• The technology
    of electric heating

Mission: innovating with electrothermal technologies

Competence and enthusiasm at the service of those who want to revolutionize the way they heat.
In transformation processes, from heating metal to cooking food, it is usually necessary to provide heat to the object being transformed.
At InovaLab we support companies in improving these processes through the introduction of innovative electrothermal technologies.

LEP Electrothermal Laboratory

InovaLab is a spin-off of the Electrothermal Laboratory of the University of Padua (LEP).
The LEP was founded in 1969 by Prof. Ciro Di Pieri, pioneer of electrothermal technologies and founder of Siatem, the first Italian company producing induction heating systems.
The LEP, in addition to experimentation in basic research, has always been involved in applied research in collaboration with industrial production companies.
Today, the LEP is recognized as one of the most important electrothermics research laboratories in the world.

University in our DNA

InovaLab, a spin-off of the University of Padua, is a company largely owned by researchers and university professors, founded to provide the transfer of technologies and know-how.
We work methodically, combining scientific research with the ability to meet the needs of customers with the timing and flexibility of a private company.

ELECTROTHERMAL TECHNOLOGIES

Induction heating

The interaction of a low-frequency electromagnetic field with a conductive material that heats metals in hardening and other industrial processes.

Infrared heating

The remote heat transfer from a high-temperature electric resistance heating element that cooks food in infrared ovens.

Dielectric heating (Radio frequency)

The interaction of a radio frequency electromagnetic field with a non-conducting material that dries wood in desiccation processes.

Microwave heating

The interaction of a high-frequency electromagnetic field with dipolar materials that heats water molecules in a microwave oven.

Cold plasma technology

Plasma is a gas formed by ionized particles that activates the surface of the treated materials and modifies their characteristics.

INOVALAB Activities

INTERNAL ACTIVITIES

Development of new innovative methodologies, implementation of patents, R&D

TRAINING

Ad hoc courses for the client, organization of conferences and seminars.

ACTIVITIES FOR CUSTOMERS

Product development, process improvement, feasibility studies, patent evaluation, prototyping and small-scale production of machines.

OUR HISTORY

2004

InovaLab was one of the first spin-offs of the University of Padua, founded by Michele Forzan and Fabrizio Dughiero, researchers of the Department of Electrical Engineering with extensive experience in the field of electrothermal processes.

2008

InovaLab became a partner of the SAET Group of Turin, one of the main producers of induction heating systems.

2014

The SAET Group is acquired by AJAX TOCCO, a company of the American industrial group PARK OHIO.

2016

With the entry of the company EFH InovaLab returns to being a completely Italian company.

Different skills, one team

We develop state-of-the-art solutions for heating processes. We do it well because:
We are the children of the LEP: a laboratory that has almost 50 years of experience and is universally recognized as a center of excellence in the field of electrothermal research.
We are a team of engineers with multidisciplinary skills: from electrical sciences to metallurgy, plasma physics, heat transfer, computer science and data science.

Fabrizio Dughiero

Business Development. Founding member of InovaLab. Tenured Professor of Electrotechnics and vice-rector of Technology Transfer at the University of Padua.

Michele Forzan

Administrator and Head of Numerical Simulations. Founding member of InovaLab. Researcher of Electrotechnics at the University of Padua.

Marcello Zerbetto

Partner, Chief Executive Officer and Organizational Manager. PhD in Electrotechnical Engineering.