Latest News

Automatic about-turn on rails

The German intra-logistics expert LOSYCO has expanded its LOXrail heavy-duty transport system, adding a new generation of AllRounder platform, now featuring semi-automatic steeringUnique among the solutions for intra-logistics rail transport, the new AllRounder keeps the payload on the same height level as it is re-oriented. The steering platform features a battery-powered servomotor that automatically re-positions the wheelsets as required. The steering is controlled via three buttons on the platform for 90° left or right turns or 180° rotation. Designed for payloads up to 15 tons, the AllRounder can run on LOXrail tracks with shaft diameter of either 25 mm or 40 mm. Its low height ensures ergonomic handling and easy loading, assembly and transport in one-piece flow production lines. The novel steering system saves time-consuming extra work for the installation of switches or turntables in the hall floor. Even with branching lines, it now suffices to firmly anchor LOXrail tracks and simple crossing elements in the floor. Thus, the entire intra-logistics rail system can be flexibly planned and efficiently implemented, even with complex track layouts, while the elimination of moving components in the hall floor makes it a particularly low-wear and low-maintenance solution.

www.losyco.com

 

Water jetting injury research achieves global reach

A study commissioned by the Water Jetting Association into the management of high pressure fluid injection injuries has been accessedonline10,000 times in four years.

It has also been cited in five specialist medical papers over the same period, making it one of the most important and widely-referenced research papers on the topic in the world.

Now, an injury treatment algorithm developed fromthe researchhas been updated to make it easier to use.

The WJA Water Jetting Injury Treatment Algorithm gives step-by-step best practical guidance on the treatment of water jetting injuries from first response through to definitive hospital care.

It provides vital guidance for paramedics and clinicians,as well as water jetting contractors, which include pressure washing specialists, service commissioners and health and safety professionals.

The WJA is the member organisation for the water jetting industry in the UK. Its codes of practice and City & Guilds accredited training courses are respected for setting water jetting standards internationally.

Water jetting is commonly used for cleaning tubes and chambers in oil and gas, petrochemicals and energy plants, carrying out hydrodemolition of concrete structures, and cleaning culverts, tanks and sewers in drainage systems, as well other surface preparation, cleaning and materials cutting tasks.

The research the WJA funded was led by Dr Sancho Rodriguez-Villar, an intensive care consultant at Kings College Hospital, London, and Dr Robert Charles Kennedy (PhD), the WJA’s clinical research and development advisor.

DrRodriguez-Villar said: “The study is one of the most important sources of expert opinion on high pressure fluid injection injuries in the world. It is a complex multidisciplinary piece of research involving knowledge from industry and three medical specialties.

Researchers and clinicians are clearly finding it useful. It is highly likely that doctors and surgeons around the world are searching for advice on such injuries, finding this research, and using it to guide their treatment.

“In this sense, it is having the desired and very important effect of educating clinical teams about how to treat these unique and serious injuries. This, in turn, will be greatly improving the treatment outcomes for patients, contributing to their long-term health and wellbeing.”

The study is called the Management of Industrial High Pressure Fluid Injection Injuries (IHPFII): the Water Jetting Association Experience with Water Driven Injuries.

It was published in the European Journal of Trauma and Emergency Surgery in March 2019, and is also available via the medical database Researchgate.

The injury treatment algorithm helpsfirst aiders, paramedics and clinicians optimise treatment, reducing the risk of death, long-term disability or unnecessarily prolonged periods of recovery.

The WJA has now created A4 version which is easier to view, both online and offline. Its sections have also been colour-coded so users can easily follow a patient’s journey through a treatment pathway.

It can be instantly accessed via a red tab on the home page of the WJA website.

IHPFII injuries can be caused with water pressures as low as 7 bar, or 100 pounds per square inch (PSI) – while water pressures for industrial applications can exceed 1,700 bar, or 24,650 psi.

