Today's non-stop manufacturing facilities create environments where dirt, dust, and grease collect constantly on everything from floors to ceilings. In order to maintain a clean and efficient operation, most industrial facilities implement stringent cleaning procedures. Unfortunately, the combination of dirty manufacturing process with rigorous cleaning procedures can drastically affect the lighting systems, which are vital to a facility's productivity.
Die-casting facilities are a good example of this sort of industrial environment. The century-old process of injecting molten metal into a steel die under high pressure produces precision and high-strength products at a rapid rate, ranging from automobile engine and transmission parts, to intricate components for computers and medical devices.
Because of the molten metal and continuous production, die-casting facilities have especially hot, dirty environments that need frequent cleaning with high power water jets in order to maintain the quality of the castings -- a treacherous environment for most lighting fixtures.
Lighting Difficulties
The Abeco Die-Casting Plant, located in Lewisburg, TN, operates with quality and efficiency, manufacturing millions of castings per year. But as with many such facilities, Abeco's current lighting fixtures were not withstanding the harsh and demanding environment. Abeco had operated their plant with standard low bay luminaires, which could not withstand the heavy water spray needed to clean the extreme dust and dirt without breach or ingress. In addition, constant dirt, dust, and contaminants collecting on the lamps and internal surfaces of the optical assembly began to degrade light output over time.
"Our lighting system was not compatible with our rigorous cleaning processes and we were progressively losing light output," said Wendall Pigg, Abeco's quality control manager and tooling coordinator. "We were faced with a decision to either add more fixtures or replace the current ones with new, more efficient fixtures." A typical luminaire, according to independent tests conducted at MIT, could lose up to 28% efficiency per year from luminaire dirt depreciation (LDD).
Lighting Solution
In the past, the only way to obtain optimum light levels in extremely dirty environments was to install more luminaires. But rather than install more standard low bay luminaires, which would increase energy usage, Abeco replaced the old low bay luminaires in an extremely dirty portion of the plant with Day-Brite Lighting's SealSafe™ luminaire. SealSafe luminaires have an IP (Ingress Protection) Rating of IP66, meaning the optical chamber is dusttight and protected against powerful water jets
The reflector and lens in the SealSafe system are mechanically sealed to the enclosure to keep dirt, dust, liquid, and moisture outside the optical assembly. In addition, the SealSafe system, developed for metal halide and high pressure sodium lamps from 250 to 1000 watts, significantly reduces the rate of air exchanged by respiration, thus preventing the rapid suction of air from the outside. Less dust means higher lighting performance and reduced luminaire dirt depreciation, which translates into lower operating costs.
The SealSafe line of fixtures also protects the luminaire against powerful water jets from any direction. A robotically applied silicone gasket provides a permanent, faultless seal of lens to reflector for maximum water protection. In addition, metal tabs provide added support to the tempered glass lens to ensure a breachless seal.
Installation and Results
In October 2000, SealSafe™ 400 watt metal halide luminaires were installed in the dirtiest section of the Abeco Plant, replacing the standard low bay fixtures. The pendant-mounted SealSafe fixtures proved to be a simple and standard installation.
"We were delighted with the quick and easy installation of the lighting fixtures," Pigg said. "Quick installation of the lighting means less downtime for the plant."
By installing SealSafe fixtures, Abeco maintained its light levels and will also see reduced energy costs. For example, a foundry that operated 24 hours, 7 days a week experienced savings of more than $10,000 in the first year using SealSafe fixtures versus a typical enclosed luminaire, with less than a two-year payback for the installation.
Abeco plans to implement SealSafe fixtures in the rest of the facility in the near future.
"The job was seamlessly performed with minimal disturbance to our busy operations," Wendall Pigg reports, "and the new fixtures from Day-Brite Lighting have been a hit with everyone. Our employees are enjoying a brighter workplace, and we are all proud of our successful cost saving project."
