The central cooling tower system at the US media company NBCU­ni­versal in Los Angeles has been expe­ri­encing multiple fail­ures. Air Condi­tioning Solu­tions Inc. is there­fore inves­ti­gating the cause – and has turned to its long-standing partner ebm-papst for a retrofit of three cooling towers. »

Fans live as long as their ball bear­ings. Using the L10 formula and dynamic real-time data, ebm-papst calcu­lates how long the bear­ings will last. The method shows how oper­ating condi­tions influ­ence the actual grease life—and thus provides a more real­istic fore­cast of product reli­a­bility.»

The new AxiBlade.Perform for refrig­er­a­tion and air condi­tioning tech­nology now has a plastic wall ring. The respon­sible product manager Johannes Neigert reveals why. (Spoiler alert: It makes instal­la­tion easier and increases effi­ciency and air perfor­mance.)»

New possi­bil­i­ties in the design and manu­fac­ture of EC centrifugal fans enabled the devel­op­ment of the third gener­a­tion of high-perfor­­mance impellers. Their three-dimen­­sion­ally shaped blades are char­ac­ter­ized by high strength and improved effi­ciency. The high-perfor­­mance fans with metal impellers comply with strict fire safety regu­la­tions in North America and Asia, and are partic­u­larly suit­able for use in air handling units, preci­sion air-condi­­tioning units, elec­tronics cooling, cooling towers and many other refrig­er­a­tion and air condi­tioning appli­ca­tions.»

A stately castle towers over Rhein­felden in Switzer­land. Here, at the Feld­schlöss­chen brewery, beer has been brewed since 1876. But the historic façade hides state-of-the-art tech­nology – an example of which is one of the castle’s venti­lation systems.»

The Indone­sian Siloam Hospi­tals Group has modern­ized the venti­lation systems at three hospital loca­tions. RadiPac EC fans from ebm-papst not only reduce energy consump­tion by 65 percent; they also ensure optimum condi­tions in the oper­ating rooms.»

Places where the sun shines are ideal loca­tions for gener­ating large amounts of clean energy. The Dutch company XINTC is demon­strating how green hydrogen can be produced effi­ciently and reli­ably even in remote desert regions — using modular elec­trolyzers that can with­stand sand­storms. Axial fans from ebm-papst help keep every­thing running reli­ably.»

The Hotel Flüel­erhof in Switzer­land is currently being reno­vated before reopening as a contem­po­rary 4-star estab­lish­ment. One partic­ular chal­lenge facing the team was to modernize the outdated venti­lation system. A retrofit with ebm-papst’s RadiFit fans proved to be the ideal solu­tion.»

Titus Mulder is a fourth-gener­a­­tion owner of one of the largest laundry compa­nies in the Nether­lands. His employees are like family to him. To ensure they always enjoy the best possible working condi­tions, he has now opted for intel­li­gent air puri­fiers with digital connec­tivity.»

Zehnder Clean Air Solu­tions is a leader in indus­trial air purifi­ca­tion. Many years of collab­o­ra­tive devel­op­ment have resulted in the Zehnder CARA IoT plat­form, enabling ebm-papst to advance its NEXAIRA digital ecosystem. Magnus Bladh, Head of Tech­nology at Zehnder Clean Air Solu­tions, explains how smart, connected solu­tions create measur­able value for customers.»

Energy-related refur­bish­ment is time-consuming and expen­sive. A Euro­pean project is inves­ti­gating how a prefab­ri­cated multi­func­tional facade with inte­grated climate-control tech­nology could make the refur­bish­ment process faster and less costly. A central role in this project is played by venti­lation systems supplied by the Italian manu­fac­turer Vortice.»

