Smoother ironers

Increasing productivity, reducing costs

1 November 2010



Tony Vince reports on the latest ironer innovations designed to minimise energy consumption and maximise quality and service


The efficient use of resources continues to be a dominant concern for the global laundry industry as 2010 draws to a close. With a clear focus on resource saving, manufacturers have used shows like last month’s Expo Detergo in Milan to demonstrate the latest developments in equipment that can reduce consumption and therefore save operational costs.

So a fresh generation of flatwork ironers is coming onto the market. Manufacturers are responding to greater demands for an ironer that gives high quality results and delivers energy savings.

According to Gerda Gerschwiler at Jensen, self-contained, gas-heated flatwork ironers are proving to be much more energy efficient and flexible to run than those heated by steam from a central boiler.

Jensen

The Jenroll EXPG2000 mono-roll ironer is the latest in Jensen’s range of self-contained gas-heated ironers. This machine is designed for laundries requiring space-saving and energy efficient solutions and combines high production volumes with the best ironing quality available.

The ironer features technologies such as a flexible chest using oil as the heating medium combined with an integrated gas-fired burner and heat-exchanger and this self-contained construction allows quick installation as there is no need for connection to a central boiler.

The ironer chest is made from high-grade carbon steel, which has a heat conductivity that is four times that of stainless steel so it optimises heat distribution.

Operating costs are substantially reduced as the transfer of heat via the oil medium is up to 40% higher than that of steam.

Using oil as the heating medium helps to increase the ironer’s capacity. Temperatures of up to 230C can be achieved while a traditional steam-heated ironer installation with a central boiler typically operates at 175 – 190C and provides maximum contact with the linen to produce high standard results.

Stahl

Heavy-duty ironers have been one of the main areas for Stahl this year and the company has developed two high-performance machines, the Master 1610 and the Master 2010.

Machines of this size are expected to operate at highest performance levels, says Uwe Stahl, but these machines are notable for their relatively low energy requirements and a design that combines high outputs with a good finish.

The Master 2010 has a cylinder diameter of 2,010mm and a roll length of 3,000mm. is available in both gas- and steam-heated versions, with electric and thermal oil heating as options. The Master is also available in working widths of 3,300 and 3,500mm.

The ironer has an ironing angle of 180degrees and, in common with other models in the Stahl ironer range, operates without belts or chains.

This system requires less maintenance and also reduces energy costs for finishing.

The Master uses an ergonomically-designed feed module with a suction beam positioned underneath the feed table, which ensures a flawless transfer of the linen to the pressure section of the machine. Stahl ironers can be combined with most feeding and folding systems.

The Master is also available with a cylinder diameter of 1,610mm in both gas, steam, oil and electrically-heated versions.

All Stahl high-power flatwork ironers are fully insulated. They use the company-designed PTS drive which has a frequency converter to control the amount of energy used.

In the single-roll versions, Stahl’s MC800 and MC1200 perform efficiently while using comparatively little energy but the multi-roll versions benefit from a significant increase in efficiency according to the company’s development engineers.

Danube

Bernard Jomard at Danube International says an ironer cylinder’s conductivity is relative to its thickness and therefore the thicker the cylinder, the better the conductivity and energy saving.

Danube International is one of the biggest manufacturers worldwide of flatwork dryer ironers. The company says that the DII flatwork dryer ironer is the only one with stainless-steel framework.

The machine has been developed from a design launched over a decade ago and brought up-to-date with the latest energy-saving features.

There are four models in the Dll series 140, 160, 200 and 320 – with a cylinder diameter of 325mm (12.8inches).

The company says hourly productivity ranges from 10 – 20kg/hour for the DII 140 to 40 – 50kg/h for the DII 320.

The DII ironer is available in gas- and electric-heated versions.

Danube International has developed an automatic speed adjustment system that takes into account linen and room humidity so the linen can be ironed straight from the washer without the need to adjust the ironer manually.

This “smart system” measures the linen’s residual moisture at three separate points before it leaves the ironer.

A mini vacuum brings the linen in contact with a sensor, which analyses the residual moisture, room humidity and temperature. A frequency inverter uses the sensor data to control the roller speed, which is automatically adjusted 100 times per second.

Girbau

Girbau’s PSN80 and PC120 ironers have boilers with larger diameters and an exclusive internal design that increases their performance to over 90%.

The PSN80 is a 800mm diameter ironer that can be configured in 3metre, 3.3metre or 3.5metre operating widths. It is available in one, two or three roll systems, with steam and oil versions as an option.

The most recent addition to Girbau’s range, the PC120, is available with one, two or three 1,200mm diameter cylinders and a working width of between three and 3.5metres. The PC120 flatwork ironer is available in steam and thermal oil-heated versions or with an integral gas-fired boiler (gas-fired versions are only available with one or two cylinders).

The PC120 can operate at up to 45metres per minute and features Inteli electronic controls that allow fine adjustments to ironing speed, temperature and pressure.

The control panel’s graphical icons make it straightforward to use, while removable panels on the top and both sides of the machine make maintenance easier.

Laco

According to Wim Opsomer, export manager at Laco, there is a saying that “Once you go chest, you never go back”. He says that operators receive all the benefits of ironing, with none of the inconveniences.

