Toolmaker Siegfried Hofmann also setting new standards in hall air conditioning
"Hofman - your source of inspiration" is an innovative German company in toolmaking and mechanical engineering and on the road to success. Things were hotting up in the new production hall built a few years ago - with each new machine the exposure to high temperatures and aerosols in the air increased. The management and the experts at Kappa kept a cool head. Thanks to an overall solution for the filtration of excess heat and emissions and intelligent use of thermal energy, employees enjoy pleasant temperatures and clean air all year round.
New hall and massive heat generation
The German mechanical engineering and toolmaking company "Hofman - your source of inspiration" built a new production hall a few years ago. The machining centres were installed gradually. The oil and emulsion mist emissions were initially to be dealt with using attachment filters on the machines. After only a short time, however, the decision was made in favour of an integrated solution: in order to achieve optimum flexibility, the temperature, air supply and emission removal were to be controlled independently of the machines used in the hall.
An integrated solution
The system solution stipulated by Kappa was to ensure pleasant temperatures all year round and efficient filtration of emissions.
The emissions (oil mist and emulsion mist) from the machining centres are already highly filtered in the Kappa AirdryTM high-performance filtration without polluting the hall air. The excess heat in the hall and the diffuse residual emissions are collected and dissipated at the top of the hall via adjustable Kappa COCTM extraction plates. Subsequently, the diffuse emissions and the exhaust air from the high-performance separators are cleaned in the Kappa MTATM exhaust air cleaning and air treatment station. Due to the high filtration efficiency, the excess heat carried along can be recovered with a very high degree of efficiency.
The fresh air for the hall is cooled in summer and heated in winter with the recovered excess heat. The year-round pleasantly tempered fresh air is brought into the hall over a large area. This is ensured by Kappa DiffusorsTM, which are placed on the hall floor. They ensure that the fresh air is diffused across a large area over the floor. This has several advantages: the fresh air is distributed throughout the entire hall without an annoying draught and it does not mix with the polluted hall air. The air flows around all obstacles, and the employees are constantly supplied with fresh air. In a short space of time, a stable pool of fresh air is created at the workplaces. It actively displaces the excess heat and diffuse emissions are actively released upwards towards the hall ceiling.
Intelligent automation increases function and economy:
Hofmann is considered a pioneer in the automation industry. The machining centres are networked with each other. The production is highly flexible. It can run fully automatically or be fed with manual data, as required.
The air technology solution from Kappa optimally supports Hofmann's automation. Hundreds of sensors determine all operating states and send them to the higher-level automation solution Kappa Zeromatic®. It combines all components in a central unit, controls, regulates, monitors and optimises. This allows not only the individual function of all components to be considered, but also the overall function, taking into account all mutual interactions.
Complete and convenient access to the entire system and all individual components and parts is thus possible at the central control station. The system is operated and monitored via a high-quality industrial panel. Sequences, processes and alarms in case of malfunctions are controlled via the central industrial control panel: the Kappa Zeromatic® is thus the essential building block of Kappa system automation. It ensures the integration of all air treatment systems and components in one unit - exhaust air technology, ventilation, heating, cooling, heat recovery as well as further energy efficiency, comfort and safety. The Kappa Zeromatic® is networked with several Hofmann operator stations based on a client-server architecture.
What does the customer think?
"Automation and integrated production is a feature of the factory of the future. With Kappa's solution, we also rely on an intelligent and future-proof solution for exhaust air, energy and room ventilation technology. The high degree of automation of the system ensures optimum function and significantly increases comfort". Stefan Hofmann, Managing Director
The bottom line - the Kappa solution for Hofmann means:
- Constant temperature - in the entire hall, throughout the year
- The air temperature in the hall is controlled automatically according to the defined setpoints. The intelligent setpoint adjustment maximises energy efficiency.
- Fresh and clean air at all workplaces
- Active displacement of the emissions from the working area
- Dissipation of emissions from the hall - no concentration of emissions
- Dissipation of waste heat from the hall - no overheating
Low heating costs through recovery of existing excess heat - FreeCooling with fresh evening and night air
- The standby mode ensures optimum temperature conditions and minimises the air output and fresh air content during non-production periods.
Steyr-Gleink,
