POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – February 15, 2007 – Dometic Environmental Corporation, the world leader in marine air conditioning technology, today unveiled its next-generation self-contained water-cooled air conditioning platform.
In introducing the new Turbo product line, Frank Marciano, president of Dometic Environmental, said, “This is the first major breakthrough in marine air conditioning technology since the patented Vector Compact design was introduced in 1996. We have totally redesigned everything from scratch to bring to market a revolutionary new product that will exceed all of our customers’ expectations.”
The patent-pending Turbo products will serve as the next-generation platform for self-contained reverse-cycle air conditioning products to be marketed under the Cruisair and Marine Air brands.
The new system provides up to 26 percent increased capacity and up to 22 percent reduced amperage draw. At the same time, unit height has been reduced by up to 17 percent.
“The Turbo product line represents the culmination of a two-year R&D effort in which we applied Design for Six Sigma principles to ‘reinvent’ our self-contained product line,” said Marciano. “We started by asking boatbuilders to define the specific features they wanted in a new system. We used Design for Six Sigma tools to analyze their feedback, along with inputs from key distributors and dealers, to create a prioritized list of 28 product development goals. Our multi-functional team brainstormed product concepts and used solid modeling techniques to create several potential mechanical designs. Our engineers then built, tested and fine-tuned alternative designs using our highly automated parametric test lab.”
“As a result, the Turbo series is everything our customers asked for … and more,” Marciano added.
The Turbo design incorporates new patent-pending features including a positive-flow composite condensate drain pan that provides up to 85 percent reduction in standing water and a robust centrifugal enclosed-motor HV blower that can be rotated up to 270 degrees with a single-screw adjustment for discharge in any direction. The new unit also has a unique built-in isolation mounting system that dramatically reduces vibration and noise.
The product line will include multiple models ranging from 6,000 to 16,000 BTU. They will be available for delivery to customers in mid-2007 through Cruisair and Marine Air distribution channels.