CO2 traffic light - EMS is committed to sustainability

Sustainability is an increasingly important topic in the EMS industry and this encompasses far more than just environmental protection. It also includes promoting young talent, supporting the social environment and contributing to preventive healthcare. The_{CO2 traffic light} is a prime example of sustainability in action.

Commercial devices for indoor air monitoring have been on the market for years. They are relatively expensive and not accurate enough for some applications. Students in the A-level class at the technical secondary school in Breisach have therefore developed a measuring device for themselves that measures the carbon dioxide content in the room air using a gas sensor and automatically indicates when the room should be ventilated.

Students' idea fascinates - great interest in sponsoring

Michael Pawellek, CEO of Eltroplan Engineering GmbH, Endingen, was fascinated when he heard about this project and spontaneously came up with a sponsorship idea: he offered the Breisach school the opportunity to industrialize the students' development and make it available to other schools. As he emphasized, this is intended to honor and support the students' achievements on the one hand and to help schools to ventilate as needed and in an energy-conscious manner on the other, which is a challenge in times of the pandemic.

Michael Pawellek also asked his Aristos business partners Bernd Kaiser and Holger Ebin from Kaiser Ingenieurbüro, Endingen, and immediately received a commitment from them to sponsor the planned campaign. Their common goal is that the industrialized in-house developments will soon be used in classrooms in the region, free of charge for the schools, for which the two companies Eltroplan and Kaiser want to donate 1000 of these devices. The devices are not only intended for classrooms but also for kindergartens, retirement and nursing homes, social facilities and offices. They are convinced that the_{CO2 traffic light} can be used in many areas to monitor indoor air quality.

Eltroplan and Kaiser have now gained further supporters. Schaltungsdruck Storz GmbH + Co KG, Kenzingen, donated the circuit boards, Siedle, Furtwangen, took care of the EMC measurements and DS Smith Packaging Deutschland Stiftung & Co KG, Endingen, contributed the packaging.

Sustainable - product with long-term value

Classrooms are ventilated according to a fixed time schedule in accordance with corona rules. With the help of the devices developed by the pupils, more targeted ventilation can be provided whenever the_{CO2 concentration} requires it. Good indoor air is also the basis for good working and learning conditions. The project should therefore not just be viewed in terms of the pandemic. After all, fresh indoor air is always good. The ventilation orientation aid developed is a product with long-term value and sustainability.

Product industrialization - just under 2 months to series production

The device developed in group work at school consists of modules from a universal modular electronics system and the housing was created using a 3D printer. Everything was optimized for series production using the expertise of both companies. Eltroplan took on the electronics and Kaiser the housing. The aim of product industrialization was to make it as simple and cost-effective as possible. The material should only cost a few euros per device. According to their own information, the expenditure of both companies amounts to a five-figure sum each. Apprentices are also deliberately employed (sustainability).

Eltroplan and Kaiser were able to turn the student development into an industrially manufactured product in just under two months. The first 50 series copies were handed over to the schools before Whitsun.

On the occasion of the handover, the graduates of the Breisach Technical High School were able to experience the manufacture of the_{CO2 traffic lights} they had developed live in production at Eltroplan and Kaiser. They were very impressed. A valuable addition to the lessons. Constanze Witt, Head of Department for the TG, said that around two-thirds of the pupils would go into mechatronics: "They won't forget this commitment."

Eltroplan and Kaiser are now offering those interested in sponsoring equipment additional devices at a cost price of €30. This is only around a fifth of the usual cost of such devices on the market. And more people interested in sponsoring have already got in touch.