Exclusive interview with Heyuan Group: The world's first Alkaid light heating technology, leading the innovation of heating without burning technology and reshaping user experience

Exclusive interview with Heyuan Group: The world's first Alkaid light heating technology, leading the innovation of heating without burning technology and reshaping user experience

 

At the just concluded InterTabac in Dortmund, Germany, the well-known domestic electronic atomization company "Heyuan Group" won the "Best HNB Innovation Award" of the 2024 Alternative Awards with its latest light heating technology, Alkaid. This innovative technology will bring innovation to the field of "heating without burning (HNB)". 2Firsts exclusively interviewed Dr. Zhu Bin, the technical director of Alkaid of Heyuan Group, to discuss the development process and future prospects of this disruptive technology.

 

As the tobacco industry enters the exploration stage of harm reduction products, heat-not-burn technology (hereinafter referred to as HNB) has gradually become an ideal alternative for long-term smokers due to its similar taste and experience to traditional cigarettes. According to the forecast of IMARC Group, by 2032, the HNB market size will reach US$162.8 billion, with an average annual compound growth rate of 24.44%. At present, the global HNB market is dominated by a few multinational tobacco companies, among which Philip Morris International has occupied 71.4% of the market share with its patented technology.

 

Despite the dominance of giants, innovation has never stopped. At the just concluded InterTabac in Dortmund, Germany, the well-known domestic electronic atomization company "Heyuan Group" won the "Best HNB Innovation Award" of the 2024 Alternative Awards with its latest light heating technology, Alkaid. This innovative technology will bring innovation to the field of "heating without burning (HNB)". 2Firsts exclusively interviewed Dr. Zhu Bin, the technical director of Alkaid of Heyuan Group, to discuss the development process and future prospects of this disruptive technology.

 

Focusing on user pain points, Alkaid light heating technology provides a new solution

 

Alkaid light heating technology is a disruptive innovation technology of Heyuan Group in the field of heating without burning. Its core goal is to solve the many pain points that users currently encounter when using HNB products. Through light wave heating, Alkaid technology can not only quickly produce smoke, but also provide a purer taste experience in a short time, while reducing the frequency of cleaning and maintenance. The breakthrough advantage of this technology lies in its ultra-high-speed heating and full-band uniform heating characteristics.

 

"Convenience and durability are two core advantages of Alkaid technology," Dr. Zhu Bin told 2Firsts. "Traditional HNB devices mostly require 10 to 30 seconds of preheating time. Alkaid technology can complete preheating and smoke production in as short as 5 seconds, which shortens the waiting time by up to 75% compared with traditional HNB devices. It greatly improves user convenience, reduces user waiting anxiety, and makes the user's smoking experience closer to lighting a cigarette." At the same time, the non-contact heating principle adopted by Alkaid's optical heating technology can avoid direct contact between cigarettes and heating elements, reduce tobacco residues and tar accumulation, make the equipment less need for frequent cleaning, and extend its service life.

Dr. Zhu Bin, Alkaid technical leader, is introducing Alkaid light heating technology | Source: Heyuan Group

 

Heyuan Group's internal tests show that the equipment supporting Alkaid technology can still maintain almost the same flavor performance as the new machine even after smoking 5,000 cigarettes, and the life of the heating element exceeds 10,000 times.

In addition to convenience and durability, the improvement in taste is also another highlight of Alkaid light heating technology. It uses full-band continuous spectrum light waves to activate nicotine and flavor substances in tobacco and comprehensively improve tobacco reduction. "We have tested the same cigarette. Compared with traditional heating, light heating can increase the nicotine content in the aerosol by more than 40%. In our test, the TPM (smoke volume) also increased by more than 20%. Compared with traditional heating methods, Alkaid significantly enhances the satisfaction of smoking," said Dr. Zhu Bin.

To demonstrate the advantages of Alkaid light heating technology more clearly, the following is a comparison with traditional HNB heating technology:

	Traditional heating technology	Alkaid Light Heating Technology
Warm-up time	Please wait for about 10-30 seconds	Minimum 5 seconds, shortened by 75%
Ease of use	Prone to produce tar and tobacco residue, requiring high cleaning frequency	Non-contact, less likely to produce tobacco residue, no need to clean
life	Relatively short and easily damaged	After continuous smoking for 5,000 times, the smoking flavor of the device is basically the same as that of a new machine
Satisfaction and restoration	Low nicotine and tobacco particulate matter (TPM) release efficiency	Nicotine release efficiency increased by more than 40%, TPM (smoke volume) release efficiency increased by more than 20%
patent	Patented technologies are basically monopolized by a few large multinational tobacco companies	With complete independent intellectual property rights, we can provide customers with patented and safe products

Comparison chart of traditional heating technology and Alkaid light heating technology | Chart by: 2Firsts

 

Dr. Zhu Bin concluded that the research and development of Heyuan Group has always been centered around user needs. "Through continuous testing and improvement, we have finally brought Alkaid technology to a new level in user experience."

 

From inspiration to technological breakthrough: the birth of Alkaid

 

The birth of Alkaid's light heating technology originated from a very creative brainstorming meeting four years ago. In that discussion, the R&D team of Heyuan Group focused on a problem that has long troubled HNB users - the current heating technology has a slow heat transfer speed and uneven heating, resulting in a poor experience.

