Antibacterial safety equipment made of aluminum foam
The antibacterial safety equipment from Havel metal foam consists of self-supporting mobile partitions and fittings with copper surfaces on aluminum foam. Copper was chosen because it has an antimicrobial effect and makes contact transmission of infection harder. Combining the aluminum foam with copper cover layers gives the partitions high load-bearing capacity at low weight; the format is, for example, 1,500 × 2,000 mm.
Updated:
Why copper surfaces, and what do the studies say?
Viruses and bacteria can settle on conventional partitions and other surfaces for several days. Of the materials examined, copper is the one on which the coronavirus pathogen survives for the shortest time: there it was no longer detectable after only a few hours, while on other surfaces it persists for days. The basis is the study in the New England Journal of Medicine cited by Havel metal foam; Havel metal foam does not publish an exact number of hours for it. The surface treatment of the copper cover layers prevents the copper from oxidizing.
Source of the virus statement: study in the New England Journal of Medicine, nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973.
How is the partition system built?
The partitions consist of aluminum foam with copper cover layers, which gives high load-bearing capacity at low weight. U-hooks connect the walls firmly to one another, and a castor system with plug-in connection makes for quick set-up; the format is, for example, 1,500 × 2,000 mm. Thanks to their low weight, the walls are easy to transport and quick to set up, and they can, for example, carry advertising when used as room dividers.
Which areas of use are the partitions intended for?
Partitions separate areas from one another, guide people at controlled distances and along set paths, and so reduce the risk of infection, wherever distances are hard to keep. Areas of use are public facilities, companies with customer contact, companies with a large workforce and places with heavy footfall.
- Public facilities, for example care homes, hospitals, airports
- Companies with customer contact, for example retail
- Companies with a large workforce, for example power plants, vehicle manufacturers, food production areas, supermarkets, shopping centers
- Places with heavy footfall, for example public transport, events, trade fairs
Which products are there besides partitions?
Havel metal foam's product range makes entirely new lightweight solutions possible in many areas: besides partitions as guidance systems and barriers, handrails, door handles, grips and grab rails can also be made from copper tubes with aluminum foam and offer greater protection.
- Partitions as guidance systems & barriers
- Copper tubes
- Door handles
- Railings
- Grab rails
- Handrails
- Sanitary fittings
What are the advantages of the antibacterial safety equipment?
The mobile partitions are self-supporting, meet hygiene regulations and are non-combustible: material testing of AAS and SAS to DIN EN 45545-2 resulted in classification as HL3; no certificate was applied for. They do not give off toxic gases. They are weldable and 100 % recyclable, damp vibration strongly, insulate against noise and provide electromagnetic shielding. With their metallic bond they are repairable and easy to process mechanically (drilling, sawing, milling, welding).
- Compliance with hygiene regulations
- Non-combustible (DIN EN 45545-2: classified HL3); no toxic gases
- Weldable; 100 % recyclable; metallic bond
- Strong vibration damping; noise and sound insulation; excellent shock absorption
- Good electromagnetic shielding
- Easy mechanical processing possible (drilling, sawing, milling, welding); repairable
- Various alloys possible
Build-up and system
How is a mobile partition built?
Also asked: What are the partitions made of? · Are the walls self-supporting?
A mobile partition from Havel metal foam is an aluminum foam sandwich with copper cover layers, metallurgically bonded and therefore a composite without adhesive. The walls are self-supporting and rigid in bending, so they need no frame, and they are weldable. A common format is 1,500 × 2,000 mm; the panel thickness lies between 10 and 50 mm depending on the application. Because the composite stays purely metallic, it is repairable and fully recyclable at the end of its service life.
- Sources
- Brand content
How quickly can the walls be set up and rearranged?
Also asked: How are the walls connected? · Does set-up need tools?
The partitions from Havel metal foam stand on a castor system with plug-in connection and are coupled firmly to one another with U-hooks, so a row of walls is up in a few seconds and can be rearranged just as quickly. For the operator, that is the real difference from a built-in wall: the floor space can be divided differently from day to day, and the same elements serve as room dividers in normal operation. Additional elements such as handrails, door handles, grab rails and sanitary fittings are also available as copper tube with aluminum foam.
- Sources
- Brand content
Copper surface
What does the copper surface do?
Also asked: Why copper and not stainless steel? · Does the surface have an antimicrobial effect?
Havel metal foam uses copper because it has an antimicrobial effect and makes contact transmission of infection harder. Havel metal foam does not promise the surface any further effect. A surface treatment prevents the copper from oxidizing, so the effect is not lost to a tarnishing layer. For a hygiene concept, the wall is one element alongside cleaning and distance, not a replacement for them.
- Sources
- Brand content
What is the statement about the copper surface based on?
Also asked: Is there a study on this? · How long do pathogens survive on copper?
Havel metal foam cites a study in the New England Journal of Medicine that compares different material surfaces and identifies copper as the surface on which the pathogen remains detectable for the shortest time. Two limitations apply. The study describes copper as a material, not this product. And Havel metal foam does not give an exact number of hours; anyone who needs it for a tender can request it together with the study excerpt.
- Sources
- Brand content
Material and use
Are the partitions flammable?
Also asked: Are toxic gases produced? · What other properties does the core bring?
No. The partitions from Havel metal foam are purely metallic in build-up, with no plastics and no adhesives, so there is no combustible component and no toxic gases can form; material testing of AAS and SAS to DIN EN 45545-2 resulted in classification as HL3, and no certificate was applied for. No fire resistance class is stated, because that would require a test report for the specific build-up. The foam core also brings vibration damping, sound insulation and electromagnetic shielding.
- Sources
- Brand content
Where are the mobile partitions used?
Also asked: Which buildings are they intended for? · Are there applications in transport?
Havel metal foam supplies the mobile partitions for public facilities, care homes and hospitals, airports, retail through to supermarkets and shopping centers, power plants, food-handling environments, public transport, and events and trade fairs. What these places have in common is that people's routes have to be guided and the layout changes. The same design is also offered as a mobile protective wall; its protective effect is covered on the defense industry page, not here.
- Sources
- Brand content
Antibacterial equipment for your premises
Partitions, handrails, grips: straight to our specialist team.
- Prompt reply
- No account needed
- Your data stays confidential