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A Case to Use More Water |
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Flow on effects of water cooling press peripheral cabinets can turn your factory hot spot into a cool haven.
Air cooling of press peripheral cabinets is standard practice but water cooling of cabinets, particularly on larger presses, is increasing in popularity…and with good reason.
With increased sales of large format and specialist presses (UV and double coater IR) in our market, demand for more effective peripheral cooling systems has also increased.
It is common for the peripheral cabinets delivered with presses to run the full length of the press and the waste heat generated by these cabinets is a problem for many print shops.
Waste heat must be removed from the print room so that presses can operate at a constant temperature to ensure optimal performance.
Normally peripheral equipment is cooled with radial fans blowing air through the cabinets. The heat exchangers within are cooled and hot air is piped outside.
Air cooling is not very efficient and a lot of the waste heat stays in the print shop for the air conditioning system to deal with. This causes large swings in the temperature of press systems and major room temperature changes occur during shifts. The turbulence generated by radial fans also leads to waste spray powder being blown around the print shop.
Following the lead of the car and motorcycle manufacturing industries, where water cooling as a temperature control method has been used for many years, Heidelberg has recently adapted this technology as an option to cool peripheral cabinets on its A2 and A1 presses.
Water cooled cabinets are sealed and are cooled with a heat exchanger fitted in the top. Water is circulated through the exchanger carrying the waste heat away through water pipes to an outdoor fan cooling unit. The circulation system is a closed loop much like commercial reverse cycle air conditioning unit.
Ninety percent of the heat is removed using this method and print shop temperatures can be more easily controlled, taking pressure off over-worked air-conditioning systems. As well, power consumption is reduced, as is air turbulence, resulting in lower operating costs and a cleaner, safer place to work. Longevity of equipment is improved through a more regulated factory environment, ultimately resulting in better quality print.
Further Information:
Lindsay Barnes - Product Manager, Sheetfed
Email: Lindsay.Barnes@heidelberg.com
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