A separation process in which a suspension of solid particles in a liquid is separated using a filter. The filter is used to trap the particles and consists of a wire or fabric mesh or cloth. The rate of filtration is increased by using a vacuum to draw the filtrate through the filter, leaving a cake on the filter. Continuously operated vacuum filters consist of either a rotating drum covered in fabric that drips into the suspension allowing a filter cake to build up and be scraped off, or consists of a slowly rotating flat filter plate in which a vacuum is drawn from the underside. The suspension is dripped onto one location and as the filter plate is rotated, the filtrate is drawn through leaving a cake that is scraped off with a fixed blade at another location. See rotary vacuum filter.