 

At the meeting, an expert from the field of solar thermal energy proposed a refreshing idea: Why not learn from the principle of solar collectors and use the high speed and strong penetration of light to heat tobacco evenly like sunlight? This inspiration laid the foundation for Alkaid's light heating technology.

Products using Alkaid light heating technology｜Source: Heyuan Group

 

"Our original idea was to design a structure similar to a collector to concentrate energy and achieve uniform heating through the strong penetration of short-wave light. At the same time, the collector can also collect energy and maintain temperature." Dr. Zhu Bin recalled. This idea was quickly recognized during the discussion, and the R&D team immediately launched forward-looking research on light heating technology.

In the following experiments and tests, the team gradually realized that light heating technology can not only significantly improve heat transfer efficiency, but also show great potential in reducing the release of harmful substances. Once the technology matures, light heating will bring revolutionary progress to heat-not-burn products. This awareness drove the team to continuously break through technical barriers, eventually forming today's Alkaid light heating technology.

Dr. Zhu Bin further added, "We later discovered that the energy intensity given to cigarettes by Alkaid technology is about 1,000 times that of sunlight on the ground. It can complete heating in a very short time, bringing an unprecedented smoking experience." This kind of light-speed heating The effect not only meets users' needs for quick response, but also improves the reduction and flavor of tobacco, truly realizing the perfect combination of technology and user needs.

Form an interdisciplinary team and sharpen your sword in four years

Behind the structural optimization is more than four years of efforts by Heyuan Group's interdisciplinary R&D team. Dr. Zhu Bin said that at the beginning of the research and development, Heyuan attached great importance to the Alkaid light heating technology project internally, and increased investment in basic research, prototype development and subsequent testing stages year by year.

Two Firsts learned that for the smooth advancement of the Alkaid project, Heyuan Group has formed an interdisciplinary team of more than 100 people, including material scientists, optical engineers, tobacco industry experts, structural engineers, electronic engineers, etc. The team covers complete capabilities from theoretical research to technical implementation.

This group of elite soldiers also encountered many challenges and problems during the cooperative research and development process, but they always found a solution in the end. In order to ensure the uniformity of heating and the overall thermal management of the appliance, the team introduced advanced simulation software to optimize the design of components and optical paths; after repeated experiments, the material of the heating components was improved to optimize its lifespan and stability; a strict testing process was established to ensure that the samples Meets durability and safety standards even under extreme conditions.

Interdisciplinary team of Heyuan Group | Source: Heyuan Group

 

"From concept investment to laboratory prototype, and then to prototype iteration, we have invested more than four years to perfect Alkaid technology. During the research and development process, we conducted thousands of experiments to optimize heating efficiency and performance. As a disruptive innovation technology in the industry, it has completely changed the traditional way of heat conduction." Dr. Zhu Bin recalled his investment in Alkaid over the past four years and said with emotion.

 

Behind Alkaid technology is Heyuan Group's research and development concept that always takes user needs as the core driving force. It is this concept that has promoted the continuous optimization of user experience. Dr. Zhu Bin summarized this process into four key steps: first, through a lot of communication and research, we have a deep understanding of the actual needs of consumers; then, we set clear technical indicators for each core pain point; then, we repeatedly test, modify the design and test again in the research and development cycle; finally, we invite users to experience specific functional modules in person, and use their satisfaction as the final acceptance criteria.

First-Yuan Group won the Best HNB Innovation Award at the 2024 InterTabac Alternative Awards | Source: First-Yuan Group

 

It is worth mentioning that First-Yuan Group has been exploring HNB technology since 2012. In 2013, it cooperated with customers to release the first HNB product. In 2019, it released electromagnetic heating technology, and from 2021 to 2022, it launched infrared heating products. The HNB products developed by First-Yuan Group in cooperation with customers have been launched and sold well in many countries and regions around the world.

Driving light to enlighten the future, breaking the pattern is just around the corner

 

In the new tobacco industry, safety and compliance have always been important issues that have attracted much attention. First-Yuan Group also regards it as one of the core principles for the development of Alkaid technology. 2Firsts learned that the shell of Alkaid's heating element is made of non-toxic and harmless SiO2 glass material, which not only eliminates the toxicological risks that may be brought about by traditional heating methods, but also effectively stimulates tobacco flavor substances through full-band radiation, further reducing the release of harmful substances. According to the test results of smoke components, the release of harmful substances by Alkaid technology has decreased by about 20% compared with traditional heating methods.

 

In terms of compliance, Dr. Zhu Bin revealed that First-Class Group has applied for patent protection for Alkaid's light heating technology in multiple dimensions, from the selection of heating element materials, structural optimization to temperature measurement and control, striving to create a solid technical moat. At the same time, First-Class Group has also actively participated in the formulation of industry norms and established a strict quality management system to ensure that every step complies with relevant regulations and standards. Dr. Zhu Bin expressed confidence, "We believe that Alkaid's light heating technology will break the existing competitive landscape in the heat-not-burn industry in the near future." As the theme of this press conference expressed, "Controlling light reveals the direction, and the future is just one step away."

Dr. Zhu Bin, technical director of Alkaid, introduces Alkaid light heating technology | Source: Heyuan Group

 

On the road of exploring innovation, Heyuan Group's Alkaid light heating technology not only illuminates the new era of HNB products, but also represents mankind's continued pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. This breakthrough technological light is gradually dispelling the health haze brought about by traditional smoking methods, bringing unprecedented changes to the sustainable development of the entire industry.