Vallox 51K MV – from a draft into a product

There are several interesting stories and persons behind the Vallox ventilation units. Read the story of the Vallox 51 ventilation unit.

There are several interesting stories and persons behind the Vallox ventilation units. Our product development department is located in Loimaa, adjacent to our factory, where it develops new products and e.g. the acoustic technology of ventilation in a separate laboratory. The team has a good ten members and has designed the energy-efficient ventilation units, cooker hoods, and air heating units sold over the years and still on the market today. R&D Engineer Kerttu Peltonen has been responsible for the Vallox 51K MV project, our latest product.

The draft phase of the kitchen solution

Vallox 51K MV is a new product launched at the beginning of 2019. It is a combination of a ventilation unit and a cooker hood and is integrated with the kitchen cabinet similarly to other kitchen appliances. This helps save space, especially in small apartments. The drafting of the concept started few years previously together with a larger team.

“First, the idea was developed by brainstorming with a larger group”, says Peltonen about the first steps of the product. “Once the more detailed specifications and goals had been defined, the product development team had a couple of dozen different drafts, from among which the best one was identified through elimination. This is today the Vallox 51K MV.”

Diverse work from measurements to drawings

Peltonen and her colleague R&D engineer Pekka Leppäkangas were responsible for most of the practical work related to product development. With the maximum floor area of 75 m2, the final product is designed for one and two bedroom apartments, and for relatively small three bedroom apartments. This meant precise measurements from the prototype phase onwards.

“In the development of Vallox 51, as always, measurements are taken of sound values, operating efficiency, and air flows. From the product development point of view, these set clear goals for the product.” The product is rated in energy class A; equipped with an additional sensor, the class can be increased to up to A+.

Peltonen has worked for Vallox since 2005. According to her, the work of a product developer is very diverse. “In product development, 3D models are drawn of the product, prototypes built, and various kinds of values measured: this is exactly what makes the work so much fun.”

For kitchen cabinets or small premises

The product was launched at the ISH fair in Frankfurt in March 2019. In addition to the cooker hood model, the product is also available as a standard model, i.e. a ventilation unit designed for small apartments. This can be installed e.g. above a toilet seat, where it takes up very little space in a small apartment. A cover panel that is mounted with a magnet covers the door screws. It makes the unit tastefully elegant!

The work of the product developers with Vallox 51 continues, even though the product is on the market. “We have new ideas regarding the product. At the present, we are designing accessories for the model”, says Peltonen.