They are characterised by small entry wounds, caused by fine fluid jets,and no exit wounds. This can mask the extensive internal disruption they can cause. Debris and bacteria can be also carried far into the body, increasing the risk of serious infection.

These factors can lead to delays in patients receiving the appropriate emergency treatment. This can result in complications that, in worst cases, cause life-changing serious injury or death.

Robert Kennedy said: “The evidence shows that, without early and correct intervention, the outcome for those injured is often catastrophic. We strongly advise all parties to observe the WJA’s algorithm for the management of high-pressure injection injuries.”

www.waterjetting.co.uk

This article can also be found in the issues below.

 

 

Siemens enhances NXpower Monitor with AI-driven electrical signature analysis from Samotics

  • Samotics joins Siemens Xcelerator partner ecosystem with its leading monitoring system for AC motors and rotating equipment based on electrical signature analysis (ESA) technology 
  • ESA technology has been integrated into NXpower Monitor, delivering asset health and energy efficiency insights for electric-driven equipment
  • ESA will extend NXPower Monitor’s capabilities to deliver an end-to-end asset monitoring offering for the entire energy distribution system

Siemens Smart Infrastructure has integrated electrical signature analysis (ESA) from Samotics into NXpower Monitor, its industry-leading digital caretaker for electrical networks. Using ESA and machine learning, Samotics provides real-time actionable insights to help global industrial companies eliminate industrial energy waste and unplanned downtime. This new capability leverages the ecosystem of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform that enables customers to accelerate their digital transformation easier, faster, and at scale. 

NXpower Monitor enables the visualization and monitoring of electrical assets within electrical networks, providing health status, KPI calculation, energy monitoring, and monitoring of operational data from assets. This comprehensive asset monitoring system enhances efficiency and risk management across the entire energy distribution network through continuous health monitoring, while simultaneously minimizing CO2 emissions and OPEX. By integrating AI-powered ESA technology, Siemens broadens its application to include the monitoring of AC motors and rotating equipment, all accessible through a single pane of glass. 

The digitalization of energy distribution, automation systems, and networks brings many advantages. Not only does it lead to substantial savings in terms of time and money, it also significantly boosts efficiency and reliability. By adding Samotics to Siemens Xcelerator, our open ecosystem of certified partners, customers can benefit from an expanded offering. This reflects our continued innovation efforts, including the integration of advanced low voltage analysis into our digital caretaker NXpower Monitor,” says Stephan May, CEO of Electrification and Automation at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

Thanks to ESA technology, NXpower Monitor conducts real-time analysis of high-quality current and voltage data, enabling the detection of electrical and mechanical faults up to five months before downtime happens. Furthermore, the system delivers comprehensive performance and efficiency insights, pinpointing areas with the highest electricity consumption, cost, and efficiency losses. By implementing data-driven recommendations, organizations can optimize operational processes, significantly reducing energy waste and cutting CO2 emissions by up to 15%. 

Jasper Hoogeweegen, CEO of Samotics says: "Unplanned downtime and energy waste are among the most expensive problems in industry. Traditional monitoring technologies do not adequately address these issues. However, through partnerships with forward-thinking organizations such as Siemens, customers are benefiting from ESA technology that delivers real-time, actionable information about the condition, performance, and energy efficiency of critical rotating equipment. This helps our clients to effectively improve the performance and energy efficiency of their critical assets.” 

Supporting the dream of green energy, with the help of Industry 4.0 ~ Watlow partners with Raven SR to deliver precise temperature control ~

The 2015 Paris Agreement has forced many counties to present long-term strategies and nationally determined contributions (NDCs) to reduce emissions. One strategy is to transform waste into usable fuels and Raven SR is a clean fuels company dedicated to achieving this. However, the company uses a process that requires high temperatures and precise control to maintain efficiency and cost-effectiveness. To streamline Raven SR’s energy transformation processindustrial heating technologycompany Watlowprovided extensive expertise in thermal system design, as well as Industry 4.0 control. 

