Semvac’s high-tech vacuum toilets are already enjoying plenty of recognition, but by significantly increasing the quality of a central subsystem, the sanitary system can now be rolled out in markets where Semvac previously had to give way to competitors.
Semvac manufactures compact vacuum toilets for modern railway carriages in most of the world. Betech has for many years supplied a moulded rubber valve that opens and closes when the toilet bowl is emptied. In their collaboration with one European train manufacturer, Semvac wanted their system to be approved for a higher grade of railway carriage, which included the latest generation of high-speed trains; the ICNG Class. However, this requires that the valve is tested for 300,000 seamless suction cycles, which is equivalent to an approximately 50 percent increase of the guaranteed service interval.
In order to ensure the desired quality and durability, Betech in collaboration with Semvac’s development department made adjustments to both the vacuum system and the design of the rubber bellow seal. This change led to a simplification of the toilet design and, after optimisation of a new casting tool, the moulded valve was also optimised so that the application was able to satisfy lifespan extension and reliability requirements.
The new solution means that the subsystem with the critical rubber bellow seal now performs with a greater safety margin in relation to the required quality. The application’s lifespan has been extended to such an extent that Semvac now has a head start on competitors and may be able to sell vacuum toilets to a new market segment.
"Our development work with Betech has been a great success: Thanks to the convincing test results from both our own test set-ups and one of the largest European train manufacturers, the application was approved and we have taken one large step forward with our know-how technology for the new High Speed Inter City class of trains."
— Andreas Byskov, Project Manager, Semvac A/S
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