Fluid Power World December 2017

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Integrating IoT with fluid power p. 48

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Robots and fluid power At first blush, the industrial robotics market doesn’t appear to be a place for fluid power. Walk through an industrial trade show, and you’ll see a multitude of Delta, SCARA, Cartesian and other types of robots busy demonstrating their skills. And each of them is run by electric drives— certainly not hydraulics or pneumatics.

But a closer look will show that fluid power technology is making inroads. Pneumatic grippers and vacuum cups are becoming more commonplace as end-of-arm tooling options. Soft robotics, which often use compressed air to grab or move, is becoming a whole new industry segment. And a story last year about an MIT lab that had 3D printed a single piece hydraulic robot garnered a lot of attention across the globe.

I’ve been at several conference and meetings over the past year where fluid power manufacturers have stressed that they see opportunity in the growing field of robotics, and they don’t want to let the chance slip by.

Our sister publication, Design World, has long covered robotics technology. But we’ve seen this industry explode in importance, and I’m happy to tell you a little about how we’re expanding our coverage in the New Year.

Several months back, our parent company purchased The Robot Report (robotreport.com), a well-respected online portal that covers a little bit of everything in this space: AI, industrial robots, service robots, vision and sensing, drones and autonomous vehicles—even startups and funding.

The Robot Report also features a fascinating interactive global map tied to a comprehensive database of public and private companies in the robotics field.

What’s more, we’re very excited about an event launch tied into this acquisition. The inaugural Robotics Summit & Showcase will be held May 23-24, 2018 at the Westin Boston Waterfront. This dynamic event will include presentations on cutting-edge, proven robotic applications and techniques, and will give you the opportunity to network with the brightest entrepreneurs, top engineering minds, and major investors as they implement robotics solutions across multiple sectors. Conference tracks will focus on automation, drones, healthcare/surgical, service, autonomous technology, industrial, logistics/warehousing, and AI. Details are at roboticssummit.com. I hope to see you there in May, as we investigate some new opportunities for fluid power.

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December 2017 C ontents |

vol 4 no 8

|

fluidpowerworld.com

MOBILE HYDRAULICS

Hydraulic seals battle extreme cold

|

2017

PNEUMATICS Pneumatic cylinders: built for the long haul

34 40

In terms of reliability, cleanliness,safety and cost, air cylinders are tough to beat.

INDUSTRIAL IoT

Integrating IoT with fluid power

The Internet of Things has been touted for years, but how will it mesh with hydraulics and pneumatics?

HYDRAULIC PUMPS A primer on pumps

A hydraulic pump is the device that converts mechanical energy into hydraulic energy, which is a combination of pressure and flow.

48

24 D E PA R T M E N T S

02 Editorial 08 Korane’s Outlook

52

10 Association Watch 12 Design Notes 22 Energy Efficiency 24 Fundamentals 26 Training 30 Safety 56 Products

62 Component Focus 64 Ad Index

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F E AT U R E S

Low-temperature chemistry and innovative designs prevent weeps and leaks.

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Ko ra n e ’s O u t L o o k Ken Korane • Contributing Editor

Automation will spur fluid-power job growth A new report making headlines says that as many as 800 million workers, worldwide, will lose their jobs by 2030 as a consequence of rapid advances in automation. One envisions food lines, homelessness, rioting and government upheaval. But a closer read shows while many low-skill jobs might disappear, around the same number of desirable, higher-paying positions will be created to maintain full employment. If predictions are true, that bodes well for the fluid-power community.

The report “Jobs lost, jobs gained: Workforce transitions in a time of automation” from McKinsey Global Institute, reveals significant potential employment shifts in the years ahead. Not surprising, the news isn’t good for low-skill workers. While few occupations—less than 5%— can be fully automated, advances like self-driving trucks and robots that flip burgers may put repetitive manual labor in the crosshairs.

Less affected are professions that involve managing people, applying expertise and social interactions, where machines can’t yet match human performance. That includes engineers, technicians, IT professionals and educators. Jobs in unpredictable environments—such as mobile-hydraulic service technicians—will also generally see less automation by 2030.

