Venture Clienting with ebm-papst – Shape the Future of Advanced Fan Silencing

Solution Space 

You will find all information regarding the goal, the requirements and the potential partner profile. 

Goal 

The goal of this project is to identify and validate next-generation silencing solutions for large axial fan installations in noise-sensitive environments. Each solution should: 

• Deliver a step-change in noise reduction versus today’s common silencer concepts. 
• Preserve overall system performance, by keeping efficiency impacts (especially added pressure losses) as low as possible. 
• Improve deployability, e.g., through lower weight, smaller footprint, and easier installation/handling in outdoor settings. 
• Enable a realistic Proof of Concept, with comparable validation in an ebm-papst test environment. 

The project aims to create solutions that are technically robust, commercially promising and suitable as the basis for a long-term venture partnership in future advanced silencing solutions. 

Solution Requirements 

These requirements serve as orientation. Not all criteria must be fully met from day one. 

Functional Requirements - the solution should: 

• Achieve ~10 dB noise reduction as a strong PoC-level result. 
• Provide a credible path toward ~15 dB noise reduction as the target (with 15–20 dB considered highly attractive). 
• Deliver these gains without “blocking the flow”—i.e., not by simply adding extreme restriction as the main mechanism. 
• Work as a standalone silencing concept or as part of a hybrid setup (e.g., passive + active elements), as long as it is feasible at scale. 

Technical Requirements 

• Keep additional pressure loss as low as possible so overall fan/system performance does not degrade noticeably (exact threshold depends on application; expect a noise-vs-pressure-loss trade-off assessment). 
• Integrate with large axial fan setups via a clear interface / mounting concept and a defined installation configuration. 
• Be measurable and comparable: noise reduction and efficiency impacts must be quantifiable in a way that allows fair benchmarking. 
• Address key engineering constraints such as structural loads, vibration, durability, and safe operation. 
• Be scalable across fan sizes (a solution that works on one diameter should have a plausible scaling logic). 

Operational Requirements - the solution must: 

• Be meaningfully lighter and easier to handle than common incumbent silencers (today often ~100 kg, crane-handled, bulky “chimney” add-ons). 
• Be suitable for outdoor operation (weather exposure, durability, practical maintainability). 
• Offer a realistic path to manufacturing and supply (in-house or via industrial partners), especially if the aim is a deployable product within ~2 years. 
• Be compatible with typical project deployment realities (installation and logistics must be practical for customer environments). 

ROI Requirements - the solution should: 

• Create a clear value case through a combination of noise reduction performance, lower total cost, and reduced installation/logistics effort. 
• Show how cost drivers (materials, manufacturing complexity, installation effort) compare to today’s typical silencer designs. 

Partner Requirements 

• We welcome early-stage and mature providers—from startups to established players—as long as you can deliver testable evidence within the PoC timeframe (simulation + measurable test concept, and ideally prototypes/samples for joint measurement). 
• For solutions aiming at industrial deployment, a credible manufacturing/scale-up path (in-house production or industrial partners) is a strong plus. 

You should further: 

• Be willing to collaborate closely with ebm-papst experts and iterate on requirements during the process 
• Be open to a structured PoC collaboration model (paid PoC possible; commercial model defined based on results).