Raven SR is a clean fuels company that transforms municipal solid waste, organic waste and methane into high-quality, clean hydrogen and synthetic fuels. These synthetic fuels are Fischer-Tropsch synthetic fuels, meaning that they are produced from a gas-to-liquid polymerization technique that converts carbon monoxide and hydrogen into liquid hydrocarbon fuels that can act as substitutes for petroleum products.

At the heart of Raven SR’s processes is a CO2 reforming process that changes mixed feedstock and organic waste into products in an environmentally friendly way, without the need for combustion. As a result, no emissions are produced — only clean hydrogen and fuels as output.

The work done by Raven SR is a crucial step in achieving clean energy and greater energy independence. Not only does their process create fuel from waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill, but its products can also be created locally and delivered directly to gas stations in the region without the need for long-distance transportation or pipelines. 

The challenge

Although combustion is not used as part of Raven SR’s technology, precise thermal control plays a huge part in driving an efficient and safe process. There is already a clear connection between the operational targets that Raven SR is putting forward and the thermal content of the system. At higher temperatures, it’s possible to achieve 99.9 per cent target output, a level of efficiency that also makes the process more cost effective. Achieving the high temperature requires running heaters at their maximum capacity for extended periods of time.

However, those heaters are difficult to replace if something fails. As a result, not only is precise control of temperature needed, but the entire system also needs to be monitored for any signs of a problem, or for indications of degraded performance.

The power of a complete thermal system

Watlow, which has manufactured electric thermal systems for 100 years, provides a breadth of expertise that helped Raven SR to solve its challenge, by designing a comprehensive thermal system from start to finish.

The full thermal system provides an extraordinary range of temperature control through different components. This includes the high-temperature MULTICELL™ heater, which offers three major advantages over other insertion heaters. These are extreme process temperature capability, independent zone control for precise temperature uniformity and loose fit design for easy insertion and removal. The proprietary design of MULTICELL™ heaters with integrated thermocouple sensors, provides a “thoughtful” zoning and control approach, delivering precise control within the three dimensions of the reactor. 

Watlow also connected the system to other sensors for gas composition, flow and pressure. Using the WATCONNECT® control panels, comprising temperature and process controllersit could monitor all thermal and electrical characteristics to ensure proper process stability for the application. Lastly, it’s the connected architecture that makes this system whole.

The Internet of Thing (IoT) “box” is at the heart of the system and includes hardware for connectivity, syncing data from eight F4T® controllers with control loops across four WATCONNECT® panels.

Connectivity to the cloud via a cellular router allows further routing of data to other applications and devices, while a human machine interface (HMI) screen displays the total state of the system at any time using a custom-designed dashboard. These features allow for near real-time data logging and monitoring of system output.

Applying Industry 4.0

This particular project is a great demonstration of Industry 4.0 at work. At minimum, Industry 4.0 involves a physical layer of interconnected devices, but advanced cases also usea simulation layer that models and predicts the behavior of a system as it unfolds over time. 

The sensors, controllers and connectors lay the groundwork for such a system, an important function of which provides a foundation for predictive and diagnostic analytics. One of the chief principles of Industry 4.0 systems is to gather granular data for better system operation while avoiding unnecessary maintenance cycles. For example, if a system can be monitored and studied in real time, it is possible to look for the indications of a potential part failure, allowing engineers to proactively fix or replace the part.

Over time, this data can also be used to understand system wear and part longevity, allowing engineers to have better insight into maintenance cycles and system inefficiencies — prolonging system lifespan. 

Watlow’s sensors, control architecture and dashboard all work together to allow Raven SR’s engineers to capture data and use it proactively to keep system efficiency and uptime as high as possible.

Transforming waste into fuel is one of the most significant ways to become resource efficient and contribute to the Paris Agreement’s targets. Companies like Raven SR are key in driving this, but without thermal systems that encompass Industry 4.0 technology, the efficiency of these crucial processes becomes limited.

