When energy mapping switches to real-time measurement, Ionbond lowers energy consumption by 33%.
Ionbond, a leading player in PVD technology (Physical Vapor Deposition), has undergone impressive development over the past five years. Despite the pandemic, the company has not only expanded its machinery and increased the number of employees from 18 to 42, but also taken great strides in energy efficiency, which is crucial for both profitability and sustainability.
Since 2006, Ionbond has worked with energy mapping, but in order to make fast and data-driven decisions, a more dynamic solution was required. The breakthrough came in 2022 with the implementation of DAZOQ EI – a tool that provides real-time machine-level data and is both cost-effective and user-friendly.
INSIGHTS THAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE
At our last energy advisory meeting, we saw that one of the new machines, which was supposed to be more energy efficient than the existing ones, actually wasn't. This as it never went into power saving mode and therefore wastes over 30,000 kWh/year, much more than the other machines. According to Ulf Håksansson, Quality and Sustainability Manager at Ionbond, it would be possible to solve it by changing a setting in the machine, so what has happened since the meeting?
“It turned out that the machine hung after we changed the setting, and then wasted 25 kW/h all the time. Luckily we monitored it with DAZOQ EI and could see that it wasn't working as it should. Now we have solved it, but it is the transparency that is so important! If we didn't have DAZOQ, we probably never would have noticed that it didn't go into sleep mode and waste so much electricity to begin with, and then it would have been hard to know that something went wrong after we changed the setting.” says Ulf.
CHANGED INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Ionbond has also challenged prejudices within the industry, such as that vacuum pumps should not stand still. The company that started putting them in power saving mode was able to prove the opposite as they did not experience any disruptions or breakdowns. In addition, Ionbond has pushed its machine suppliers to develop automated power saving features, which is now a standard that other customers can also benefit from. "We were the first with this and were able to report savings of 13 kW/h, which was previously wasted at night and during weekends when no one could come and turn off the machine. Now they automatically go down to power saving mode after three hours.” explains Ulf.
Strangely enough, we saw at the last energy advisory meeting that the ovens did not go into power saving mode. A little research revealed that it is because the hatches are not closed by the operators.
"With the operator view in DAZOQ EI, we can show how behaviors affect energy use, which can create interest, understanding and motivation among operators. By displaying the machine status view on a screen in production, operators can constantly see what state the machines are in. That makes DAZOQ a central tool for achieving long-term improvements.” says Ulf.
Thanks to these measures, Ionbond has reduced its energy consumption by 33% compared to the 2014 level, despite a turnover increase of 60%.
"Saving electricity is a simple and effective way to improve the company's profitability. If I can save SEK 50,000 by wasting less electricity, it is much easier than increasing profit by SEK 50,000 through increased sales." – says Magnus Haglund, CEO of Ionbond.
In order to save further electricity in the future, Ulf wants to test lowering the temperature in the coating. This not only has the advantage that they do not have to heat up the oven as much, but saves them additional electricity by not having to cool down the products as much afterwards. A previous study showed that lowering the treatment temperature would reduce energy consumption by as much as 35%.
"Of course, we have to ensure that the products get the same properties and qualities, but the potential is great." concludes Ulf.
With DAZOQ EI, Ionbond has not only improved its energy efficiency and carbon footprint, but also strengthened its sustainability work through transparent data for Scope 1-3 reporting. DAZOQ is not just a tool – it is a key to the energy optimization of the future. Contact us and we'll gladly tell you more.