Compact filter press skid for small chemical batches: 470 to 630 mm plates with a packaged feed pump
Small-batch solids separation · 320 to 800 mm plate presses from 0.5 to 30 ft³, packaged with a feed pump, valve manifold and feed-pump control on one frame
Not every chemical plant needs a press with automatic plate shifting and a cake conveyor. A batch of pigment, catalyst fines or neutralised sludge that fills a few cubic feet of cake can be handled by a compact press with plates opened by hand, a hand or air hydraulic closing unit, and a feed pump bolted to the same frame. What has to be got right is the plate size and number of chambers for the cake per batch, the pressure the press is built for, and how the feed pump is stopped before it exceeds it.
Small-capacity recessed-chamber filter presses with 320 to 800 mm plates, supplied as a packaged unit with feed pump, valve manifold, feed-pump control and cake cart or hopper, for batch separation of solids from chemical slurries; filtrate polishing housings may be mounted on the same frame. Full-size industrial filter presses, membrane squeeze operation and press cycle design are covered on the Industrial filter press page; cartridge and basket filter skids for solvents on the Solvent filtration skid page; and pressure vessels for granular media on the Pressure filter vessels for media filtration page.
CNFX editorial research · Sources checked October 12, 2026 · 4 sources
Plate size sets the batch: cake volume from 320 mm pilot presses to 800 mm units
Cake volume per batch is the first number to fix; plate size and chamber count follow from it. Two US press makers publish these ranges for their small presses.
Micronics gives the 470 mm presses as 470 × 470 mm gasketed recessed-chamber plates, 1.9 m long including the valve manifold and 960 kg in operation when fully expanded; its 630 mm models are 2.5 m or 3.3 m long and 1,361 kg or 2,087 kg in operation. [2][3] Its 630 mm table lists the expanded volume of models MSP 6-10 and MSP 8-10 as 10 ft³ but 180 L; 10 ft³ is about 283 L, so ask Micronics which figure is right before sizing on those two models. [3]
Editorial calculation: Micronics bases operating weight on a cake density of 85 lb/ft³, so a full 2 ft³ press holds about 2 × 85 = 170 lb (77 kg) of cake and a full 10 ft³ press about 850 lb (386 kg). [2][3] Check that the cake cart or drum under the press is rated for the heavier figure.
Plate size
Cake capacity published
Closing and shifting
320 mm
Offered for pilot testing and small-scale work; capacity not stated [1]
Air or electric hydraulics, manual to automatic shifting [1]
Give the slurry volume per batch, its solids content, the expected cake density and the batches per shift, so the supplier can fix plate size, chamber count and room for expansion.
02
Feeding a small press with an air-operated diaphragm pump: 15 bar pump capability against an 8 bar plate rating
Both Micronics brochures list an air-operated diaphragm feed pump and an automatic feed-pump control system as standard options, with a pump stand mounted on the 470 mm press. [2][3]
Almatec says its AHD air-operated double-diaphragm pumps were developed for feeding filter presses with chemical waste and special sludge: from a maximum drive pressure of 7 bar (100 psig) an internal booster builds discharge pressure to 15 bar (218 psig), and the three sizes deliver up to 4, 10 and 20 m³/h. It describes the pump delivering a large volume while the empty press fills, then slowing on its own as the cake builds until it stands still at the maximum permitted pressure, and lists a maximum operating temperature of 70 °C. [4]
Micronics states a design maximum of 8 bar for its standard 470 mm and 630 mm presses. [2][3] Editorial calculation: a booster pump able to reach 15 bar is capable of almost twice that rating (15 / 8 ≈ 1.9), so on a small press the drive air has to be regulated, or a pump without a booster chosen, so that stall pressure stays at or below 8 bar. Almatec's own figures give a ratio of more than 2:1 between discharge and drive pressure (15 / 7 ≈ 2.1). [4]
State the press design pressure, the slurry temperature and chemistry (for pump body and diaphragm materials), the feed flow wanted at the start of filling, and the air supply pressure available at the skid.
03
What is manual and what can be automated on a small press
In the Micronics brochures the automated item offered on these small presses is the feed-pump control, while plates stay manually shifted. [2][3] Editorial note: If the press is to run unattended during filling, ask how the control detects the end of filtration (pressure, flow or time) and what it does if a cloth fails.
Function
Published arrangement on small presses
Plate shifting
Manual on Micronics 470 and 630 mm standard models [2][3]; semi-automatic offered from 630 mm upward by M.W. Watermark [1]
Closing
Hand-operated hydraulic power unit [2]; manual, air or air/oil hydraulics [1]
Valves
Piping manifold with manual valves for feed, filtrate and cake blow [3]
Feed pump
Air-operated diaphragm pump with automatic feed-pump control as an option [2]
Cake
Cake cart with forklift points; filter cake hoppers on 470 mm presses [2][1]
Guarding
Light curtains listed among options for M.W. Watermark's 1,000 mm and 2,000 mm presses, not for its 470 to 800 mm sizes [1]
04
What to send for a compact filter press skid
Paste it into your enquiry below or into an email to a maker, then replace every bracket.
Slurry: [chemical; solids %; particle size; temperature; pH]
Batch: [slurry volume; cake volume and density; batches per shift]
Press: [plate size; chambers; design pressure; plate material; cloth]
Feed: [pump type; drive air pressure; materials; automatic stop]
Handling: [manual or semi-automatic shifting; cake cart or hopper; drum]
Filtrate: [clarity required; polishing filter after the press]
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Compiled and source-reviewed by the CNFX editorial team.
Each manufacturer above links to the page on that company's own website where the product is listed, with the date we checked it. How we source and review
· Page last updated 13 October 2026
Buyer questions
How much cake does a 470 mm filter press hold?
M.W. Watermark lists 0.5 to 4 ft³ for 470 mm presses; Micronics' standard 470 mm models hold 1 ft³ (30 L) or 2 ft³ (60 L). [1][2]
What pressure is a small filter press built for?
Micronics states an 8 bar design maximum for its standard 470 mm and 630 mm presses. [2][3]
Why use an air-operated diaphragm pump to feed a filter press?
Almatec describes its AHD pumps slowing automatically as the cake builds and stopping at the maximum permitted pressure without extra control elements. [4]
Sources and what still needs a direct check
Sources checked 2026-10-12. Micronics (Cleanova) and M.W. Watermark publish ranges for their own filter presses; Almatec publishes data for its own high-pressure diaphragm pumps.