For more information about Watlow, Industry 4.0 or environmental applications of thermal systems, visit www.watlow.com. Or, to find out more about Raven SR and its projects, visit www.ravensr.com/

This article can also be found in the issue below.

 

Henkel offers survey and training solutions for manufacturers to save costs and improve quality

Adhesives and sealants specialist Henkel is extending its support to manufacturers and MRO teams through a comprehensive range of survey and training services, with the aim of helping them reduce costs and improve quality through the use of Henkel products, including the world-famous LOCTITE® brand.

Rising energy costs, raw material shortages and fluctuating currency markets have posed significant challenges for manufacturers, impacting their bottom lines. To address this, manufacturers are seeking ways to maintain and improve the performance of products and machinery, while contending with changing consumer demands, supply chain disruptions and increased competition.

Innovation and agility are essential for keeping a competitive edge. Henkel’s line of LOCTITE® adhesives, sealants and equipment offer cost-effective solutions to improve quality and increase efficiency, helping manufacturers meet these challenges.

To help businesses make informed choices, Henkel provides detailed surveys of manufacturing plants and processes to identify potential cost-savings and improvements. This involves a tour of production lines and sub-assembly areas to document cost reduction opportunities, as well as potential challenges in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO).

Using the findings from these surveys, Henkel can then deliver tailored seminars at manufacturers’ sites, covering topics such as bonding, sealing, dispensing and curing equipment. Attendees are encouraged to bring parts and specific design challenges to the workshop.

Henkel’s industry specific application training helps manufacturers in selecting the proper adhesive and equipment for their assembly challenges. The training incorporates technical guides, application information and case histories. Upon completion of a survey, manufacturers receive a detailed audit of their operations, recommendations for process improvements, a report of cost-saving opportunities, as well as a cost analysis.

Gavin Jackson, Applications Engineering Manager at Henkel, said:

“We’re dedicated to providing solutions that help our customers save costs and improve quality. We understand that manufacturers face a multitude of challenges, and our team is committed to working closely with them to address their specific needs and give tailored solutions.

“Our LOCTITE line of products, the surveys and the training are designed to assist our clients, increase efficiency, reduce waste, save time and costs; and ultimately achieve manufacturing goals in the long run, too.”

 

For more information on Henkel, visit www.henkel-adhesives.co.uk, or to schedule a LOCTITE Cost Reduction Line Survey, click here.

This article can also be found in this issue below.

 

 

Transforming the Frontline Workforce in Manufacturing

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The manufacturing industry is in the midst of a major transformation - the largest since the Industrial Revolution - driven primarily by a confluence of increased automation and a labour shortage.

Manufacturers of all kinds are still finding their way in this new digitized landscape; for those that don’t just want to survive, but thrive, digital transformation will be essential.

RealWear provided a remote assistance solution for its manufacturing operations to help PepsiCo safely improve its production line efficiency through its wearable technology. In a recent episode of BBC's Inside the Factory, PepsiCo’s Walkers Crisps factory, in Leicester, UK, showcased how they have integrated RealWear's solution to streamline the factory’s maintenance and service processes.

When a machine breaks down, it can cause a significant loss in production time and ultimately revenue. Traditionally, the process of getting a specialist engineer on-site to repair the machine would involve significant travel time and expenses. However, with RealWear's wearable technology, the engineer can be called in from anywhere in the world, reducing downtime and increasing efficiency and productivity.

RealWear's solution allows a subject matter expert to see what the on-site technician sees through a head-mounted wearable system. The engineer can then provide real-time instructions and guidance, even when the issue is in a high-noise zone, allowing for safe and efficient repairs. Additionally, the device is designed to be hands-free, allowing the technician to have both hands available to work, while receiving the guidance from the remote engineer.

