A Wood-Fired Stove for the 21st Century

Ah, the rustic beauty of a wood-burning fire. Despite all our 2013 conveniences—public utilities, hot showers, and a warm kitchen on an early January morning—we lost something when we gave up the traditional hearth. A moment’s meditation? A connection with nature?

I’m not sure. But the reality is that day-to-day wood-fired heat hasn’t been able to compete with oil and gas for home climate control. In fact, many cities forbid wood burning all together, and most new homes no longer include even a basic fireplace. Compared to modern systems, wood is dirty and inefficient.

But PTC Creo customer Specht is now challenging those assumptions.

Located in Germany, Specht develops and manufactures the xeoos, a modern wood-burning stove that is blazing across Europe and the U.S. with its Twinfire design.

Wood Fire Engineered for Miniscule Emissions

The xeoos Twinfire is a stove with two flames burning in two directions: one upward and  one downward.  The two-chamber design of the xeoss Twinfire heats the wood in a mostly oxygen-free compartment, using fresh air in its second chamber to move the heat and flame. That means the system can be operated without a fan or electricity.

The result is more heat, better efficiency, and ultra-low emissions compared to traditional stoves. Compare these numbers:

* Omni-Test Labs, USA

These low emissions generally exempt xeoos stoves from the limits set in smoke control areas, as they fall well below any government limit.

The Next Generation xeoos: Just Add Water

In 2012, Specht introduced the xeoos  aqua, which uses the same double chamber technology to heat water for home heating and household use. The aqua is equipped with a heat exchanger that works like a car radiator, circulating water through the wood-heated chambers. Users can vary the stove’s temperature control from 0 to 100° C, and it can be connected directly to the existing heating system with minimal installation costs.

xeoos aqua features ultra-efficient heat exchangers

Sweeping the Competition

Specht is a market leader and is likely to stay that way.

• The xeoos meets current emission standards and is sure to meet any set by future legislation.
• The xeoos unique design is patented, and not likely to be replicated by competition.
• This year, CEO Bodo Specht says his company expects to double xeoos sales.
• Specht has received multiple regional, national, and international awards including the Home Building & Renovating  Product Excellence Awards 2011 (UK) and the Energy Award 2012 (Germany).

PTC Creo 2.0 Behind the Design

If you’ve looked at the videos and photos, you know the xeoos isn’t just practical, it’s also beautiful.  The product’s modernist design is possible due to the talents of Frank Werner and team at Specht. Werner, technical manager at the company, is responsible for the design and development of the new xeoos aqua. But he also credits PTC Creo 2.0 for the product’s success.

“We used PTC Creo 2.0 and its sheet metal design capabilities to create the new stove, casing, and duct work,” he says.

“We were working with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 2.0, and it’s been very easy to move  to PTC Creo,“ says Werner.  “We just use the search function to help map the Pro/ENGINEER commands to PTC Creo.”

He says that because PTC Creo is fluid and intuitive, it’s improved the overall speed of design for the company.

And while Werner is spreading the love, he also credits PTC partner INNEO and that company’s efforts to  tailor training, installation, configuration, and the software to Specht’s exact needs. “We’ve also found the hotline service at INNEO is excellent,” says Werner. “I get through in no time, and each issue is resolved quickly.”

Watch Bodo Specht and Frank Werner talk more about their company, products, and how PTC Creo supports them. (Note, video in German only. However, use the closed captioning[CC] and indicate that you want translation to your language to better follow the video.)