Double award at Materialica for Ziehl-Abegg

Dr. Walter Angelis is pleased at the Materialica in Munich about the multiple awards for products from Ziehl-Abegg. (Photo: Ziehl-Abegg / Jan Schulze)

"Two awards underline our position as technology leader," says Dr. Walter Angelis, the Technical Director of Air Technology at Ziehl-Abegg. Specifically, it concerns the successful fan system ZAplus and a novel bionic Bio-Fan, which was only introduced a few weeks ago. Both have been awarded at the Materialica Design + Technology Awards in Munich.

"The jury awarded us the Gold Award in the 'Product' category – this confirms the sophisticated overall system ZAplus," Angelis is pleased to say. Because the fan, motor, and control are integrated into a compact unit made from high-strength composite material. This optimizes airflow and eliminates unnecessary packaging material. Since ZAplus is extremely energy-efficient and sets a new standard in terms of efficiency, it clearly exceeds the EU directive (ErP) for energy saving. The ZAplus fan system is used in supermarkets, hotels, or in refrigeration technology. In summer, ZAplus was awarded the international Plus-X Award for the best fan of the year. In terms of blade design, the developers were inspired by the quietest bird of prey, the owl: notches on the trailing edge of the fan blade and a bend at the edge reduce noise development.

This bionic blade design is also featured in the second awarded product: Since the bionic fan is made from a bio-material, Ziehl-Abegg continues to lead the trend. "The fan blade contains more than 60 percent of the renewable raw material sebacic acid, which is derived from castor oil," explains Angelis. Neither the plant nor castor oil are food products. Cultivating this plant on nutrient-poor soils does not compete with food production. The material also offers improvements in chemical resistance, stability, and weight. The bionic Bio-Fan is quiet, energy-saving, reduces CO2 emissions, and is 100% recyclable. It is suitable for refrigeration technology, heating systems, heat pumps, and electronic cooling. At Materialica, it was awarded silver in the CO2 category.