Air filter is the prototype for the protection of people breathing with respiratory protective equipment. According to records, as early as in the first century of the Roman people in the purification of mercury when it is made with a burlap mask for protection. After a long time, the air filter has also made progress, but it is mainly used as a respiratory protective device some dangerous industries, such as the production of harmful chemicals. 1827 Brown discovered the law of motion of tiny particles, air filtration mechanism of people had a better understanding.

The rapid development of air filters is with the military industrial and electronics industries closely related. During World War I, the use of a variety of chemical agents to asbestos fiber filter paper as a military gas mask filter the smoke came into being. Glass fiber filter media for air filtration in October 1940 in the United States to obtain patents. 1950s, the United States of glass fiber filter paper production process conducted in-depth research, so that the air filter has been improved and developed. 1960s, HEPA filters come; 70 years, using micro glass fiber filter paper as the filter media HEPA filter, a particle size of 013 micron filtration efficiency up to 99.9998%. Since the eighties, with the emergence of new testing methods, and on the use of evaluation to improve filtration performance requirements increase, found HEPA filter there is a serious problem, so he produced a higher performance ULPA filters. Today, countries are still trying to study to estimate soon appeared more advanced air filter.

Design of air filter itself has made significant progress, the most important is the removal of the partition plate, that is, without the development of pleat filter. Pleat filter partition plate not only eliminates the risk of damage to the filter medium, but also effectively increases the filter area, improving the filtering efficiency and reduce the flow resistance, thereby reducing energy consumption. In addition, the air filter at high temperature, corrosion-resistant and waterproof, anti-bacteria, it is also taking great strides to meet some special requirements.