The role of insulation in ensuring consumer appliances remain safe

The role of insulation in ensuring consumer appliances remain safe

Consumer appliances, no matter how small or large, require specific standards to be met for ensuring they remain safe to use and long-lasting. These appliances are electrical and they pose a risk of fire or harm to users if malfunction occurs. There are many consumer appliance safety standards that are in place to avoid such occurrences, with major manufacturers requiring solutions for their products. As we reach winter months, further consideration should be given to heating appliances such as plug-in radiators and convection heaters.

Insulation is a critical component in electrical appliances, both for functionality as well as safety. Electrical insulators have high resistance to flowing electric currents, where the atoms of the insulating material have tightly bound electrons that cannot readily move. Examples of electrical insulators range from microelectronic components such as transistors and microchips to larger high voltage applications containing transformers and capacitors. Insulation also helps to mitigate high temperatures that can be generated by electrical consumer appliances.

Insulated hand tools for a safer work environment

Insulated hand tools for a safer work environment

Work-related accidents occur across all industries, from minor strains or slips to less common and much more serious injuries. Health and safety is now a priority for all businesses, where businesses in recent years have implemented strict health and safety guidelines and legislations to ensure their workplace and staff remain as safe as possible. Regular health and safety sessions, workshops and even assessments are seen in many workplaces across the UK. 

The frequency and severity of work-related accidents highly depends on the industry. There are industries that have lower accident rates than others, often those that are less physical and more office-based. Industries with physically-demanding roles and workplaces that consist of machinery and industrial equipment have a greater number of accidents. Agriculture, forestry and fishing have the most non-fatal, work-related injuries, with injuries in construction and manufacturing also occurring more often when compared to other industries.

Non-fatal accidents and injuries occur daily in the construction and manufacturing industries. The nature of these industries is being hands-on with potentially dangerous equipment when used incorrectly or serviced poorly. Accidents in engineering and manufacturing workshops often originate with tooling, where the constant use of insulated hand tools on a daily basis can lead to malfunctions or lapses in concentration. The prior of these, malfunctions, occurs after significant periods of wear-and-tear. At Elmelin, we create mica-based insulation solutions that help to extend their useful life and improve their safety.

Attracting manufacturing talent and enabling young talent

Attracting manufacturing talent and enabling young talent

For many years, the manufacturing industry has been discussing the skills shortage and the overall lack of new, young talent coming through. An issue widely debated across manufacturing and engineering sectors, businesses are clearly struggling to inform young people of the benefits and prospects related to a career in manufacturing and STEM. Although we are faced with recruitment challenges due to a limited talent pool, not to mention the irregularity of the market fuelled by the pandemic, as a business, we are making great strides in attracting manufacturing talent with our Internship and Apprenticeship program. 

Developing our capabilities for the future

Developing our capabilities for the future

Throughout Elmelin’s history, we have always had to innovate and evolve our products and processes to adapt to the ever-changing challenges of our customers. Although our core expertise has remained in thermal and high voltage applications in the main, we’ve had to adapt our approach to incorporate innovative materials that solve new problems. 

In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, that new challenge was the asbestos crisis – around that time, we developed a range of products for the foundry industry to replace the asbestos lining they would use in furnaces. 

Now, at the advent of net-zero, the challenges our customers are facing and the projects that we are involved with look very different – and as such, we have had to again innovate and evolve our capabilities to match these new challenges. 

The more capabilities and innovative processes and products we develop, the more opportunities we have to work on projects that will help to combat the effects of climate change. 

For us, it’s not enough just to know that we have to be innovative – we need to ensure that we have frameworks in place that ensure we are constantly evolving. Our innovation process involves weekly product and process experimentation which drives towards quarterly targets around bringing things into the development pipeline. 

With a significant area of focus of the push for net-zero being the use of electric vehicles, our focus has also shifted towards creating more sustainable and efficient insulation solutions for the automotive sector. 

In 2016, we developed CNC machining of our microporous insulation – enabling us to make one of our first solutions for battery electric vehicles (BEVs). We commissioned a second CNC machining facility in 2018, enabling us to meet the increasing demand for more BEV solutions. As the needs and challenges of our customers have evolved, we are now looking at laser cutting technology as well as different lamination techniques – all focused around making the processes more scalable to the required volumes of the market. 

As well as investing in new machinery and developing new processes, we are also looking at upgrading and further modernising our existing machinery by looking at PLC and control systems to create further efficiencies.

We are heading into an exciting new phase for our industry and for Elmelin – and we’re committed to continuing to stay innovative and always be looking for ways to make our solutions more sustainable and efficient in order to support our customers in tackling climate change. 

 

If you’d like to find out more about our capabilities or processes – get in touch

 

How we work with R&D departments to create insulation solutions

How we work with R&D departments to create insulation solutions

A vital component of our work as an insulation solutions provider is to help our customers innovate. As technologies in many industries change rapidly to uncover new capabilities, it’s essential that the new risks and challenges are assessed, particularly when it comes to insulation and deciding on which material or combination of materials will help to achieve the desired – and required – results. We are consistently working closely with customer and partner research and development (R&D) teams in order to help them navigate changing requirements and emerging innovations to help them make a better, safer and more efficient product.

Elmelin’s CNC Milling Capabilities

Elmelin’s CNC Milling Capabilities

Over the last few years, we have continually developed our CNC milling capabilities, investing in a CNC milling machine and the subsequent training, skills development, software and additional resources required to support the complex and detailed machining of our mica insulation solutions. We are now another manufacturing location using CNC milling in London, as we are continuously aiming to remain highly competitive in our local region.

ISO 9001: Our Processes

ISO 9001: Our Processes

At Elmelin, we understand that quality solutions to different aspects of high temperature insulation and thermal management, require a demanding quality management system. Our customers in a wide variety of industries depend on us, which is why we prioritise processes that adhere to ISO 9001 criteria. ISO 9001 is more than just a standard. It is about taking a strategic approach to what we do, to ensure we are delivering what our customers require, regardless of their sector or industry or the product they require.

Happy Christmas from Elmelin

Happy Christmas from Elmelin

It’s the time of year when thoughts turn to festive things, and where considerations of high temperature insulation, furnace safety systems and thermal management for industry may take a back seat.

 

But please, bear with us, and let us take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, with a few musings to go along with the mood of the  season.

Thermal Management in Aerospace

Thermal Management in Aerospace

Aeroplanes are literally filled with combustible liquids and heat generating elements that become extremely hot. It goes without saying that they need to be safe. Thermal management in aerospace is a big part of it.

 

As specialists in high temperature insulation and thermal management solutions for the aerospace industry, we understand the how crucial it is to ensure aircraft are safe.

Read on to find out what makes aeroplanes safe, and what part thermal management plays in it.