Ziehl-Abegg, based in Künzelsau, is one of the world's leading companies in the field of ventilation, control and drive technology. Examples of product applications include heating and cooling systems, clean room systems and agricultural systems. Ziehl-Abegg laid the foundation for modern fan drives as early as the 1950s: external rotor motors that are still the state of the art worldwide today. Another area is electric motors that provide power for elevators, medical applications (computer tomography scanners) or deep-sea underwater vehicles, for example.

Ziehl-Abegg has now received the reward for so much innovation, exemplified by the new generation of ZAplus fan units, in the form of the prestigious Plus X Award. The award-winning product convinced the jury of experts in no fewer than five categories: innovation, high quality, ease of use, functionality and ecology.

With the further development of the successful ZAplus system, Ziehl-Abegg aims to set new standards in energy efficiency and noise reduction. “Sound emissions and energy consumption have been significantly reduced,” explains Joachim Ley, CEO of Ziehl-Abegg. “In many cases, this means that additional sound insulation is no longer necessary and noise limits can be easily met.” Quiet and efficient ventilation solutions are particularly important for operators of supermarkets or industrial recooling systems.

The technological innovation is based on insights from bionics: the serrated trailing edge of the fan blades – inspired by the silent flying technique of owls – reduces air turbulence and thus noise emissions. A newly developed wavy front edge, inspired by the structures of marine life, ensures optimized flow control. The result: a noise reduction of up to four decibels (A), which in practice represents a significant improvement.

In addition, the optimized design increases energy efficiency. The refined guide wheel with 18 instead of 11 struts and the aerodynamically optimized intermediate ring help to reduce energy consumption by up to nine percent. The material adjustment - an aluminum rotor with high-strength plastic blades - further improves performance.

Ziehl-Abegg sees the Plus X Award as further confirmation of its leading role in ventilation, control and drive engineering. “This recognition confirms our innovative strength and our claim to develop energy-efficient and low-noise solutions for industry,” says Ley.

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