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Soundproofing Damps the Decibels in Giant Blow-drier
14th July 2009

Blowers powerful enough to blow-dry 3000 produce crates an hour for Woolworths would be intolerably noisy if it wasn’t for Akro-Pak brüel adopting soundproofing recommendations by Pyrotek’s Noise Control division.

The project provides an object lesson in how hard Pyrotek works to solve the noise control problems facing designers in all manufacturing arenas, from transport to shipbuilding to automotive to mining and processing plants.

“I was very impressed with Pyrotek Noise Control's people and their products,” says Akro-Pak brüel managing director, Kevin Stapleton. “Their rep, David Smart, was more concerned with solving the problem cost-effectively than he was making like a salesman. He brought in a senior colleague, Philip Cadwallen, for further evaluation and consultation and he was of the same mould: courteous, knowledgeable and more interested in forging a strategic partnership with us than making quota. In short, my sort of people.”

The 11 metre long drier station, which is incorporated into a 39 metre long wash-line at CHEP’s Wetherill Park plant, uses 20 centrifugal blowers each of 7.5 kilowatts to establish a gauntlet of “air knives” for the fold-down crates to run through, which swiftly strips them of all their moisture to below three grams per crate.

Tests showed that without soundproofing, this giant blow-drier would, at some 124 decibels, compete with a rock concert at 50 paces. With the Soundguard soundproofing, this has been brought down to 80 decibels, about what you hear walking along a city street.

More to the point, it is below the level demanded by an uncompromising staff setting tough standards on OHS matters within CHEP.

The wash and dry plant is one of several built and installed by Akro-Pak brüel.

A development ten years ago by Kevin Stapleton and CHEP, the fold-down plastic vegetable crates are returned by Woolworths on pallets in random sizes. They’re hung on conveyor, pre-washed, rinsed, sanitised and dried. They are re-sorted and distributed to farmers to begin their production cycle over again.

All of which ensures the health of consumers through hygienic handling and the health of workers through subdued plant noise thanks to Akro-Pak’s reliance on Pyrotek noise control soundproofing material.