Just to eliminate the confusion!
The father, Charles Ekstam, started the what was to become the Fuel Preporator in 1990 when the son, Brad, was in the Air Force. After the father developed and patented (the first of 4 US patents) the inital product and got it to the commercial phase (1994) he gave his son a sales job. The son later helped with assembly and sales of the original Fuel Preporator Fuel Air Separation System for class 8 trucks until 1998. Some of the original Fuel Preporators found a home on pickup trucks.
Due to a falling out, the father entered into a License Agreement 1998 with Diesel Products Inc, Fenton (St. Louis), MO. The son went to work for the Licensee. The father terminated the license with DPI in 2002 and started Fuel Preporator International, he also offered his son a job (which he turned down). Fuel Preporator, Int. later became Ekstam Worldwide. The son first publically displayed the FASS at the 2003 Mid America Truck Show.
The FASS only has the secondary air separation features of the Fuel Preporator/AirDog and not the primary or positive air separation. This is why you have to loosen the FASS fuel filter to get it to prime and the AirDog primes right up. With out the primary air separation features, air separation is dependant on the floatation of the bubbles extremely limited. Once the fuel flow velocity exceeds the float rate of the bubbles or the regulator closes, without the primary or positive air separation of the Fuel Preporator the air goes to the engine. The function of the FASS air separation feature is fully explained in the Abstract and Detailed Description of the Fuel Preporator patient 5,746,184 with a priority date of 1994.
The father, while selling the Original Fuel Preporator, continued to refine and develop the product to increase the efficiency of the air separation process and reduce the physical size. The result is the current AirDog, 7"Lx3.2"Wx10"T. The Fuel Preporator for the 14,200 cu. in. EMD locomotive and marine diesels is only slightly larger (except for the pump itself) than the original Fuel Preporator.
With kidneys failing, the father sold the company (which was renamed PureFlow Technologies) in Feb,'05. After a kidney transplant, the company was bought back in March, '07. After recovering from the operation the father started resurrecting the company and took full control in September 2007. The rest is what you have seen since September, 2007.
I thank you for your patience, those who have bought AirDogs and Raptor fuel pumps for your patronage and support and I wish all of you the best, especially my donor who gave me a chance to do this!
Charlie Ekstam,
(the father)