Cheering ice hockey fans or screaming concert audiences—this and much more is possible at the multi­func­tional Santa Giulia Arena in Milan. The 2026 Winter Olympics will mark the first time that spec­ta­tors get to heat up the atmos­phere in the arena, where the instal­la­tion team from Arena Impianti – together with the air tech­nology experts from SAMP and 210 RadiPac C fans from ebm-papst ensure the optimal climate. »

Centrifugal fans from ebm-papst set new stan­dards: Thanks to aero­dy­namic opti­miza­tions, inno­v­a­tive mate­rials, sophis­ti­cated design details, and highly effi­cient EC motors with intel­li­gent control elec­tronics, they not only deliver signif­i­cantly more air perfor­mance than before, but they are also partic­u­larly quiet and effi­cient.»

A lot has happened in fan tech­nology. Aero­dy­nam­i­cally opti­mized EC fans are becoming estab­lished in refrig­er­a­tion and air condi­tioning appli­ca­tions. Never­the­less, there is still scope for further opti­miza­tion in noise cancelling. Thor­ough acoustic testing is carried out to iden­tify each indi­vidual sound source, also taking the instal­la­tion situ­a­tion into account.»

To achieve high air perfor­mance in venti­lation tech­nology, large, single fans are no longer today’s preferred solu­tion. Instead, we recom­mend FanGrids: several smaller fans combined to work together in parallel.»

Fans used in venti­lation, refrig­er­a­tion and air condi­tioning systems or other indus­trial appli­ca­tions are gener­ally subjected to rigorous testing. But in prac­tice, fail­ures often occur after a short time. The cause is usually vibra­tions resulting from the way the fans are installed. The reso­nance char­ac­ter­is­tics of a fan must there­fore be tested during oper­a­tion and in inter­ac­tion with the surround­ings in order to take measures if neces­sary.»

Many drivers of elec­tric vehi­cles dream of charging their batteries rapidly and getting back on the road. Thanks to its cooling system for charging stations with battery storage systems, West­phalian company tech­no­trans is helping to make this dream a reality. To do so, it relies on the compact AxiEco 200. »

Fans are flow machines. Fans opti­mized according to aero­dy­namic criteria reli­ably deliver the desired air flows at the rele­vant oper­ating point and are energy-effi­­cient and quiet in oper­a­tion. But the instal­la­tion situ­a­tion also plays an impor­tant role. A fan installed in the appli­ca­tion is often not as quiet as hoped or less effi­cient than the spec­i­fi­ca­tions in the data sheet, because inter­ac­tions between the fan and the customer device have an impact on the flow vari­ables. Simu­la­tion can help here. the behavior of a fan in the specific appli­ca­tion can be precisely calcu­lated and visu­al­ized with CFD (Compu­ta­tional Fluid Dynamics, i.e. numer­ical fluid mechanics).»

Singa­pore is relying on local and sustain­able food produc­tion. To achieve this, FarmzS­tory is setting up modern green­houses at schools. Installed in it: EC axial fans from ebm-papst to create the perfect air climate for growing vegeta­bles.»

Thanks to past energy improve­ment measures, the venti­lation system in the produc­tion building of a well-known compo­nent manu­fac­turer already complied with tech­nical stan­dards. Never­the­less, the building and facil­i­ties manager asked the special­ists at AIRnorm GmbH to take a look. Not only did they discover poten­tial energy savings of around 30 percent; one comment about system avail­ability trig­gered alarm bells for the customer.»

In 2024, Munich Airport recorded over 41 million passen­gers – an effi­cient infra­struc­ture is essen­tial. After more than 30 years, two venti­lation systems that venti­late connecting tunnels there­fore needed to be retro­fitted. The airport is now saving around 252,000 kWh of energy, has greater oper­a­tional reli­a­bility and is working towards its sustain­ability goals.»

With Demand-Controlled Venti­lation, you can uncover poten­tial savings, cut costs, and mini­mize the envi­ron­mental impact of the fans. At the same time, the air perfor­mance and quality, as well as the heating or cooling capacity of the rele­vant system, remains optimal.»

The Digital Service Heat Exchanger Clog­ging Detec­tion contin­u­ously moni­tors the oper­ating data of heat exchangers. The service also enables the degree of filter pollu­tion to be deter­mined. Opti­mize main­te­nance work on condensers, adia­batic recooler or venti­lation systems and ensure effi­ciency and oper­a­tional reli­a­bility on an ongoing basis.»

