Client: Energizer Batteries
Contractor: SCS
Panel contractor: McVeigh Installations
Type of works: design and manufacture of Firemaster internal wall panels and Eurobond insulated doors.
Eurobond Laminates, manufacturer of stone wool-composite wall panel systems, is helping American company Energizer Batteries in the construction of a state-of-the-art dry room at its new manufacturing plant in Singapore. Eurobond internal Firemaster panels and Eurobond doors have been employed to help create a controlled environment for the production of lithium batteries.
The new-type lithium battery is manufactured using a highly sensitive production method within a stable processing environment that is controlled at less than 0.5% relative humidity. Scientific Climate Systems (SCS), who has been providing dry rooms to the lithium battery industry worldwide for over 20 years was contracted to provide the wall, ceiling and door solutions with Eurobond enlisted to supply the internal wall panels and insulated doors, thus creating a vapor-tight and fire-resistant building sourced from environmentally responsible materials.
McVeigh Insulations, with over 25 years experience installing composite cladding systems, specified Eurobond Firemaster to provide a total internal wall and ceiling solution within the new unit. Lithium is an extremely volatile product that requires stringent safety procedures throughout its production life cycle; Firemaster was able to guarantee the maximum fire protection demanded for this environment providing safer working conditions for all Energizer employees.
Eurobond Doors, sister company of Eurobond Laminates, is a leading UK designer and manufacturer of insulated steel doors, ideal for application within temperature and humidity controlled processing environments. A secure entrance and exit system was required for the environmentally controlled rooms to ensure the optimum manufacturing conditions were maintained whilst enabling safe access for employees. Using its insulated door range, Eurobond Doors was able to ensure conditions were kept constant thanks to robust airtight seals.
More than 1,000m2 of 150mm thick Eurobond Firemaster panels were specified for the walls and centre partitions throughout the factory, with three additional airlocks created using Eurobond Doors. McVeigh also installed a plenum ceiling, a compartment above a hung ceiling which forms part of the air distribution system in the dry room to prevent moisture build-up in the air. The panels were transported from Cardiff, and loaded onto 16 containers before being shipped to Singapore. McVeigh specified Eurobond panels due to the simplicity of their installation. The quick-fitting properties of the panels enabled complete installation in less than seven weeks, allowing safe early storage of volatile materials.
Don McVeigh of McVeigh Insulations, said: “This is a highly sensitive project and the safety element was a key issue. The product being manufactured poses a risk if not stored and handled correctly, therefore the safety of the employees and also the stock itself is of great importance to the company. Firemaster provides the utmost fire protection and Eurobond Doors combined to keep the main feature of the room, its temperature and humidity controlled processing environment, intact.”