M Corp., which manufactures and markets bakery and kitchen equipment, was working on the development of a new model of their dough proofing machines. Mr. U of the company's development department had this to say:
"What we were aiming for was a device that could ensure optimal proofing for different types of bread. We decided to prevent uneven proofing by equipping the new model with a fan to make the temperature and humidity in the cabinet more uniform.
We needed to control the airflow for multiple operation modes of the product to maintain a uniform temperature and humidity without drying the dough, and tried to control the airflow using voltage. However, the range of airflow that could be changed with voltage was narrow, and fan rotation became unstable.
In addition, because of high humidity and scattered flour dust inside the cabinet, excellent dustproof and waterproof performance was important."
Mr. U gathered information to find fans who met these conditions.
While gathering information, Mr. U visited the SANYO DENKI booth at an exhibition and mentioned his problems. Later, a SANYO DENKI sales representative visited M Corp. to discuss their issues in detail.
"The representative proposed a waterproof fan with an IP68 dust and water ingress protection rating. This fan also had a PWM control function, so it could easily optimize the airflow," enthused Mr. U.
Mr. U installed the proposed Splash Proof Fan in the prototype and tested it immediately.
"It was the first time for us to perform PWM control, but evaluation was simplified thanks to the box-type PWM controller the sales representative proposed, and we were able to significantly reduce the time needed for testing," he said with a grin.
After evaluation, the fan was found to perform as expected, and M Corp. started considering using it.
"When we installed the fan, we found the standard lead wires were not long enough, and we were concerned about the effect on hygiene and environmental resistance of extending wires by joining them with connectors. When I consulted SANYO DENKI about this problem, they suggested customization to extend the length of the lead wires. Not needing connectors and joints reduced labor and the costs of designing protection measures. This value-added proposal also shortened our development period. I expect that SANYO DENKI will continue to make such proposals in the future," said Mr. U with confidence.