At Expo Detergo the company introduced its gas heated version of the M300-1800 ironer, which was previously only available with electric heating. The M300-1800 gas heated ironer is claimed to be the smallest gas-heated chest ironer on the market and it is a highly efficient machine that can handle large volumes while still producing a high standard of finish.

Opsomer says that primary testing has shown an efficiency of 37litre of gas/kg linen (50% RM). At 30kg/hour for eight hours a day, there will be an energy cost of 5-6 euros per day or roughly 96kWh/day.

The company is also about to launch its pass-through version, that is said to improve efficiency and work-flow even more.

Opsomer says that the company is very excited about this small machine as for many laundries it will be their first chest-heated model. He adds: “We have again lowered the threshold for switching to chest ironers.”

Electrolux

Antonella Favaro from Electrolux says that it is essential that manufacturers’ ranges include products that meet every need and every budget.

“Electrolux endeavours to find solutions that enhance user-friendliness and productivity without totally replacing human control over quality,” she explains.

The company featured its FFS ironer at this year’s Expo Detergo. Favaro says the machine saves on labour costs because it needs just one operator to perform all operations – feeding, drying, ironing, folding and stacking.

It is also equipped with an automatic standby function to help save energy.

The Dubixium double-layer, self-contained thermal oil cylinder is offered as a standard with the FFS ironer, enabling it to achieve an 80% performance rating.

Primus

Primus offers both chest-heated and cylinder-heated ironers for the laundry sector . It has developed four different types of cylinder heated ironers: I, IR, IF and IFF-models. The company recently introduced its I 33 flatwork ironer, which is currently available with roller lengths of 1,600 and 2,000mm. The machine is available in electric and gas-heated versions.

The gas-heated model includes a pre-mix burner that allows operators to adjust the heating. A central suction system ensures symmetrical air flow that cools the ironer uniformly.

The I 33 also features direct drive system. This reduces maintenance costs as the motor is mounted directly onto the drive roller.

Laundries can choose which side to place the used air and steam exhaust, so making installation much easier.

GMP

The company’s E-line chest ironers covers seven models. The E in its name stands for Evolution and appropriately the range has recently been updated.

GMP’s Vera Simon says that in developing the E -line, the company discovered from its research that around 80% of small rotary ironers are used by inexperienced operators but if the ironers are not used correctly this can affect the result and could damage the linen.

GMP also found that some 80% of maintenance is performed on the roll padding, which is made of steel wool, a material subject to wear and tear and requiring expertise to replace.

Both these points influenced the design which aimed to ensure easy operation and assist maintenance.

The E range has a large

keyboard that is user-friendly and easy to understand.

It also features a temperature control that eliminates the

risk of overheating as this could damage both the roller surface and the linen.

The range also benefits from a patented roll-removing system: it is possible to replace the entire roll with an original GMP spare part in just 30minutes, so restoring the original ironing quality.

The GMP logo now appears prominently, making the ironer line even more recognisable and so helping the marketing efforts of GMP’s partner distributors.

All models with roller diameter of 250mm also have interchangeable voltage so that GMP’s distributors can easily adapt them to suit the local power source.

This rationalises distributors’ stock, a sensitive point in the present financial climate.

It is also a great advantage for customers, who can modify their machines if required.

The G-line has been developed by GMP for industrial and small hotel laundries that process up to 400kg a day. It is available in three cylinder diameters – 270, 325 and 500mm – and in 1.2metre to 2.6metre roller lengths.

The ironers benefit from accurate temperature-control systems, strict control of the exhaust and a modern burner which provides perfect combustion and ensures even heat distribution across the ironing surface.

The high-efficiency burner is made from a special alloy of titanium steel, which provides temperature control of ±1C over a 2.6metre roller width.

The heating element battery installed in the electrically-heated versions of the G-line uses infrared, which enables ironer performance to be increased without needing to increase the energy consumption.

The G-line has now been extended with a range of 500mm models, which are now available with a roller width of up to 3.2m.

An “energy-saving” heating system has also been introduced on the gas-heated versions.

This allows the ironers to make even more efficient use of the energy while still achieving the same high standard of performance.

Lapauw

Describing its latest development, the L Super Compact as “a feeder, chest ironer and folder/stacker all in one unit, Lapauw says the compact design allows a significant reduction in the space needed and also in the costs of transporting and installing the machine.

The L Super Compact system uses Lapauw’s XXL technology to provide maximum ironing capacity on a small footprint. It features the XXL flexible chest ironer with a 1,200mm diameter roll over 286degrees. This provides performance equivalent to the two-roll XXL 900mm diameter ironer. The overall footprint is greatly reduced to just one-third of the space taken up by a traditional ironing line.

The machine is available in two versions – one with a two-station feeder and that includes ironer and folder only. The automatic one lane feeder for large pieces has two stations and allows cornerless feeding with an automatic linen position correction system.

Because the sheets are taken high in the machine, there is no need for a pit below the machine – not even for the king-size sheets.

Feeding small pieces is done using the movable manual feeding conveyor combined with the Lapauw Unifeed suction box.

Finally, there is a folding section with automatic one two or three long and cross folds, together with the stacker.

Since the three machines are part of one system, no time is wasted on placing, aligning and connecting the machines. This system fits in a 20ft container, so reducing transport costs. Small pieces can be processed by a small piece feeding table that comes forward once the small piece program is selected.




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