2024
Home Appliances

How Energy-Saving Acoustic Materials Are Meeting Tomorrow’s Performance Standards

Energy performance standards are changing. As yesterday’s A+++ certification becomes tomorrow’s D, dishwasher manufacturers are stepping up to the challenge. For a number of leading OEMs, this means combining the market’s best acoustic damping with the best thermal insulation performance in a single, easy-to-apply system. It’s called SikaDamp®, and it’s poised to redefine the future of acoustic treatments in home appliances.

Bitumen-heavy foils are great for noise reduction. But because the entire mass of the acoustic insulation material needs to be heated during the machine’s operating cycle, standard technologies can cause the appliance’s energy classification to suffer. This is why SikaDamp® has  been developed, applying a layered, multi-technologysolution that decouples vibrations and improves thermal insulation. Now, with the third-generation SikaDamp®, we’re making advanced thermo acoustic performance even easier to customize, control and apply for home appliance manufacturers worldwide.

Sika Industry - Moving Forward

Bring on the Baffle

Whether as injection-molded parts or stripes, hundreds  of millions of SikaBaffle® parts have been used in the automotive industry for sealing and reinforcing cavities,  and to improve acoustics. Thanks to the technology’s high degree of expansion and good adhesion to metal substrates, SikaBaffle® has proven extremely versatile and effective in the most demanding automotive environments.

Significant energy savings 

By coating SikaDamp® sheets with SikaBaffle®, we have adapted it to the specific needs of home appliances to achieve the ideal damping loss factor, foam structure and heat insulation performance. The result is a next-generation thermoacoustic system that is proven to achieve substantial energy savings in dishwasher applications.

Expanded possibilities

SikaDamp® has already been customized to meet the specific energy savings, damping, thickness and formulation  demanded by multiple well-known global manufacturers, and is automatically applied directly in the customers’ pick-and-place assembly processes. The material achieves a very high expansion rate, expanding its thickness by up to a factor of 8, resulting in a unique foam-in-foam structure with a remarkably low heat conductivity rating.

These energy savings make it easier than ever for manufacturers to achieve the best possible product ratings with respect to radiated noise and reduced energy consumption. In fact, laboratory testing shows that the latest generation of SikaDamp® maintains the same high acoustic performance of previous generations, while substantially improving the end product’s energy efficiency. 

Accelerating Innovation Together

The new SikaDamp® is the result of just one of many  successful customer collaborations that address tomorrow’s needs for better product performance, energy efficiency and cycle times. Thanks to the industry’s broadest technology portfolio and a global network of technical and commercial experts, Sika supports every customer in the evaluation, testing and integration of innovative solutions for washing, drying, cooking and cooling appliances. Together, we’re leading the change, creating more value for your brand by enabling the next generation of appliance manufacturing. Whatever your next product demands, Sika is there. Every day. Moving the industry forward. Learn how Sika’s thermoacoustic solutions can boost your next series’ performance.

 Sika Home Appliance Damping Solutions:

  • Top 4 producers trust Sika to increase durability on new design
  • 20+ years supplying technical solutions for acoustic deadening,  sealing and bonding to the home appliances industry 
  • > 13 million dishwashers a year are quieter thanks to SikaDamp® acoustic pads

 

Additional Home Appliance Sealing and Bonding Solutions:

  •  > 4 million refrigerators bonded annually with SikaMelt® and  Sikaflex® adhesives
  • > 10 million washing machines bonded with Sikaflex® 
  • 50% cost reduction with SikaMelt®

 

Sika Home Appliance Partner Services Include:

  • Construction consultancy: Review of existing systems for suitability for bonding and advice for system amendments
  • Functional testing: Support with prototyping, functional tests,  system compatibility, adhesion and functional features
  • Application technology selection: Active consulting to select  application and bonding technologies, systems and equipment  engineering, and support for equipment application processes
  • Applicator training: Preparation of operation manuals for compliance, together with customer service
  • External approvals: Best practice sample preparation