Chinese manufacturer LIB Industry reports continued deployment of environmental test chambers using ultra-low GWP refrigerants in European laboratories, one year after the EU's Global Warming Potential (GWP) regulation (EU 2024/537) came into effect.
The regulation, which restricts refrigerant GWP to 150 for industrial equipment sold in the EU, has shifted market demand toward fully compliant systems. LIB Industry states it began redesigning its temperature and humidity chambers and thermal cycling chambers at the system level prior to the regulation’s implementation. These chambers are now operating at multiple testing facilities in Europe.
Instead of retrofitting existing models with alternative refrigerants, LIB Industry developed new systems using ultra-low GWP refrigerant blends combined with optimized cascade refrigeration architectures. According to the company, these systems deliver stable performance at temperatures as low as –70°C, with reduced energy consumption based on internal operational data.
"Low-GWP compliance requires a system-wide engineering approach," the company stated. "After one year of field operation, European customers are increasingly focused on lifecycle efficiency, upgrade flexibility, and long-term regulatory alignment."
LIB Industry reports ongoing demand for both newly designed low-GWP chambers and retrofit options to replace high-GWP equipment. The company has expanded its engineering platform to support customized and non-standard chamber configurations while meeting EU compliance thresholds.
The company's environmental simulation product line includes temperature and humidity chambers, IP dust and rain test chambers, UV weathering chambers, gas test chambers, and salt spray chambers, offered in standard and custom formats.