Air Quality Engineering

What Air Quality Engineering does

Air Quality Engineering (AQE) is a privately held American manufacturer of industrial and commercial air filtration systems, headquartered at 7140 Northland Drive North, Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Founded in the early 1970s, the company has operated for over 50 years designing and producing equipment that removes oil mist, coolant mist, welding fumes, grinding dust, tobacco smoke, cooking grease, and odors from industrial and commercial environments. Its product portfolio spans the MistBuster family of electrostatic and media-based oil mist collectors for CNC machining (500, 850, 2000, Infinity, Compact, and Media variants), Smokemaster electronic air purifiers for hospitality and commercial kitchens, AUTOCLEAN self-washing electrostatic kitchen exhaust systems, FumeFighter triple-stage HEPA soldering fume extractors, EverClear and MiracleAir HEPA-type ceiling-mounted air purifiers, Porta Air mobile welding fume extractors, and the M-series industrial media filtration systems scalable up to 40,000 CFM.

The company's core technology is electrostatic precipitation using proprietary Advantage and high-efficiency electronic collector cells delivering 97.8%-99.6% collection efficiency on submicron particles, with optional HEPA media filters reaching 99.97% efficiency. AQE holds UL867, UL710, UL8782, ETL, NYC MEA 96-04-E, LA RR 8452, and CARB ozone certifications, and makes all products in the USA. The company sells through a direct field and inside sales team, an active distributor and dealer program targeting global resellers, and direct specification engagement with commercial kitchen engineers and architects. Replacement filters, electronic cells, and OEM-compatible components generate a recurring parts stream across the installed base.

AQE serves at least six end markets: aerospace and military manufacturing, bars/restaurants/hospitality, commercial kitchens, healthcare and institutional facilities, machining and general industrial manufacturing, and medical device manufacturers. Revenue is generated primarily through hardware sales of filtration systems, supported by replacement parts and turnkey installation services. Pricing is quote-based and customized by application, with no public pricing disclosed. The company is independently owned with no disclosed parent, subsidiary, or external investment relationships, and no funding events have been recorded.

Name

Air Quality Engineering

Legal name

Air Quality Engineering, Inc.

Website

https://air-quality-eng.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Air Quality Engineering is a privately held Minnesota-based manufacturer of industrial and commercial air filtration systems, producing electrostatic precipitators, HEPA air cleaners, mist collectors, and welding fume extractors for aerospace, hospitality, commercial kitchen, healthcare, and CNC machining customers worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Air Filtration Equipment

NAICS

Industrial and Commercial Fan and Blower and Air Purification Equipment Manufacturing (333413)

SIC

Industrial & Commercial Fans & Blowers & Air Purifing Equip (3564)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYIMAHALAF

Dust Collection & Air Filtration Equipment (Industrial)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Industrial Cleaning & Maintenance Equipment

SECONDARYIMAHAKAG

Ventilation, Ducting & Air Distribution Equipment

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Refrigeration, HVAC & Thermal Equipment

SECONDARYIMAHAKAI

Air Quality & Filtration Equipment (IAQ)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Refrigeration, HVAC & Thermal Equipment

SECONDARYIMAHALAC

Industrial Vacuum Systems (Wet/Dry, Dust Extraction)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Industrial Machinery & Heavy Equipment/Industrial Cleaning & Maintenance Equipment

SECONDARYIMADANAI

Ventilation & Smoke Control Systems (Smoke Exhaust/Pressurization)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Building Materials & Products/HVAC Components & Building Ventilation Products

Keywords

• Industrial air filtration
• Mist collection systems
• Commercial air purification
• Electrostatic precipitators
• HEPA filtration equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Air Filtration Equipment Sales: Sale of industrial and commercial air filtration systems including mist collectors, fume extractors, dust collectors, and pollution control units. Products sold directly and through distributor channel. Includes MistBuster, Smokemaster, AUTOCLEAN, FumeFighter product lines.
2. Replacement Parts and Filters: Sale of replacement filters, electronic cells, and components for all AQE air cleaner models. OEM-compatible components for maintaining system performance.
3. Professional Services/Installation: Turnkey solutions available including installation, with rooftop skid packages, outdoor insulated weather enclosures, and ductwork transitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Air Quality Engineering designs and manufactures industrial and commercial air filtration systems, including mist collectors, smoke collectors, and air purification units. The company produces a range of products such as the MistBuster, Smokemaster, AUTOCLEAN, FumeFighter, EverClear, MiracleAir, Advantage, and Porta Air that serve diverse industries including aerospace, military, hospitality, commercial kitchens, healthcare, manufacturing, and medical devices.

