4 metres in diameter. Waterco aims to progressively increase the pressure rating of these filters to 800 kPA.
Waterco CEO Soon Sinn Goh says the company has invested substantially in research and development in order to design and manufacture products from composites as a substitute for expensive metals, and to provide resistance to corrosion for water treatment in harsh water conditions.
“We celebrate our 30 years in business in a position of strength, having survived a recession, the severe 1997 downturn and the 2008 global financial crisis,” he said.
“We see membrane filtration being the future. With production volumes expanding and market size growing, filtration products using membrane have been dropping in price and improving in quality. They can filter bacteria, and even viruses. Waterco is working with other manufacturers to build filter housing suited for such products.
“In addition, we see potential in using composites and special plastics to hold hot water, with water for domestic use heated by heat pumps, a technology that came with the business we acquired in Canada.”
Waterco will also be investing in the development of new filter housing products and composites, special plastics for hot water storage for domestic use, and heat pump technology for domestic water heating and the industrial market.