Ron Vervoort discusses smart safety solutions designed to protect all workers.
The Dutch safety expert, Artidor Explosion Safety, believes it is critical that people can work safely in explosion-hazardous areas. Therefore, the technical solutions that are necessary for such areas should be affordable and available to all. The company aims for a safer world for its customers, without occupational accidents due to explosions, and it therefore spends 20% of its capacity on R&D for this purpose. In addition, it plays a leading role in the standards commission of the Netherlands Electrical Committee (NEC). Naturally, the firm’s quality management system is fully ISO-certified.
Marc Moolenaar is the owner and managing director of Artidor Explosion Safety. His company has a drive to continuously share technical knowledge to be able to make better choices in designing and manufacturing explosion-safe products. Moolenaar believes it is important to listen to customers carefully to really understand their requirements – the must-haves as well as the ‘nice-to-haves’.
Artidor will always look for the most affordable and practical solution for the customer. The design and manufacture of explosion-safe products is in accordance with the European ATEX Directive and the global IECEx standards. The company makes both Artidor-branded products and products that are exclusively sold by third parties under their brand name. A few years ago, Moolenaar found that there were some courses about explosion-safety but there were no comprehensive books about the different protection methods that can be chosen to make electronics explosion-safe. So he decided to write that book. The first edition was written in Dutch. Many requests came in to have the book translated because the company sells most of its products to companies outside the Netherlands. The book, entitled Explosion Safety in Gas and Dust Environments 101 has now been updated and pre-orders are being accepted.
New in lighting
One new solution is the AR-047 LED signal light for zone 1/21. Artidor’s omnidirectional explosion-safe LED signal light is designed for use under the most demanding conditions. The robust stainless steel housing and top plate, the 20mm thick, impact-resistant polycarbonate window, the silicon seals and cast electronics ensure that the lamp is completely impervious to water and salt.
The 15 latest generation LEDs ensure a clearly perceptible visual signal. Dependent on the user’s selection, the light will burn continuously or it blinks at a frequency of 1Hz. The signal light can be ordered with a radial cable connection or (at request) with a bottom connection. This makes the lamp highly suitable for use as a warning light on control cabinets.
The connection cable has a standard length of 5m. For application under less demanding conditions there is also a version available with an anodised aluminium housing and top plate. The LED signal light is explosion-safe and certified in accordance with European Directive 2014/34/EU (ATEX 114) and is CE marked.
Artidor also plans to introduce an explosion-safe traffic light. The AR-049 traffic light is a modular product as it is based on combining three explosion-safe lights. In fact, the traffic light is constructed by building together yet another new product, the AR-048.
New in air conditioning
Currently, Artidor is working on the introduction of the AR-059 zone 1 rooftop air conditioner. The number of requests for rooftops is going through the roof (pun intended). Today, rooftops are applied in crane cabins and they are mounted wherever there is not enough space available for a conventional air conditioner. With the development of the AR-059, the company takes full control over the entire process and customers get to be less dependent on the performance of international distributors.
Artidor offers full-service innovation. Because it has research, development and testing under one management, it is able to switch gears quickly. People entrust their lives to the company’s products and that sets a very high bar. Moolenaar and his team are convinced that working safely leads to more job satisfaction and higher productivity. That’s how his company contributes to the success of its customers across the world.
Ron Vervoort is with Artidor Explosion Safety.