Product overview

Air Quality Engineering designs and manufactures a comprehensive portfolio of industrial and commercial air filtration systems. The product lineup includes the MistBuster® family of oil mist collectors (MistBuster® 500, 850, 2000, Infinity, and compact variants) using electrostatic precipitation technology, alongside media-based mist collectors (M33O, M66O, MX66O Series) for wet machining applications. For commercial and hospitality venues, the company offers Smokemaster® electronic air purifiers (C-12, X-11Q, X-400) and EverClear™/MiracleAir® HEPA-type ceiling-mounted systems (CM-11, CM-12, PM-400). Kitchen exhaust solutions include the Smokemaster® F72 non-self-washing electrostatic unit and the AUTOCLEAN® F61 self-washing system with automated wash cycles. Industrial welding fume extraction products span portable units (Porta Air™, AQE2000), ambient air cleaners (M68, M67), and overhead systems (M66V, AQE4000 Jet Dust Collector). Healthcare applications are served by the XJ-2 TRUE HEPA isolation room unit. The FumeFighter® addresses electronics manufacturing soldering applications with triple-stage HEPA filtration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MistBuster®: Flagship line of oil mist collectors designed specifically for the filtration of coolants, oil mist, and smoke from CNC machine tools.
• AUTOCLEAN®
• SMOKEMASTER®
• FumeFighter®
• EverClear™
• MiracleAir®
• Advantage™
• Porta Air™

Products and services

• MistBuster An industrial mist collector designed to remove oil mist, coolant mist, and other airborne particulates from manufacturing environments. Used in metalworking, machining, and CNC operations.
• Smokemaster An electrostatic air cleaner that removes smoke, dust, and other airborne contaminants from commercial and industrial settings. Designed for welding shops, print shops, and manufacturing facilities.
• AUTOCLEAN A self-cleaning industrial air filtration system that automatically removes collected contaminants, reducing maintenance requirements. Used in continuous manufacturing operations.
• FumeFighter An air filtration unit designed to capture welding fumes and other industrial fumes at the source. Used in metal fabrication and welding operations.
• EverClear A commercial air purification system designed to remove smoke, odors, and grease from commercial kitchen and food service environments.
• MiracleAir An electronic air cleaner that uses electrostatic precipitation technology to remove particulates from indoor air. Used in commercial buildings and healthcare facilities.
• Advantage An industrial air filtration system designed for general manufacturing applications requiring removal of airborne particulates and contaminants.
• Porta Air A portable air filtration unit for industrial and commercial use, providing flexible air cleaning solutions for various applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Electrostatic precipitation provides 97.8%-99.6% collection efficiency on submicron particles
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Donaldson Company: A global leader in industrial filtration with a comprehensive product line spanning dust collection, fume extraction, and air filtration. Comparable because it serves the same CNC machining, welding, and industrial manufacturing customers with both media and electrostatic solutions, though at vastly greater scale.
• Camfil: A major global air filtration manufacturer offering HEPA, molecular, and dust collection solutions for commercial and industrial applications. Comparable because it targets overlapping healthcare, commercial, and industrial customers with similar air-cleaning technologies.
• Mann+Hummel: A global filtration specialist serving automotive, industrial, and life sciences markets with comprehensive air and liquid filtration solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent that overlaps with AQE in industrial air filtration and cleanroom applications.

Direct peers

• AAF Flanders: A leading manufacturer of air filtration solutions including dust collectors, mist collectors, and HEPA filtration for industrial and commercial markets. Highly comparable because its product portfolio, customer segments (manufacturing, healthcare, commercial), and technology approach closely mirror AQE's offerings.
• Nederman: A Swedish specialist in industrial air filtration with a strong focus on welding fume extraction, mist collection, and dust collection. Comparable because it serves overlapping industrial manufacturing customers with similar source-capture and ambient filtration technologies.
• Filtermist: A UK-based specialist in oil mist collectors and industrial air filtration, particularly for CNC machining applications. Comparable because its core oil mist collection product line competes directly with AQE's MistBuster family in the same CNC machine tool end market.
• RoboVent: A US-based manufacturer of industrial air filtration systems including dust collectors, fume extractors, and ambient air cleaners. Comparable because it directly competes in welding fume extraction, plasma/laser cutting dust collection, and industrial air cleaning for manufacturing customers.
• Absolent: A Swedish specialist in air cleaning for industrial environments with a focus on oil mist, smoke, and dust collection. Comparable because it directly competes in the same oil mist and fume extraction categories as AQE's MistBuster and FumeFighter lines.
• Koch Filter: A US-based manufacturer of air filtration products including pleated filters, HEPA, and industrial air cleaners. Comparable because it serves overlapping commercial and industrial customers with HVAC and air quality solutions, competing in similar replacement and aftermarket channels.

Emerging players

• Tri-Mer: A US manufacturer of industrial air pollution control and filtration systems for metalworking, welding, and process industries. Comparable as a niche competitor offering overlapping dust collection, mist elimination, and fume extraction solutions to similar manufacturing customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aqe1984
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-quality-engineering

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Air Quality Engineering