Sometimes, products must feature industrial quality performance and consumer quality aesthetics and design at the same time. Absaugwerk out of Neu-Ulm, Germany, an industrial filtration manufacturer specializing in wet separation, dust collection, smoke filtration and oil mist separation, had such a requirement. In order to generate a new stream of business, Absaugwerk wanted to develop a mobile air purification device to provide air filtration in public spaces like airports, hotels, restaurants or offices. The device, which will help reduce the spread of viruses, bacteria and germs, needed to be easy to operate, compact, secure, quiet and have a premium aesthetic design since it would be operating in public spaces, providing the public with confidence about the air quality in the room. Knowing the devices would be visible to the general public, Absaugwerk also wanted the touchscreen controller to be able to present messages and advertising, thereby creating a unique selling point for the device.
In addition to achieving the high-quality aesthetic design, reliability, and ease-of-use, a major challenge for Absaugwerk was that the company did not have inhouse programming expertise, which was required to develop the control system and user interface. In addition, since the product would be used worldwide, Absaugwerk wanted a partner that could provide fast and reliable support globally.
An Ideal Solution – FastWorking closely with Emerson, Absaugwerk has created the VITAPOINT® mobile air cleaner for quiet air filtration in commercial settings. The device uses multiple filters to improve air quality and has an automatic disinfectant dispenser with motion sensor. An integrated control panel enables setup, control and maintenance to be performed easily and without the need for IT expertise, as is required in these consumer and commercial settings.
Emerson provided Absaugwerk with a turn-key touch panel solution for the control of the device. Because Absaugwerk did not have inhouse programming expertise, Emerson developed a complete software solution that met their system control and automation needs. Emerson’s RXi Panel PC was selected because of its aesthetic design, responsive and user-friendly 24" touch screen, Wi-Fi connectivity, built-in cybersecurity and powerful processing capabilities. The touch screen provides the controls for filtration operation, while a portion of the screen can display end-user messages, air quality information or third-party advertising.
Emerson’s PACSystemsTM RSTi-EP I/O is used to gather sensor data from the mechanical filters, pumps and fans, with its compact design helping to minimize the overall footprint of the device. The ease of programming of the system allowed Emerson to create the turn-key solution for Absaugwerk rapidly, bringing the VITAPOINT product to market in just two months. The easy integration of electrical control and mechanical components also helped to reduce development time. Tobias Mandle of Absaugwerk added, “VITAPOINT air purifiers are a premium product that will be used worldwide. Our top priority was therefore to work with a reliable partner that could provide high quality support anywhere in the world. The user interface created by Emerson was very customer-oriented and fast to complete, which reduced the product development time enormously.”
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