The spread of technology will, in fact, spur economic growth and hiring. Rising incomes, especially in emerging economies, will push consumption of manufactured and packaged goods. Demand for new infrastructure and housing is significant. Investments in renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies are on the rise. And spending on new technologies like IoT could increase substantially by 2030. All that plays into the wheelhouse of fluid power’s educated and skilled workforce, and could boost employment for makers of everything from O-rings to packaging machines and hydraulic excavators.

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Fluid-power technology could help more workers move beyond manual labor. | Image courtesy of iStock

Nonetheless, transitions due to automation could be significant. Most occupations have at least some activities that could be automated, so large numbers of people may need to find a new pursuit or learn new skills. In general, educational requirements will be higher, and that implies a college degree or specialized training. Yet over the past few decades, spending on labor-force training has fallen in most developed countries, and the educational system has not fundamentally changed in 100 years.

It is now critical, said the authors, to reverse these trends, with governments making workforce transition and job creation urgent priorities.

Companies, too, must reevaluate their staffing and talent strategies. Many firms are finding it is in their self-interest, and a social responsibility, to train workers for a new world of work. And ultimately, individuals must prepare for a rapidly evolving future by gaining new expertise that is in demand.

The economic shift could be on a scale not seen since the transition of labor from agriculture to manufacturing in the early 1900s in the U.S. and, more recently in China, said the authors.

Countries that fail to manage this transition could see rising unemployment, depressed wages and a lower standard of living.

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Mike Santora • Associate Editor

ASSOCIATION WATCH

NFPA Association Watch The NFPA has released its 2016 Annual Report on the United States Fluid Power Industry. The report shows the industry globally competitive with other technologies and it is expected to grow in the next few years.

Recap An estimated 862 companies in the U.S. employ more than 67,149 people in the manufacturing of fluid power components, representing an annual payroll of more than $4.3 billion. Additionally, fluid power has a significant downstream economic impact. Ten key industries that depend on fluid power are estimated to represent more than 23,200 companies in the U.S., employing more than 778,056 people with an annual payroll of about $49.5 billion.

Fluid power, and the industries it serves, depend on a highly-educated workforce. Investments are being made in new fluid power education and training resources and more 2-year and 4-year colleges are teaching fluid power.

What’s next?

The NFPA’s Technology Roadmap for the fluid power industry highlights the research challenges the industry is addressing for the technology to continue meeting customer demands. Objectives like increased productivity, increased up-time, and lower total cost and life cycle costs are just a few customer priorities. These are linked directly to future research challenges.

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Research challenges are the broad areas of attention that must be addressed if fluid power is to meet or better meet the customer needs described by the drivers. Here are some of the top challenges: • Increasing the energy efficiency of fluid power components and systems • Improving the reliability of fluid power components and systems (e.g., increasing up-time, reducing maintenance requirements, making fluid power safe and easy to use) • Building “smart” fluid power components and systems (i.e., ones that perform self-diagnostics and troubleshooting and that integrate easily with plug-and-play functionality) • Reducing the environmental impact of fluid power components and systems (e.g., lowering noise, eliminating leaks) • Improving and applying the energy storage capabilities of fluid power components and systems FPW

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DESIGN NOTES

Ken Korane • Contributing Editor

Hydraulic cylinders crush bridges

Researchers at the Technical University (TU) of Munich have developed a new test stand for examining the behavior

r concrete h test stand fo

TU Munic bridge beams

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of concrete bridge beams. To better calculate the load-carrying capacity of these beams in future constructions, six hydraulic cylinders from Liebherr Components, Nussbaumen, Switzerland, are used to press down with full force until the element breaks. The collected data helps in developing new, leaner constructions from ultra-high-performance concrete.

Best of all, it could also facilitate the rehabilitation of thousands of existing bridges.

Researchers from the Department of Solid Construction at TU Munich are gaining new insights into the loads, forces and reactions on bridges.

To provide a detailed calculation basis for the static behavior of preloaded bridge beams, the heavy constructions must first be tested to failure. This is no easy task for beams measuring 20-m and more in length.

www.fluidpowerworld.com

12/12/17 11:26 AM

“The mere handling of such concrete beams is complex, not to mention the costs. For this reason, in the past, testing was mostly carried out on reducedscale models with a cross-section height of 20 to 30 cm.

Very little testing is done on realistic section heights,” explained Nicholas Schramm, the research assistant responsible for the construction of the new test facility.