PepsiCo’s implementation of RealWear's solution has resulted in significant improvements in its production line efficiency. The ability to repair machines quickly and efficiently has resulted in less downtime, increasing the production capacity, and reducing revenue loss. The technology has also eliminated the need for travel, saving on expenses and reducing their carbon footprint.

In conclusion, RealWear's technology has enabled PepsiCo to improve maintenance and service processes, resulting in increased production line efficiency and cost savings.

Click the link for more info.

https://bit.ly/40aaAa1

SOCOTEC UK submissions shortlisted for the 2023 Ground Engineering Awards

SOCOTEC UK has been shortlisted in four categories at the prestigious 2023 Ground Engineering (GE) Awards. The winners of the awards will be announced at a gala dinner ceremony, taking place on Wednesday 12 July 2023, at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel in London. 

The GE Awards celebrate exceptional individuals, projects, and organisations in the ground engineering sector. This year’s event is expected to bring together some of the biggest names in the industry to recognise outstanding achievements in various categories. 

SOCOTEC has been shortlisted for six submissions in the following four categories:

  1. Ground Investigation Specialist of the Year 
  2. International Project of the Year (SOCOTEC Italia)
  3. Ground Investigation Project of the Year
    • Hurst Castle Ground Investigation
    • Hampshire Water Transfer and Water Recycling Project
    • Lyneham Banks
  4. Health and Safety Award 

The recognition of SOCOTEC in these categories is a testament to the company's commitment to excellence, innovation, and client satisfaction. SOCOTEC’s expertise and experience have been critical in delivering high-quality services and solutions in the ground engineering sector.

SOCOTEC UK’s Ground Investigation Engineering Manager, Peter Hepton, expressed his delight at the nominations, saying, "We are thrilled to be recognised for our hard work, dedication, and expertise in the ground engineering sector. These nominations highlight our commitment to providing outstanding services and solutions to our clients, and we are proud to be shortlisted alongside other esteemed organisations."

The entire SOCOTEC team looks forward to the awards ceremony and wishes all the other nominees the best of luck.

To view the full shortlist, click here.

The entire spectrum of maintenance - at maintenance Dortmund

From May 24-25, 2023, the leading trade show and branch meeting for industrial maintenance will take place in Dortmund: the maintenance Dortmund. Around 200 exhibitors will present tools and equipment for the maintenance of machines and plants as well as services and software solutions for "smart" maintenance. The industry is already looking forward to a live meeting at a high level - and to a fully booked trade show which, thanks to numerous well-known new exhibitors, is more diverse than ever before. So this year, a visit will be particularly worthwhile.

https://www.maintenance-dortmund.de/en/

This article can also be found in this issue below.

 

Enerpac ML40 Mini Lift Gantry: A Compact Way to Move Machinery and Equipment in Hard-to-Access Spaces

Enerpac announces the ML40 Mini Lift Gantry with 40-ton lifting capacity. Designed to be portable, simple to set up, and easy to use, it is the ideal solution for machinery movers, plant relocation services and medical equipment installers who need to move machines and equipment in compact spaces.

Machinery Relocation

When moving machines or parts of machines either within the same building or to another building, space is always limited. The ML40 Mini Lift Gantry has a compact size ideal for moving equipment around old installations. Its short, collapsed height (1.97m) and narrow width (750mm) means the ML40 Mini Lift Gantry can get into spaces that other equipment cannot. The gantry can also rotate the load (up-end or down-turn) to move through the building. 

Machinery Installation or Replacement

When performing a new equipment installation or the removal and installation of equipment for maintenance or repair, industrial movers are often faced with minimal headroom and many obstacles. The ML40 Mini Lift Gantry makes it easy to offload the equipment from the delivery vehicle and re-position it for use in the facility. Additionally, it makes it easy to assemble the equipment in sections and then move it as a complete unit into final position. When replacing old equipment, disassembly in sections may be easiest method of removal. The small size of the ML40 Mini Lift Gantry makes it easier to mobilise and set up. 

