Milan, Italy -- Fridge producer Meiling of Hefei, China, is now in full production with its innovative refrigerators made using Cannon's Vacuum Assisted Injection for the rigid polyurethane foam insulation.
This is the second refrigerator foaming plant using the Cannon patented Vacuum Assisted Injection method, and has been in full operation at Meiling since September 2012.
Hefei-based Meiling, a huge maker of household goods, is currently producing its newest models of low-consumption high-style domestic refrigerators in a new foaming plant supplied by Cannon and commissioned in September 2012.
Use of an innovative foam-filling technology - based on the use of vacuum in the cabinet during injection of polyurethane - allows for a superior distribution of foam within a refrigerator body characterised by a complex design and wide dimensions.
This advantage, in combination with a special formulation developed by Dow Europe - commercially available under the Pascal brand - provides superior insulating properties to the foam, granting for an A++ energy saving classification.
Meiling's new Athena models -- side-by-side "intelligent" refrigerators, was launched 20 Nov with a spectacular presentation to 1000 Chinese dealers and distributors, with more than 100 media representatives witnessing the event.
The new fridges have up to four doors, for correct storage of different food types, and can be controlled through a fuzzy-logic system in the electronic control panel, featuring a full-colour wide LCD panel. Total interfacing with the Athena models can be obtained through a smart phone, allowing a user remote control of the refrigerator and of its content.
Cannon's foaming plant for Meiling has eight foaming fixtures, specially designed for the VAI technology, fed by one Cannon A200 Penta Twin high-pressure dosing unit through two new Cannon FPL 26 SR mixing heads.
A premixing station allows the precise metering of cyclopentane blowing agent into the polyol. Ancillary elements (pre-heating ovens for the cabinets, handling systems for empty and foam-filled units, vacuum pumps to lower the pressure within the foaming fixtures, safety systems and electronic controls) were all supplied by Cannon in a turnkey package able to make one fridge every 30 seconds.
The doors are also made with Cannon Drum units, able to produce two doors at each opening cycle of the rotary mould carriers. Here, foaming is done with open-mould pouring, making use of another high-pressure Cannon A100 dispensing unit and two Cannon FPL 18 mixing heads.
As a supplement to the new 8-fixtures plant for vacuum-assisted technology, another set of 12 conventional foaming fixtures, with all relevant "wet side" was installed in the same factory at the same time.
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