The team, led by Prof. Oliver Fischer, is pursuing a new approach based on what is called the “substructure principle.” Instead of using a complete concrete bridge beam, only the subsections in which the construction is prone to fail are examined, while maintaining the cross-section height. As a result, the dimensions of the test specimens can be reduced by approximately 75%. In

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DESIGN NOTES

For test benches, it is always

the case of a 20-m long bridge beam, this means a section measuring 5 m in length. This method makes manufacturing, transport, handling and disposal easier and, of course, greatly reduces the costs. The goal is to carry out as many tests as possible at a reasonable cost.

To provide the necessary forces, a special test bench is configured to handle a maximum cross-section height of 1.8 m and a width of 1.3 m. It permits a 3.3-MNm load force to be exerted for the maximum bending moment and 3.2 MN for the maximum shear force. Key components are six double-acting hydraulic cylinders, which provide a constantly increasing force.

“Each cylinder provides a maximum compressive force of up to 1.6 MN and a maximum traction force of 1.1 MN, making it particularly efficient for its size,” said Sven Weckwerth, sales manager for hydraulic cylinders at Liebherr. The company annually produces around 50,000 hydraulic cylinders, shock absorbers and hydraulic systems.

“For test benches, it is always about meeting individual demands, which requires specific application know-how. Other important factors in the cylinder design are the available installation space, the desired stroke and the requisite power,” he said.

Based on well-defined specifications supplied by TU Munich, Liebherr engineers developed tailor-made cylinders adapted to the specific application needs, based on the design of an existing cylinder, said Weckwerth. The cylinders have a 260-mm bore, 140mm rod diameter, and nominal operating pressure of 250 bar.

Three research projects investigating the shear-load resistance of prestressed bridge beams are currently taking place at the university. One goal is to obtain greater insight into the design of novel beams made out of ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete.

There is also an acute need to refine the measurement approaches based on design calculations of existing bridges. “For many older bridges from the ’60s and ’70s, we need to adapt the underlying calculation methods and models,” said Schramm.

Liebherr servo-hydraulically “Designed for the traffic and loads of the day, today they no longer correspond to the increased controlled cylinders. requirements. We also know, however, that the static calculations in the ’60s were made using simplified

about meeting individual

demands, which requires

specific application know-how.

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approaches, meaning that often there is a lot in reserve, so that the bridges are capable of withstanding far more.”

In many cases, a considerably higher reliable load level can be confirmed through detailed and well-founded retrospective calculation, thereby avoiding expensive demolition and rebuilding, or the costly restoration of the structure, he explained. For this, however, additional realistic data from component testing is necessary. The savings potential is enormous: the federal highways in Germany alone have around 39,000 bridges, representing investment assets of around €45 billion. A large proportion of them are more than 50 years old.

Therefore, at TU Munich, older bridge sections will be replicated and tested in the new test stand. Current tests require shear forces to around 700 kN, corresponding to around 70 tons, and thereby the realistic load of the largest trucks. The sections are 3.5-m long, with a cross-section height of 80 cm, equating to a total beam length of 12-m. For this, four horizontal and two vertical hydraulic cylinders act with constantly increasing force on the test piece until the concrete beam ruptures.

The combination of all six servohydraulically controllable cylinders offers great flexibility. The variable control of the dual-action cylinders permits the concrete element to be tested both for bending and shear force, along two axes if required, and for torsion. Cyclic loading and fatigue testing are also possible.

“Our hydraulic cylinders are ideally suited to this, since they can provide constant and precisely adjustable force www.fluidpowerworld.com

FPW_DESIGN NOTES 12-17_Vs5 FINALK.indd 15

through to rupture,” said Weckwerth.

The test rig includes Liebherr-supplied position transducer systems and strain gages, as well as fiber-optic sensors that are otherwise predominantly used in the automobile industry. These enable the continuous measurement of strain and, therefore, provide data on load and deformation behavior.

Since May, prestressed concrete bridge beams have been examined weekly on the test stand at TU Munich.

The acquired data is giving researchers a better understanding of the realistic load-bearing behavior of the beams and improving future design calculations.

Sections with cross-section heights of 1.2 m are already being readied.