Medical Equipment Installation

Installing medical equipment typically involves difficult access within the hospital. Medical equipment is often delicate and needs smooth, even lifting. Standard synchronised lifting on the ML40 prevents damage to equipment. The compact size of the ML40 Mini Lift Gantry is also a critical feature. It is easy to transport and fits into most freight elevators. Single phase voltage 115 or 230 VAC operation eliminates need for long, high voltage power connections or noisy generators.

ML40 Mini Lift Gantry – powerful lifting capability

When it comes to safety, the ML40 Mini Lift Gantry features standard synchronised lifting and control and load readout to ensure safe and level lifting. A wireless pendant keeps the operator away from equipment during operation. The ML40 is also versatile. Its high capacity and simple set up mean even jobs with challenging or uncertain information can be managed without issue. It is also easy to use. A simple set up means even relatively new rigging operators can operate the equipment.

ML40 Mini Lift Gantry has 40 ton capacity (4 legs) in all three lifting stages. It is 750 mm wide, 1.97 m collapsed height and 5.5 m extended height. Each leg weighs 1350 kg with oil. The ML40 uses an industry standard 610mm (24-inch) track gauge, and can be operated without support track with considerations for load and ground conditions. It uses the same accessories as the Enerpac SL100 gantry such as track, header beam and side shifts. For ease of deployment, the ML40 Mini Gantry features freewheel operation for transportation and set up, and a roll cage for overhead lifting and/or towing and pushing for installation.

To learn more about the latest Enerpac tools, visit the Enerpac Innovations page on www.enerpac.com. 

This issue can also be found in the issue below.

 

 

RFID LED label for easy picking

Track assets and manage inventories more efficiently in complex industrial environments with (fully customisable) RFID labels that can fit any surface. Scan and identify, or locate multiple items at once from a distance, or 1 by 1 in close proximity.

Brady’s UHF RFID LED Label for general application is designed with the intention to locate a tagged item or a group of items from the field by means of LED light. The label is suitable for use outdoor and indoor, good read ranges, and UV exposed environment.

The label contains a small green LED-light that illuminates when triggered by the radio waves of the Brady handheld & fixed RFID readers (within 3.5 m), when the label is selected on-screen. This speeds up picking & locating items in warehouses, data centers and in distribution. Especially in contexts where many items are stored very close to each other, the UHF RFID LED label helps picking the right item, server, or package much faster.

Using an RFID reader, metadata & information can easily be added to the label, which is equipped with 1312 bits of memory, sufficient to store up to 164 characters. The label is designed for applications on non-metal surfaces.

• UHF RFID LED Label for general applications such as retail, industry, supply chain and others. The antenna is designed for application on non-metal surfaces.
• Polyester tag face material, with chip bonded to aluminium antenna using anisotropic conductive film adhesive, suitable for thermal transfer printing, including RFID encoding.
• Labels are outside wound and 100% inspected, 500 good RFID labels per roll with bad tags marked.
• Led Colour Green

Find out more about LED RFID labels from Brady>>

Brady Corporation

www.brady.co.uk

SGS Certifying the Next Generation of Air Conditioning Equipment with Panasonic nanoe™ X Technology

 

Indoor air quality is now acknowledged as an important part of health and safety for schools, hospitals, hotels, theatres, restaurants, etc. SGS has been helping Panasonic performance test its latest nanoe™ X technology enhanced air quality equipment for large public spaces. 

Changing concerns about air quality

Prior to COVID-19, most consumers thought about internal air quality in terms of keeping poor quality external air from entering their building. This changed with the pandemic. The risk of airborne transmission of the SARS-Cov-2 virus through aerosols meant we all became cognizant of the importance of air quality in terms of agents such as bacteria, viruses, odors, allergens and pollen.

Indoor air quality has therefore become a Health and Safety consideration. Businesses and organizations that require large groups of people to congregate in one enclosed place now need to proactively consider air quality or risk a reduction in their viability.

