Apprentice Automation Challenge
The localised need for fire suppression systems has been identified within Thales IAS Belfast, speaking to machinists and Heads of departments, they have collectively expressed an interest in improving the safety of the machinery, lowering the risk of fires and creating a safer working environment. Within Belfast, there are engineering laboratories with 3D printers without any fire suppression systems. The voiced concern for not only the health and safety of employees, but the potential risk to not only facilities, but the danger to valuable irreplaceable R&D projects, creates a viable business case for this product within Thales IAS Belfast.
This product has the potential to be realised to Thales UK in the future however, looking further afield there is a huge intake in the 3D printing industry within the UK, engineering, healthcare, education and construction have all started to adopted this manufacturing technique.
An automatic fire suppression system has a suppression agent and an element that senses heat and smoke. The primary advantage is that it doesn't require human activation or interaction. Currently, hand held fire extinguishers rely on humans, to identify and react to resolve fire incidences, this is the current safety measure in Belfast. The project plans to automate this process, not needing to rely on humans to identify or react to fires.
An automatic fire suppression system has a suppression agent and an element that senses heat and smoke. The primary advantage is that it doesn't require human activation or interaction. Currently, hand held fire extinguishers rely on humans, to identify and react to resolve fire incidences, this is the current safety measure in Belfast. The project plans to automate this process, not needing to rely on humans to identify or react to fires.
The product has one main objective, to put-out fires in a controlled automated process without the need for any human interaction. The fire suppression system will use C02 to extinguish fires that have started within the confines of 3d printers. The test printer is an Endor3. The capability is modelled on this base platform.
The product will have an operational availability of above 95%. For the system to work, control electronics and mechanical parts need to interface with custom build software to identify stages of a fire, the use of temperature sensors and zoning will quickly and efficiently put out the fire with minimal damage to the host platform.
Photo by Erik Mclean: https://www.pexels.com/photo/mounted-fire-extinguisher-on-a-post-4916620/