The AMCON Standard in Manufacturing of Industrial Water Chillers

We at AMCON take great pride in the manufacturing of our industrial water chiller systems.  Over three decades’ experience and exposure to almost every conceivable process and application have given us unparalleled expertise in the design and building of our units.  They have proven indispensable to countless numbers of clients over those years.

We would like to take some time to outline how we go about designing and assembling our industrial water chillers.  

The Major Components of Our Industrial Water Chillers

The following components go into the manufacture of our AMC Series chiller systems. Each plays an essential role in completing the cycle which removes heat from any process or source to which the chiller is connected:

• Compressor
• Condenser (either air cooled or water cooled)
• Evaporator
• Control panel
• Water pump

In addition, there are several auxiliary components which support the major ones, including:

• Thermostatic expansion valve
• Solenoid valve
• Copper ball valve
• Filter dryers
• Sight glass

All of these individual mechanisms are necessary and vital to the overall functionality of the chiller unit.  They are a mix of in-house manufactured sub-assemblies, and custom-designed components made to our specifications by a third party.  

Our in-house manufacturing capabilities include an air-cooled coil making facility in Foshan, China, which supplies our assembly plants in both Foshan and Subang Jaya, Malaysia.  We also fabricate our own control panels for our water chiller line.  We are very proud of our in-house manufacturing, but there are economic realities which require the outsourcing of some of our components; we also take much pride in the relationships we have formed with our own suppliers, who provide us top-quality chiller components, to our strict specifications.

How Our Chillers Are Designed and Assembled

Our manufacturing process involves the expertise and input of many departments and cross-functional teams, from:

• Design and Research & Development (R&D)
• Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA & QC)
• Production – steel fabrication
• Production – refrigerant copper piping assembly
• Production – water piping assembly
• Production – electrical and electronic assembly for the control panel and wiring systems

Design and R&D – we design the water chiller system, based on the customer’s application and requirements, including the sizing of individual components. They are also responsible for the production of assembly drawings and specifications for the entire assembly.

QA/QC – prior to commencing the assembly process, our quality personnel check all components to be included in a build.  All sub-assemblies must pass the QC check before anything is released to Production for chiller assembly.

Steel fabrication – is responsible for all steel-related fabrication, including the water chiller enclosure, control panel enclosure, mild steel skid for the mounting of the chiller, powder coating works, etc.

Refrigerant copper piping assembly – handles all bending, brazing, and flaring of copper piping used to interconnect the refrigerant lines within the water chiller system.

Water piping assembly – handles all the water lines within the chiller system as well as installation and connection of the piping to the chilled water pump for delivery of the chilled water to the process.

Electrical and electronic assembly – has responsibility for all the wiring works, starter board and power supply within the chiller unit.  It requires calibration and all adjustments to the electronic card for the electronic control of the unit.

Stringent Preparation and Testing Procedures Prior to Delivery and Installation

All of our manufactured chiller systems go through a rigorous pre-check and testing process before shipment and installation.  This is to ensure the complete reliability of all components, connections, and functionality of the system.  

The finished product – a complete, assembled chiller unit – is subject to a thorough QA/QC check upon completion.  Before that inspection, however, the refrigerant pipeline for the water chiller goes through a 2-day leak testing process.  Pressure on all lines is kept to a minimum 350 pounds per square inch (psi) for the entire period.  Upon successful completion of this test – the full two days – of full testing of the water chiller unit will be initiated.

All chiller units are subject to a full system check at our heat load testing facility.  During this process, the entire assembly is assessed for its heat rejection functionality.  This also includes a rigorous safety check of all components and sub-assemblies.  During this process, a record of all findings is created, so the customer/end user has all the data in our Test Report, for future reference.  We value this meticulous record-keeping for both the benefit of our customers and ourselves – we insist on the delivery of a reliable, pre-tested chiller, with backup to show all the steps that went into our quality control regimen.

Finally, a Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) is carried out, as one last check of all components in the chiller unit.  The water chiller is now considered ready for delivery.

Process Designations for Our Products

AMCON is an ISO 9001:2015 certified company.  As such, our management and engineering team ensure that all Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) are strictly followed for every unit we produce.  The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is an internationally recognized Quality Management System (QMS) adopted in 1987 to bring consistency to manufacturing processes.  In order to maintain certification within ISO, we must strictly adhere to and document all of our manufacturing processes.

Additionally, we are currently working on a Conformitè Europëenne (CE) marking for our water chiller units.  This important designation is mandatory in the European Union (EU), denoting conformity with their standards, and allowing sales within the European Economic Area, regardless of country of origin. Thus, upon receiving a CE marking, our chillers may be sold freely in the EU.  It is a critical step for our company to be able to supply this important market.  Our targeted completion date for our CE mark is October, 2022.

Commitment to Quality and Reliability in All of Our Chiller Systems

We take great pride in our commitment to 100% reliability in all of our chiller units and all their subassemblies.  We hope that through this summary of the steps we take to ensure a quality product, our current and future customers will be confident that we will deliver an efficient, long-life chiller system for any application or process that needs one.  

Thank you for taking the time to read this article.  We welcome your questions and comments.  Please contact our team if you have any further questions or would like to learn more.