Research, Design and Development

As the need for better and brighter hazardous area lighting products with higher levels of ATEX and IECEx protection are sought by users operating in explosive atmosphere applications, the research, design and development of equipment for use in hazardous areas has become more challenging.

This critical function at Wolf Safety has been expanded and the allocated resource increased to take on more projects, exploit new technologies, explore more ideas and to refine existing products.

Products in the Wolf range incorporate a broad variety of different technologies:

• Temporary luminaires, floodlites and worklites plus portable torches and handlamps now use LED lighting technology, offering high levels of bright, white, efficient light; increasing light levels and battery ‘burn times’. LED performance is enhanced by using bespoke reflector optics, maximising light output and offering the user increased benefit and safety by maximising area illumination.
• Rechargeable battery products, including rechargeable ATEX torches and handlamp products, now incorporate Lithium Ion (Li-Ion) battery technology, with high energy density and reliability, coupled with microprocessor controlled product functionality and charging control.
• Temporary portable leadlamps use highly efficient fluorescent lighting technology, controlled by up-to-date ballast units incorporating end of lamp life protection.
• Air lamp products use safe compressed air powerto drive the turbo alternator, which in turn powers the high output halogen lamp, allowing safe operation in potentially explosive atmospheres.

To ensure that when products are designed they are suited to the hazardous area and confined space applications in which they will be used, the research and development team liaises with representative end users operating in numerous industry applications, from fire-fighting to tank cleaning and from aircraft maintenance to water treatment, to learn and understand user requirements.

The ultimate objective at Wolf Safety is to develop ATEX and IECEx zone 1 and zone 0 approved torches, handlamps and temporary lighting equipment to higher levels of safety, that exploit the benefits of LEDs, Li-Ion batteries and new technologies as they become available, in order to make a real contribution towards providing safer working conditions in potentially explosive atmospheres.