A new type of vacuum insulation material in the "Vacua" series, used in National brand refrigerators manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., won the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Prize at the 17th Energy Conservation Awards sponsored by the Energy Conservation Center of Japan. The award ceremony was held on January 31, 2007.

By enhancing the performance of its previous "Vacua" series, Matsushita Refrigeration Co. of the Matsushita Group developed high-performance, sophisticated vacuum insulation materials, "U-Vacua (Ver. IV)," and "Chip-Vacua," a flexible type. The company was awarded for these new developments.

"U-Vacua (Ver. IV)" achieved the world's highest level of insulation efficiency, with a thermal conductivity of 0.012 W/mK at 24 degrees Celsius. It provides about 38 times the heat insulation of glass wool and about 20 times that of rigid urethane form. With an applicable temperature range from -40 degrees Celsius to 105 degrees Celsius, it can be used in refrigerators, electric hot water thermos jugs, vending machines, bath tubs and other home appliances and fixtures. For example, electric hot water thermos jugs using U-Vacua are highly efficient, consuming only one third of electricity consumed by similar Matushita models of ten years ago.

Conventional manufacturing technology limits vacuum insulation materials to flat or square shapes, but "Chip-Vacua" is manufactured using Matsushita's CHIP (Composition of Heat Insulation Pattern) technology, which heat-seals a laminated film to core materials with any shape or pattern. "Chip-Vacua" consists of many individual vacuum insulation cells, and therefore is flexible and shapeable and can be applied to various types of objects to which conventional vacuum insulation materials cannot be applied, including cloth.

http://www.eccj.or.jp/index_e.html
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Posted: 2007/07/15 10:59:25 AM
Japanese version

TAG Government , Manufacturing industry , Technology