Dry Fog humidification for BLDC motors' production for industrial and commercial use
Customer Testimonial: Minebea Slovakia s.r.o.
Part of the group MinebeaMitsumi, Inc., Japanese multinational corporation and major producer of machinery component and electronic devices, the company Minebea Slovakia s.r.o. focuses on the development and production of electronically commutated BLDC motors and innovative drive technologies.
It is the latest production plant of the MinebeaMitsumi Group in Europe. There, they manufacture motors for industrial and commercial use, and they finalize them with electronic assemblies according to their customer’s requirements.
Why was Minebea Slovakia interested IKEUCHI?
After the start of production in the new plant in end 2016, the company found that during the winter season, the humidity in the production hall sometimes drops below 20% due to the increase in heating.
One of the production lines located in the middle of the hall, which also includes the installation of an electronic assembly in the final product, requires air humidity at a higher level for some technological processes.
Since it is an area of only about 20% of the total area of the hall, the installation of conventional humidification (steam generator in the air conditioning system) would be very demanding in terms of investment and operation.
- Need for spot humidification
- Need of higher humidity level during the application of adhesives and various gel
- Need of higher humidity for protection against electrostatic charge in accordance with the IEC 61340-5-1 standard
- Need of higher humidity to create a safe environment in the EPA zone for handling electronic assemblies
Minebea plant in Košice ©Engineering.sk
Humidification is a complementary element to ensure the safety of workers, in addition to standard elements like anti-ESD clothing, flooring and workplace.
ESD expert’s point of view:
“Some electronic assemblies are mounted in plastic housings, therefore, increasing humidity and ionizing the air eliminates the risk of damaging sensitive components during these processes.”
(Source: RealTime Technologies SK, s.r.o.)
In many industries like the electronics industry, the generation of electrostatic discharges (ESD) is a major risk for damaging the products, the machines, and for the worker’s safety. Therefore, facility managers often implement complementary solutions to create a safe working environment.
Mr. Miloš Lang, the maintenance and facility manager of the Košice facility, choose the most suitable humidification system.
With the help of our distributor RealTime Technologies SK, s.r.o., Mr Lang received an adapted solution with our Dry Fog humidifier AKIMist®“E”. RealTime Technologies has prepared a comprehensive system design suitable for the required criteria.
System used for humidification of BLDC motors
Our AKIMist®“E” spreads a Dry Fog that humidifies indoor environments without wetting.
It represents the perfect solution for a factory that can’t afford to have water puddles or wet its devices.
Installation of the system
Thanks to previous installations, RealTime Technologies SK was able to show to Mr Lang the system running, installed in the company Chemosvit. Seeing the whole concept and installation in real operation convinced him instantly.
Following the inspection of the operation by the employees of Realtime Technologies SK and the preparation of the system design, the implementation date was agreed for February 2019.
The installation of the Dry Fog humidifier AKIMist®“E” was trouble-free.
The pipes were placed under the coffered ceiling and 8 AKIMist® with 2 nozzle-heads were lowered from the ceiling to the placement points for spot humidification.
Results of the AKIMist®“E”
The system is automated by two hygrometers with corresponding solenoid valves. The reverse osmosis system, installed to purify the water, was able to adjust the humidity level in a very short time: reducing dust particles and cooling the room by about 8%.
Mr. Lang was fully satisfied by the first results, therefore, he decided to change the method of humidification in the operating laboratory after about 6 months. They replaced the classic steam humidifier, which sometimes caused water condensation on the ceiling cassettes and subsequent dripping, with two IKEUCHI nozzles.
The humidification system of IKEUCHI is more flexible and more reliable with lower operating and maintenance costs.
“Based on almost a year of experience with the IKEUCHI system, I can say that we are very satisfied with the choice of equipment. If we had this knowledge during the construction of the plant, we would certainly apply this method of humidification to all plants that require it.”, Mr. Miloš Lang
Benefits
- Required humidity level quickly reached
- Stable humidity level in the range of +/- 5%
- Reliable automatic mode
- Positive impact on the surrounding operations – better working environment
“The required value was achieved in less than one hour and the subsequent stability of moisture retention is in the range of +/- 5%. These parameters were also confirmed in the following months. The system works reliably in automatic mode (only the lower limit is set in our country), so in the summer months, when the natural humidity is high enough, operation is not necessary. The bonus is that the humidity will also partially increase in the surrounding facilities, which is also praised by employees for more pleasant breathing during the winter months and reduced dust. “, Mr. Miloš Lang
For the original customer testimonial in Slovak, check out RealTime Technologies’ website.
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