Boiling hot water on demand

The water taps from Akvatur in Silkeborg, Denmark, hide their true power underneath the kitchen sink: A hidden boiler securing access to boiling water at all times. In addition to boiling water the Akvatur taps also provide ice water together with regular hot and cold water. A sophisticated temperature controller developed by EKTOS ensures – among other things – that the boiling water is heated silently, without the rumbling produced by e.g. a conventional kettle.

From design to manufacture

– The collaboration between Akvatur and EKTOS is unique in so far as we, on top of developing the control electronics, also have been given the responsibility for testing, certification, and manufacture of them, says EKTOS CEO Jesper Holst.

“Our collaboration is unique in so far as we, on top of developing the control electronics, have been given the responsibility for testing, certification, and manufacture also”. Jesper Holst, EKTOS

– We developed the first version of the control unit about three years ago and are now working on a new version. And again Akvatur has trusted us with responsibility for the whole chain of delivery, from the initial design all the way to the final product. Furthermore we are taking care of a hassle-free transition in production from version 1 to version 2.

All deadlines have been met

Bent Iversen, CEO of Akvatur, elaborates:
– Akvatur does not have the in-house electronics know-how to develop this kind of control unit. So right from the start we decided to trust EKTOS with that responsibility. And it has worked very professionally. The EKTOS people keep the promises they make, both when it comes to the technology and when it comes to meeting the deadlines we agree on. Especially in the beginning of the project we had a very tight deadline: The first 100 units, together with all test documentation, had to be ready two months after signing the contract. That was quite a challenge, but we made it.

“Delivery has been on-time, the control unit is working as expected – everything has been handled super professionally”.
Bent Iversen, Akvatur

According to Jesper Holst from EKTOS it has been especially beneficial that the EKTOS production team was closely involved in the design of the control unit. Consequently they knew everything about the requirements the control unit had to meet. That is why EKTOS was able to make an efficient transition from design to manufacture, together with a fast production process in the EKTOS prototype factory in Western Ukraine.

New design

Akvatur and EKTOS are now collaborating on designing version 2 of the water tap. According to Bent Iversen, the new tap will have the same functionality as its predecessor with the ability to deliver both boiling water and ice water. But the design of the boiler underneath the kitchen sink will be new.

– We are replacing the polystyrene shell of the current model with a shell in solid material. Furthermore we are changing the boiler so the electronics controlling water temperature, water level and safety no longer is placed on the outside but inside the boiler.
Akvatur expects to launch the new version of its boiling water tap by the end of 2018.

Find more information about Akvatur here (in Danish).