Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP)

In today's world, it is considered very important to use the energy at our disposal in a conscious and economical manner.

Using heat insulation is one of the approaches to minimizing our energy consumption so that we can protect the resources available to the greatest extent possible.

Regardless of whether it is in the construction sector, industrial applications or medical engineering, there is a rising demand for space-saving and highly efficient insulation materials. One solution is to use vacuum insulation panels made of highly dispersed silicic acid.

With a heat conductivity of > 0.004 watts/mK (5 times better than mineral wool), the material can be installed in the smallest spaces to achieve the highest possible insulation.

For this application, Wickert has developed a fully automated production system that has already been adopted by several customers.

The starting material is first treated and then transported into a feed tank on the press using a vacuum conveyor. Subsequently, the amount of material required is measured gravimetrically and transferred to a filling tank, which then moves automatically to the tool and injects the pretreated material.

With the help of two shafts, the material is pressed into a sheet with a thickness ranging from 5 to 60 mm. A density is selected to ensure that the fragile sheet is stable enough to be transported by an automated process to a downstream cutting system after being demolded and weighed.

Besides the product-specific suction at many places on the system, data logging and monitoring also play an important role in ensuring the product's quality.

The insulation properties of the panel are further improved by a downstream process involving air evacuation.