These beams would then have a regular length of around 20 m, which would mean considerable extra expense using traditional testing procedures. Tests are also being carried out on ultra-highperformance, fiber-reinforced concrete.

This is three to five times stronger than traditional concrete. Based on the test results, leaner constructions may be possible in the future.

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DESIGN NOTES

Servo-electric pump drive improves hydraulic presses A hydraulic pump directly coupled with a servomotor delivers highly dynamic performance, often with sizeable energy savings.

Machine-tool manufacturer Lasco Umformtechnik, based in Coburg, Germany, is taking advantage of such servo-electric pump drives in its latest solid and sheet-metal forming presses.

Lasco recently delivered a deepdrawing press supplying 800 tons of force at up to 40 strokes per minute, explained Harald Barnickel, head of the company’s electrical engineering department. At the core of the design is a Simotics 1PH8 servomotor from Siemens, which directly drives a hydraulic pump. Overall control is by a Sinamics S120 drive platform, and a Simotion D445 motion controller handles the complete path, velocity and position control of the axes. The system can rapidly synchronize up to 256 axes and execute precise axis motion and curve profiles, with a response time of just 250 µsec.

“Initial applications have demonstrated that this type of servo technology provides outstanding results,” said Barnickel, and this applies to Lasco’s servo-electric pump cont rol closed-loop control for presses uses significantly less performance, energy energy than conventional valve efficiency and overall project success. control systems.

The challenge on the deep drawing press was to control force and

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DESIGN NOTES

speed, based on motion profiles set for specific applications.

Hydraulic force and, thus, the press force are adjusted via servomotor torque. The motors turn fixed-displacement axialpiston pumps, and motor speed determines the volumetric flow rate and, ultimately, plunger speed.

Four such pump systems connect simultaneously to supply a maximum pressure of 250 bar to the press plunger; three additional pump systems handle the return stroke. “The possibility of scaling, in other words adapting this kind of standard servo solution to the actual requirements, is another advantage of this new technology that certainly cannot be underestimated,” noted Barnickel.

The hydraulic reservoir on the press holds about 2,377 gal (9,000 l). With a flow rate of 16,000 l/min, filling valves control high-speed downward motion of the plunger. Servo pumps supply the required flow for actual pressing operation at speeds to 100 mm/sec. In the past, high-precision control valves with zero overlap were necessary to maintain the precise traversing profiles. Now, the motion control system and servo pumps handle this function, reducing the number of valves by about 40%. The remaining valves are mainly needed to comply with machine safety specifications.

The new set-up eliminates expensive, traditional valve systems and markedly improves energy efficiency, said Barnickel.

“In the past, large cooling systems for the hydraulic oil had to be installed. But now, with servo technology, significantly smaller units can be used.” One reason is that the oil is no longer forced through the narrow gaps at control edges of the valves, which eliminates flow-related losses. The press manufacturer is seeing efficiency improvements well into the double-digit range depending on the application, significantly reducing users’ electricity costs, compared to older machines.

Another advantage is that energy can actually be recovered when hydraulic fluid decompresses. This takes place after the pressing operation, and main cylinder pressure must be reduced from 250 bar down to approximately 10 bar before the filling valve to the tank can open. This operation takes approximately 100 msec. Due to hydraulic oil compressibility—approximately

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DESIGN NOTES

In the past, large cooling systems for the hydraulic oil had to be installed.

But now, with servo technology, significantly smaller units can be used.

18

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2.5% by volume—and a cylinder volume of approximately 800 liters, the “spring energy” in the oil flows through the axial-piston pump and drives the servomotor. This effect is amplified when relieving the press mechanical system.

In this regenerative operation, the corresponding electrical energy is fed to the dc link of the S120 drive during each cycle.

“However, in addition to the energy recovered, the other advantage is that there are no additional power losses in the form of heat, as would be the case with conventional concepts,” Barnickel explained.

Although the Siemens Simotion unit addresses motion-control tasks and can control the complete system, Lasco’s philosophy is to separate the various press tasks. Thus, it uses a fail-safe Simatic S7319 F 3PN/DP PLC from Siemens as the press-system control, which also allows all safety technology to be implemented without any major additional expense. Fail-safe signals are read via distributed

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This represents a simple yet complete solution, said Barnickel.

