UK firm, Axxa Ltd supplies automation and motion control products and services internationally. The company aims to be a helpful partner throughout the procurement process, be it a replacement part to get production lines up and running or specifying the best instrumentation system for a new or existing plant.
Overview:
- Stopped vibrations and noise
- Improved customer experience
- Halved power consumption and energy bills
The Challenge:
Axxa Ltd’s client All Star Lanes in Bloomsbury, London, experienced noisy vibrations from their ventilation system, disturbing diners in the restaurant.
Srdan Stojiljkovic, All Star Lanes technical manager, said: “Behind the seating area in our restaurant we have a wall, made of Perspex panels, which divides our bowling lanes from the restaurant area. With our old ventilation system, the panels would shake constantly from the fan motor, making an off-putting noise for diners.”
Being underground, the bowling alley needs to have a constant flow of fresh air. This was the job of the current fan system. All Star Lanes had two objectives: bring clean air in from above and extract fumes from the kitchen.
The Solution:
Axxa Ltd worked with All Star Lanes to come up with a suitable solution, they supplied the drive and enlisted locally based, APS Engineering to install it into the system. The newly-launched Commander drive proved to be the best product for the task.
The Benefit:
Commander delivered big benefits for the bowling alley. First, the NEMA bracket provides safe mounting onto the wall. It protects all the cables going in, ensuring the safety of the general public. Furthermore, the new drive is half the size of the original one, creating extra space.
Previously, the system ran continuously at 30 amps. Commander runs at a much lower rate of 10-15 amps, generating significant savings of 50%, resulting in a better flow of air.
The old system had too much vacuum. This caused buckling of the ducting and made it vibrate like a drum. By tuning the drive to a lower level, not only does it use less power, but it also stops the noisy vibrations going through the ducting.
Srdan Stojiljkovic said: “The fan motor works at a lower rpm than the old drive and has made a great difference in our restaurant area. With the new drive, the wall has stopped shaking and the venue is not noisy anymore.”
Per Lutteman, APS Engineering Director added: “From my point of view, this was a very simple project for us. Setting the drive up was very easy. It was up and running, the way we wanted, within half an hour. It was also easy to program; All Star Lanes have excellent support on hand if they ever need it.”