The ebm-papst Service App simpli­fies fan commis­sioning for customers and specialist part­ners to save them value­able time during fan setup. It enables you to set-up, commis­sion, para­me­terize and manage your fans effort­lessly – including cloud connec­tion, a fan test run and a final report. »

The Digital Service Vibra­tion Analysis moni­tors and analyzes fan vibra­tions and reso­nances in real-time during oper­a­tion. Monitor main­te­nance require­ments, prevent unfore­seen break­downs, and increase the oper­a­tional reli­a­bility of the system.»

With Cloud-2-Cloud-Commu­ni­­ca­­tion, your fan data is securely trans­ferred between your own cloud and the ebm-papst epCloud, unlocking the possi­bility for real-added value with Digital Services. It is the key to AI-driven processes that analyze the perfo­mance of your fan and help you make the most of it.»

With Condi­tion Moni­toring, you are able to under­stand the current status of your fan and iden­tify opti­miza­tion poten­tial based on its perfo­mance data. It makes your fan data visible and helps you to see not only that it is running, but how it is running – in real-time and clearly visu­al­ized.»

Being able to charge elec­tric vehi­cles as fast as fueling cars is a vision that is increas­ingly becoming a reality, thanks to compa­nies like ef cooling Ernst H. Furrer AG. Its liquid-cooled cables and heat exchangers deliver the power in high-power charging stations, helped by robust and weather-resis­­tant compact fans. »

Life outside our solar system. The first galaxies. The unex­plored, dark side of the universe. New find­ings about the evolu­tion of every­thing could soon come to light in 2028 when the Extremely Large Tele­scope posi­tioned in Chile, begins directing its 39-meter mirror into space. The laser systems, which are cooled by highly special­ized air handling units from OCRAM CLIMA, play a deci­sive role here. The air handling units are equipped with 28 FanGrid units from ebm-papst.»

When it comes to cooling, which is vital for data centers, an energy-conscious approach is essen­tial these days. Energy-effi­­cient fans with state-of-the-art EC tech­nology can help here. They must operate as quietly as possible and have a high level of avail­ability. Condi­tion moni­toring, for example, can enable preven­tive main­te­nance measures. »

Noise emis­sions directly impair people’s perfor­mance and health. This issue is a crucial factor, espe­cially indoors. There­fore, detecting and elim­i­nating the causes of noise in venti­lation systems can be a real game-changer. Quiet and effi­cient fans, such as those in the RadiPac series, also play their part. »

Mercedes-Benz is modern­izing the venti­lation system of its paint booths at its loca­tion in Argentina. As a result the car manu­fac­turer is ensuring the quality of its paint­work and protecting produc­tion from down­time.»

Vertical Farming is still in its infancy in many places, but if Artechno Growsys­tems has its way, this will soon change. The Dutch company invents and builds cells that grow lettuce, herbs and fruit in perfect condi­tions. »

Haglund Industri is a Swedish manu­fac­turer of refrig­er­ating appli­ances for the catering sector. In their new BRIS refrig­er­ator series, they exploit the phys­ical laws of convec­tion to reduce energy consump­tion through addi­tional air flows in the refrig­er­ator. Energy-saving fans from ebm-papst provide help here.»

Cooling towers, recog­nized as crucial cooling devices, find wide­spread use in indus­trial parks, urban complexes, and city centers. Beyond their cooling effi­ciency, energy consump­tion and reli­a­bility are indis­pens­able factors for eval­u­ating cooling tower perfor­mance. KINFIT, a promi­nent domestic manu­fac­turer of central air condi­tioning equip­ment, recently joined forces with ebm-papst to revamp the cooling tower systems at a semi­con­ductor facility.»

The FanScout helps with choosing the right fan solu­tion for a partic­ular appli­ca­tion. It is intu­itive to use and now works without instal­la­tion on the computer, simply on the web. Plan­ners and manu­fac­turers in air condi­tioning and venti­lation tech­nology profit from filters such as sustain­ability aspects, life cycle costs, and redun­dancy require­ments.»