Finally, the new servo-electric pump drive for hydraulic presses also improves overall performance, stressed Barnickel. “In addition to the energy savings, its extremely precise controllability is far superior to that of a classic valve control,” he said. Any defined motion profile can be implemented using this concept.

The motion-control system has proven to be extremely valuable in certain steps of the pressing process. For instance, if the plunger moves to upper dead center, then the closed-loop position control in Simotion compensates for any leakage. “A far higher precision is achieved when using servo technology than when using pure valve technology,” Barnickel summarized. The new servo technology for large hydraulic presses has spurred significant interest among Lasco’s customers, he noted. And it is suitable for modernization and retrofit projects.

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DESIGN NOTES

Since the introduction of manifold software, the design and build process has gotten significantly easier. More 3D design tools are available than ever before. making it possible to build the initial design in 3D and removing the need to visualize a 2D design in 3D as part of the design process.

Simplifying manifold design with software Manifolds are unique to each machine they run, making designing and building the right manifold a complicated task.

Ask any manifold designer or distributor – there’s no such thing as building the right manifold on the first try.

Consider the design process. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) would approach a manifold designer, looking for a circuit that does X and a manifold that accomplishes Y. The designer begins to lay out the manifold, adding the valves and considering the options.

The first version of the manifold is sent, but while the initial design is being developed, the pressure on the machine has changed, and the designer goes back to adjust. Maybe 20

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the component layout changed, and now the manifold needs to be narrower than initially intended—but it can be taller. Another revision.

The final manifold comes through, but the hose won’t fit, and the port needs to be moved half an inch to the left. Back to the drawing board.

Inevitably, any design will require a few iterations—maybe one or two, maybe seven or eight.

As recently as 15 years ago, manifold design was completed entirely on 2D paper. The OEM would send the designer a schematic, and the designer would draw the manifold layout on the 2D paper.

That design would be built as a 3D model and tested for accuracy.

The leap from 2D to 3D is difficult to visualize, though, opening opportunities for error. When a manifold is designed by hand, errors

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or design changes are difficult, time consuming and expensive to correct. Each revision might take as long as a week to make. Multiply that by two or three—or eight—and consider what that might do to your project timeline.

Since the introduction of manifold software, the design and build process has gotten significantly easier. More 3D design tools are available than ever before, making it possible to build the initial design in 3D and removing the need to visualize a 2D design in 3D as part of the design process.

Today, software helps reduce the number of design iterations by improving communication with the customer. A designer can visit the customer, build the manifold, add the valves and show the options for size and spacing immediately.

If the OEM still wants to send the machine schematic, the designer can review and build the manifold in 3D,

email the file and get immediate feedback on any required changes.

The ability to design in 3D was a significant upgrade, but software has continued to improve. The latest circuit design software allows designers to export drawings in different formats.

Once the manifold is laid out and valves and ports are determined, the designer still needs to figure out how everything connects. New software tools give the process a head start by making it possible to export the initial drawings into the design process.

Certain manifold design software, including Eaton’s Circuit Design Software Studio, can be combined with Automation Studio, to simulate a hydraulic circuit. By opening the manifold design in Automation Studio, a virtual test can be completed and issues resolved before a physical prototype is even built.

Software improves communication, which reduces errors in manifold design. In the event an error or change still occurs, software still offers a significant improvement over older methods, greatly speeding the machine build process for OEMs, reducing delays and making planning and scheduling easier.

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ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Ron Marshall • For the Compressed Air Challenge

Compressed Air Fail: A poor dryer choice A grain sorting facility purchased a new, larger compressor to renew their compressed air system—as well as to prepare for future load additions. The previous compressor was a 50-hp size with a 200-cfm desiccant air dryer with dew point control. To prepare for future needs, a new 75-hp compressor was purchased with a new larger desiccant dryer.

Because the budget was tight at the time of purchase, the dew point dependent switching option was not chosen for the new dryer, nor were efficient airless condensate drains.

An auditor was called in to assess the compressed air system as part of the customer’s efficiency efforts. Instruments were placed on the air compressor and dryer to measure pressure, power and flow. Special testing was done to determine the purge flow of the dryer as part of normal testing.

