Evaporative cooling is spectacular success for spectacle company
Following a trial with Breezair portable evaporative coolers, Rodenstock has installed six units on the roof to serve three production halls at its optical laboratory in Kent.
Faced with temperatures in production halls at its optical laboratory in Northfleet, Kent, becoming unbearably hot, Rodenstock, one of the world’s largest suppliers of spectacle frames and lenses, has installed Breezair evaporative coolers. Rodenstock’s 4800 m2 production facility is divided into six departments. The evaporative coolers have been installed in three departments — lens manufacture, lens cutting and fitting and quality assurance and tinting. Previously the only attempt at cooling was ceiling fans. To help alleviate the problem, Andy Cobbold, the company’s production manager, hired some Breezair portable evaporative coolers to assess their capabilities. They proved very effective, so the decision was taken to install a more permanent solution. Clean Air Group installed two TBA coolers in each department to provide 100 employees with a more comfortable working environment. The Breezair units are installed on the roof. The cooled air is distributed via ductwork to air diffusers. An excess of cooled air is delivered, driving hot air out the building. These departments operate from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. the next day. A controller turns on the coolers an hour before production starts and off when the factory closes.
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