To ensure that the fabrics of the Maison Deveaux weaving mill in Saint-Vincent-de-Reins, France, meet the highest stan­dards, the air quality must be just right. »

Frese­nius Kabi is working on its climate foot­print. Part of these efforts is a retrofit at the Uppsala site with more than 150 fans being replaced. This will deliver energy savings of 30 percent per year for the company. Thanks to the redun­dancy of the FanGrid solu­tion, the company no longer has to fear stop­pages costing hundreds of thou­sands of euros.»

In a care­fully planned and opti­mally prepared campaign, the leading Swiss dairy processor Emmi at its Suhr site, is replacing AC fans on 69 coolers with modern EC vari­ants, while they are still in oper­a­tion. Project manager Matthias Künzli is now delighted with the huge energy savings – and much more.»

Vertical indoor farming is consid­ered a promising future concept with numerous advan­tages. In partic­ular, the yield per unit of area is signif­i­cantly higher than in conven­tional agri­cul­ture, as the systems are oper­ated all year round. Fans, drives and automa­tion solu­tions play an impor­tant role in ensuring that the plants always have ideal condi­tions for growth.»

The venti­lation system in the speed skating rink at Berlin’s Sport­forum sports complex still used old belt-driven fans. They consumed a lot of elec­tricity, made a lot of noise and if they failed, the entire system came to a stand­still. High time for an upgrade to effi­cient RadiPac fans.»

Completely replacing old venti­lation systems is time-consuming and costly. The retrofit project at a large furni­ture store in Dubai shows that there is a better solu­tion: EC fans in the form of a FanGrid and demand-based control.»

Vilpe Sense from Finnish company Vilpe detects water damage in roofs before it occurs. The system dissi­pates excess mois­ture to the outside, by using an EC centrifugal fan from ebm-papst.»

In building tech­nology, demand for decen­tral­ized resi­den­tial venti­lation systems is increasing with growing envi­ron­mental protec­tion and energy effi­ciency require­ments. The devices installed in the façade are not only suit­able for reno­va­tion work, but are also gaining impor­tance in new build­ings. For push-pull appli­ca­tions, there are now new, energy-effi­­cient fans that impress with their high effi­ciency, pleasant oper­ating noise and compact dimen­sions.»

In the fight against climate change, Swiss company Clime­works is filtering a large amount of carbon dioxide from Iceland’s air with the “Orca” CO₂ suction unit and conveying it into the ground.»

According to the so-called F-Gas Regu­la­tion, emis­sions of fluo­ri­nated green­house gases (F-gases) in the EU are to be signif­i­cantly reduced by 2030. It is there­fore essen­tial to switch to natural refrig­er­ants with a low global warming poten­tial (GWP). However, these are often flam­mable. This means that all compo­nents installed in heat pumps, for example, must meet the stan­dards for flam­mable refrig­er­ants. This also applies to the fans used, but these also need to be as quiet and energy-effi­­cient as possible.»

To protect his employees, Michael Braun of the Beck­stein wine­growers’ coop­er­a­tive replaced his old venti­lation system with a new one. The system reli­ably draws dangerous fermen­ta­tion gases outside, while also creating more room and peace for wine produc­tion.»

If there is one thing a super­market does not need, it is reno­va­tion work taking place during the most impor­tant shop­ping season. So it is a relief that ebm-papst found an uncon­ven­tional solu­tion for the cold water system of a South African hyper­market in collab­o­ra­tion with HCM, a refrig­er­a­tion and air condi­tioning company.»

Walter Roller GmbH & Co. began to system­at­i­cally convert their refrig­er­a­tion and air-condi­­tioning equip­ment over to EC tech­nology as early as 2011. Pioneers CEO Wolf­gang Krenn and Product Manager Andreas Binder discuss what drives them, how their customers have reacted, and the role that EC plays for them today.»