TESTED FOR NOISE, EFFICIENCY, QUALITY OF THE HIGHEST LEVEL AND MUCH MORE
Largest, most advanced and most reliable test rig for fans of its kind in the world
You couldn’t tell from an external view of the large, linear, futuristic-looking building complex, attached to the headquarters of ZIEHL-ABEGG SE in Künzelsau, with its unmistakable blue glass façade, just how much huge and highly intelligent technology is contained inside the building, producing highly realistic and certificated measurement and test results for ZIEHL-ABEGG’s fans.
Directly linked to the high-tech InVent Development Centre, lies the measurement and testing centre, the largest of its type and size anywhere in the world, where all new fans developed by ZIEHL-ABEGG undergo the full programme of tests which are certificated in accordance with national and international standards/guidelines.
Reliable products for our customers
“Ensuring we deliver reliable products to our customers is worth the time-consuming and intensive testing and trialling time at the end of what is often a lengthy development phase for innovative, new fans,” says Achim Kärcher, Head of Product Development Test Laboratory at ZIEHL-ABEGG SE and responsible in particular for prototype construction.
The expert Achim Kärcher (right in picture), sees the Hage3D 175C industrial 3D printer (additive material extrusion) as an indispensable tool in the creation of individual and perfect prototypes of new fan developments at ZIEHL-ABEGG, whether with small or very large impellers.
“To enable us to conduct authentic and realistic test runs under application conditions, we rely on the Hage3D 175C for the production of our prototypes”, says Achim Kärcher. “The Hage3D printer also ensures maximum accuracy specifically for large fan components that are manufactured in one piece, so that checks can be carred out on acoustic properties and other physical performance characteristics in subsequent tests on our combined aerodynamics and acoustics test rig for fans”.
„The prototypes which have to be created to coincide with the status of development, are a prerequisite for the precise implementation of the various test guidelines on our certificated test rigs“.
Perfect prototypes for realistic values
“The integration of variable areas into the prototypes is another important requirement in the construction of prototypes for our fans. We achieve this by segmenting the impellers and integrating differing geometries on a pluggable basis, providing for direct comparisons in order to determine the ideal design. We also adopt geometric features of our biomimetic structures, such as the shape of the wing tip of an owl which is almost silent when it’s in flight” explains Achim Kärcher.
Biomimetic impeller blades for maxium efficiency achieved in the applications and the renowned “silent mode effect”.
Certificated and transparent
The axial and centrifugal fan systems developed by ZIEHL-ABEGG in accordance with the latest know-how, taking environmentally friendly and highly efficient parameters into consideration, undergo meticulous inspection and trial runs in the ZIEHL-ABEGG test rig and, so-to-speak, are put through their paces or, more accurately, subject to a series of reliable tests of their top class efficiency, acoustics and much more before they begin operating thousands of times in a wide variety of application areas worldwide.
Global success justifies our approach
“The successful application worldwide, with a continuing, strong increase in demand for our biomimetic fans and the energy-saving ECblue drive technology, together with the elaborate and intensive testing measures designed in the lead period, proves we are on the right path, something that is also underlined by the AMCA certification for the performance of the ultra energy-saving fans. We are an extremely reliable partner for our customers” says Achim Kärcher.