When it comes to selecting building materials for food processing facilities, there are several requirements architects and designers must keep in mind. Chief among these are temperature control, hygiene and energy efficiency.
Insulated metal panels are strong building envelope solutions for meeting these requirements.
Exceptional thermal performance
Thermal performance is key to helping keep products safe in food processing facilities. Insulated metal panels deliver this thermal performance, reducing the thermal bridging that is typical of other wall systems. Airtight and weathertight, these panels help control temperatures; with a core of continuous, rigid insulation, insulated metal panels achieve the R-values needed to ensure a stable interior environment.
Food processing facilities will find it easier to maximize thermal efficiency and improve performance now that our QuadCore® Technology is standard on all Kingspan panels used in these applications. Our next generation of self-blended hybrid insulation core, QuadCore Technology features a high R-value of R-9.0 per inch for cold storage applications, making it the most thermally efficient insulation core on the market.
Easy to clean
With smooth surfaces available, insulated metal panels are easy to clean and can withstand the heavy sanitization used in many food processing plants. Their tight-fitting interlocking joints resist moisture and help prevent bacterial growth.
Kingspan insulated metal panels designed for use in food processing facilities feature coatings that allow for high temperature washdowns that meet USDA safe hygiene requirements.
Energy efficient
Insulated metal panels can also advance net zero energy and carbon-neutral efforts by creating an airtight, moisture-resistant, rigid, continuous-insulation envelope, offering the high R-values and strong thermal performance that ultimately result in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, increased energy efficiency and reduced energy costs.
Delivering long term air and weathertightness, insulated metal panels help reduce the amount of energy required to keep food processing buildings at temperature. That energy efficiency translates to lower operating costs and reduced carbon emissions while maintaining temperatures to protect stored products.
Kingspan insulated metal panels are designed to help projects achieve LEED and other green building certifications. Made of partially recycled steel and foam that can be repurposed, both pre- and post-consumer, our lower embodied carbon insulated metal panels help to reduce the carbon footprint of food processing facilities.
An award-winning example
The Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) milk powder plant in Garden City, Kansas, was built using more than 344,000 square feet of Kingspan KS Shadowline insulated metal panels.
An ideal choice for food processing environments, KS Shadowline wall panels were selected for the exterior of the building, and KS Shadowline Interior panels were used on the interior of the building.
KS Series wall panels offer some of the highest R-values, which is especially important in cold storage and food processing facilities like the DFA plant.
These panels contributed to the sustainability mission of this project, reducing thermal bridging and providing continuous insulation, which helped curb energy consumption by reducing heating or cooling loss.
The sustainability efforts incorporated into this state-of-the-art DFA plant led to Food Engineering magazine naming it the Sustainable Plant of the Year.