The Hamburg company Arteko LED-Lighting GmbH has made a name for itself in the industry over the years as a supplier of lighting solutions for offices and sports facilities. The company has now developed a range of UV-C disinfection devices that kill all types of germs, viruses and bacteria. The so-called Mikrobex family of products uses cables from HELUKABEL, and for good reason.
As with many companies, the Corona pandemic has had a negative impact on Arteko LED-Lighting's order book. But the Corona virus, which initially seemed to cause a downturn in business, has now turned out to be a boon for the Hamburg company. “It is well known that short-wave UV light can be used to create an aseptic environment,” says Mirko Imbro, product manager at Arteko LED-Lighting. When he read about UV-C light being used in China to effectively disinfect buses at the beginning of the Corona pandemic, he and his father Guntram Uhlig came up with their concept which subsequently became known as the Mikrobex family.
Their solution for killing viruses, bacteria and even superbugs relies on light known as UV-C light. It is used by the Mikrobex disinfection units to clean surfaces and disinfect air. “The main advantage of UV-C light is that it allows you to reach places that are difficult to access without damaging surfaces,” explains Mirko Imbro. There is also no excessive disinfection that is harmful to humans. The Mikrobex devices are modeled after similar devices in the medical world that also destroy the dreaded superbugs.
The inventors from Hamburg first developed the so-called Mikrobex channel, which can be used to disinfect transport items such as shopping carts and luggage. “Infection with swabs was a major problem at the beginning of the Corona pandemic,” explains Mirko Imbro. “The focus then shifted to aerosol transmission, so we started developing our Mikrobex Air technology for air conditioning systems and manufacturing Mikrobex Air stand-alone units. These are available in different sizes and can clean the air in spaces ranging from small offices to exhibition halls.”
A next step in development was initiated by the Flensburg shipping company FRS when they approached the Hamburg company. “FRS wanted to modernize the air conditioning system on its high-speed ship Skane Jet, which sails between Sassnitz on the island of Rügen and Ystad in Sweden,” says Mirko Imbro. This inspired Arteko LED Lighting to develop special structures that could be used in grid ceilings and integrated into existing air conditioning systems. “The fan in the units sucks in the stale air, forces it past the UV-C lamps and then pumps the purified air back into the room,” explains Mirko Imbro.
Although the intensity of the radiation is high and there is a theoretical risk of burns, the UV-C light does not endanger people in the room. This is because, as Imbro explains, “the UV-C rays in the devices are completely shielded. Thanks to Mikrobex-Air technology, what was once feared as a source of bacterial transmission has now become a source of purified air. The operation does not require any chemicals and therefore poses no risk to health. In addition, there are no disturbing noises. The disinfection of the air is discreet and silent, a bit like a gentle breeze.”
A particular challenge the team faced during the development of the Mikrobex units was choosing the right cables to connect the lamps. Mirko Imbro is well aware that “a device is only as good as its weakest link”. The cables not only had to be UV-C and heat resistant, but also had to have a certain strength. “Flexible cables are not good because they are too difficult to thread into lamp sockets and electronic ballasts. What we needed were rigid conductors,” Mirko Imbro describes the requirements.
And he found it at HELUKABEL. The single-core HELUTHERM® 145-U from the German cable manufacturer met his requirements. HELUKABEL Area Sales Manager Olaf Cordes explains the product choice: “The standard HELUTHERM® 145 did not meet the customer's requirements because it is a flexible stranded cable instead of a solid one.” Each unit requires approximately eight meters of cable.
Mirko Imbro has now received a total of more than 4,500 orders for Mikrobex units. It is therefore no wonder that the first 15 kilometers of HELUTHERM® 145-U were delivered in December 2020 and another 50 kilometers in early January 2021. The HELUKABEL company from Hemmingen is proud that it can contribute, albeit on a small scale to a more virus-free environment.
UV-C light: ultraviolet radiation (also called black light) is electromagnetic radiation in a range that is no longer visible to the human eye. Ultraviolet means “beyond violet”. It is the color stimulus with the shortest wavelength that the eye can still distinguish. Beyond the UV radiation lie the X-rays. UV radiation occurs in nature in the form of auroras and lightning bolts. UV-C light has an extremely short wavelength, from 100 to 280 nanometers.
Mikrobex: the Mikrobex range includes a total of four products. The mobile Mikrobex Twin with UV-C lamp arms is suitable for disinfecting rooms up to 240 square meters. The Mikrobex Air is intended for larger spaces up to 570 cubic meters, such as classrooms, gyms and museums. The Mikrobex Channel can be used to disinfect shopping carts and luggage on airport conveyor belts. And finally there is the Mikrobex Cloud which is designed for installation in grid ceilings. More information about the Mikrobex family can be found at: Top-class UV-C Air Disinfection Units | MIKROBEX (mikrobex24.com)
Ideal for schools: the Mikrobex Cloud is simply placed in the grid ceiling of the classroom where it silently disinfects the air with UV-C light.
Nederlands