According to Varnet, two major drivers have motivated the company for improving their products from the beginning. "One was to find a way to shorten the time a client had from the time of the order wait for the greenhouse building project to commence, and parallel to this by speeding up assembly time so that the greenhouse can be completed sooner, and start producing for a faster return of investment."
"It is well known that a greenhouse functions as a whole, and even a tiny change in its workings can affect the crop. A bit more light can promote more photosynthesis, improve taste and production volume. A bit lower temperature at pollination time or more humidity can have an adverse effect on the process and as a result on the crop, and so on. Therefore, so much depends on automation and controllability in a reliable technical environment."
"Hence our second driver was not only to provide this reliability, but create additions and implement changes to enhance- or at the least - aid the enhancement of production."
Last year this resulted in the All Aluminium Venlo structure. "Keeping pace with global industrial and carbon print reduction trends using aluminium for a building material, the construction has already provided much more ease in manufacturing and speed for assembly, besides the obvious benefit of increased reflective surface within the greenhouse. It also had matched the strength of traditional steel structures."
This year the next step is taken by redesigning major components of the aluminium design for the fastest possible assembly and at the same time making the structure stronger. "To further our efforts to reach our goals we looked at possible technical ways to maximize production. We also have eliminated the time-consuming welding processes altogether."
As in vertical farming the increase in production is to do with a better utilization of space available, the designers have looked at ways how this may be possible with the current design of the roll formed steel grow gutters. "To get the freedom of formability, again we turned to the versatile aluminium alloy we use in our construction. In our new design the grow gutter is streamlined with expandable width to accommodate the substrate row(s). It easily clicks together by its extruded aluminium component profiles. This new grow gutter system design allows for more crops planted in the same greenhouse area. In addition, the reflective surface of the aluminium grow gutter also provides for more diffused light around the crop", the Varnet designers show.
The design will be presented at the Growtech Eurasia 2017 in Antalya Turkey.
Meet Varnet at their greenhouse display unit stand 1D-122.
For more information:
Varnet Glasshouse Systemswww.varnetglasshousesystems.com