Air quality matters

The American Lung Association estimates the average adult male consumes 2,000 gallons (roughly 9,092 liters) of air a day – ten times what we consume in food and water.[1] If that air is poor quality, it can lead to headaches, fatigue, allergic reactions, sinusitis, respiratory issues, eye irritation and asthma. Indoor air must therefore be clean, clear and low in bacteria and viruses.

Good indoor air quality also helps to keep rooms cleaner and fresher. By removing gaseous impurities and pollutants such as smoke, pollen and dust from the atmosphere, we can ensure they do not adhere to surfaces and penetrate fabrics.

The traditional solution of opening a window may not always be sufficient or practical – it may be too cold outside or there could be smoke or smog. When this happens, consumers need to access an air quality system that does more than simply circulate air. Instead, it must also have the ability to remove particulates, odors, viruses, bacteria, etc.

This problem becomes even more difficult to solve if the room with poor quality air is large.  

Hydroxyl radicals

Hydroxyl radicals are molecules that readily react and capture elements like hydrogen. Hydroxyl radicals therefore have the potential to inhibit the activity of pollutants, breaking them down and neutralizing their unpleasant effects. They are, in effect, nature’s detergent.

However, hydroxyl radicals are inherently unstable and have a lifespan of less than one second. It has therefore been impossible to use this naturally occurring process indoors… until now.

nanoe™ X

Panasonic has now found a way to utilize hydroxyl radicals in air quality systems. Its nanoe™ X technology collects invisible moisture that is present in the air and then applies a high voltage to it to release the hydroxyl radicals.

Using this process, the lifespan and therefore effectiveness of the hydroxyl radical is significantly extended – from less than a second to around 10 minutes.[2] This means the hydroxyl radical’s ability to inhibit bacteria, viruses, molds, allergens, pollens, odors and other substances can now be effectively utilized in larger areas.

The hydroxyl radicals contained in the moisture generated by nanoe™ X are also very small –  5~20nm. This means they can easily penetrate deeply into fabrics within a room to help deodorize them.

Because nanoe™ X technology uses a natural process to clean and deodorize, it is safe, effective and does not require the spreading of harmful chemical particles across a room.

SGS testing solution

When Panasonic needed a TIC company to identify and certify its nanoe™ X equipped air conditioning units, they chose SGS. SGS has been at the forefront of performance testing and certification for air cleaners and antivirus products for several years and its experts actively support IEC in standardization for air cleaners.

Testing air quality systems and their ability to inhibit viruses and remove odors in large public areas meant the creation of a special new test environment. To ensure data accuracy, this needed to conform to 32 strict test requirements.

SGS then used recognized test protocols relating to Escherichia coli bacteriophage MS2 to test the technology’s virus inhibiting capabilities. Phage cloth strips were placed in the appointed positions within the 52m2/139m3 test room. Once the air conditioning unit was turned on, these strips were subjected to observation over a number of time slots. The results were then compared to natural reduction. It was shown that nanoe™ X effectively inhibited 98.81% of viruses on surfaces.  

The same nanoe™ X air conditioning configuration was also used to evaluate odor removing capabilities, with a control being set up using the same room configuration, temperature and humidity. Seven assessors with the required olfactory skills then scored the resulting room smells after 30 minutes. The results showed the room using nanoe™ X technology was 1.7 levels different to the control, leading to the conclusion that nanoe™ X was more effective at removing difficult odors.  

Working in collaboration with Panasonic on its new nanoe™ X technology represents a step forward in air quality and anti-virus testing for SGS. The company has been able to break new ground in terms of testing large areas, creating effective solutions that allow companies to demonstrate the efficacy of their equipment for large public areas.

[1] How Your Lungs Get the Job Done | American Lung Association

[2] How nanoe™ X works | All about nanoe™ X | nanoe™ X | Air Conditioner | Panasonic

This article can also be found in the issue below.

 

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