Upon analysis, the auditor found that the 300-cfm air dryer was consuming a constant 80 cfm of purge—far higher than the rated 45 cfm flow—because the purge flow is not adjusted to the correct setting. And because this dryer had no purge-saving controls this excessive purge was being consumed constantly, even though the average plant load was only 20% of the rating of the air dryer. The air dryer was consuming most of the compressed air produced by the compressor.

Calculations found that retrofit of the air dryer and the use of airless drains could save 17% if applied to the existing compressor. Further to this, the use of a new VSD compressor could save 35% because the existing unit is running for significant periods of time in the unloaded condition.

In addition, this survey found that the compressed air is used in a heated building, therefore a desiccant dryer is not required. Readings also indicate that there was an excessive 20 psi pressure differential across the air dryer filters because they have never been changed. This pressure drop causes the air compressor to cycle excessively, greatly decreasing efficiency.

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In all, system reconfiguration has the potential to reduce the electrical operating costs by 66%. This facility has significant energy incentives available to help them purchase the required upgrades.

Learn more about air compressors and dryers in our next Compressed Air Challenge seminar in your area. Visit www.compressedairchallenge.org for more information.

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7

FUNDAMENTALS

Josh Cosford • Contributing Editor

7 tips to improve your hydraulic knowledge Nobody is born with innate knowledge of fluid power. It’s a tricky business, and is sometimes difficult to learn, especially if you don’t have an engineering background. The basics are clouded with misinformation, and even when you’re past the basics, there are infinite combinations of hydraulic components, requiring a deep understanding of not only each one, but also how they all work together. To help you improve your hydraulic knowledge, I offer you my 7 pro tips on improving your hydraulic knowledge:

7

Good Old Book Learnin’. Guess what, millennials? There’s this magical place called a library, where the knowledge of mankind existed before Google. There is one caveat, however; the information exists in books. You’ll have to scan the shelves in the 620 section for fluid power textbooks, providing you two distinct advantages. The first advantage is these textbooks are complete and comprehensive, providing more information than can be found in online blurbs or blogs, like this one. The second advantage is it’s free to check out a book from the library. Not even used books on Amazon can compete with that!

6

Working Under a Real Pro. I had the advantage of two great hydraulic mentors, both with their own specialities in both mobile and industrial hydraulics, respectively. They took the time to teach what they knew because I was eager and interested. A good mentor will not only impart their wisdom, but correct your missteps. Like any rookie, I made my share of mistakes, so having a true expert examine my schematics or check my math was invaluable.

5

Classroom Learning. Although not every single local college will offer a fluid power program, you probably won’t have to travel far to find one. They offer the advantage of traditional book learning, and offer the hands-on lab work that lets you get oily before you even have your first job interview. You can learn basic of hydraulic schematics one day, and then repair an accumulator the next. The schools in my area even offer them as part of night classes.

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4

Work on Your Math. Just like any engineering field, hydraulics can be heavy in math. The basics are an absolute must to calculate pump displacement or cylinder forces, but if you want to be an advanced designer of fluid power circuits and machinery, going a step further is required. The mechanics of designing lifting equipment, such as cranes, requires trigonometry. Motion control applications require differential calculus, and that is generally engineer-level stuff, but it’s where you want to be one day, isn’t it?

3

Work on Your Physics. Math helps your physics, and physics helps your hydraulics. There are fundamental principles of fluid power that require scientific intuition. The laws of thermodynamics help you understand that you can’t get something for nothing. The laws of motion help you understand you need more pressure, not more flow, if you want to accelerate a load more quickly.

2

Study Schematics for Fun. I’ve seen plenty of hydraulic schematics in my day. And plenty of those have left me stumped at first glance— “why is there a pressure compensator after each valve?” After much thought and input from the pros (see number 6), I came to discover it was a post-compensation circuit. Some engineers can be very creative of their use of hydraulic components, which is reflected in the schematic.

Pore over as many circuits as you can, and test yourself to see if you know what’s going on.

1

Understand that Flow Does Not Make It Go. This little annoyance has plagued our industry for decades. In this physical world, only force can make objects move. Force is what allows flow to occur. I can throw a gajillion gpm at a cylinder with 3 psi, and it will not budge.

Flow is merely the time component of power. If all else fails, remember Cosford’s Law: “Pressure makes it go; flow is the rate in which you can create pressure.”

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TRAINING

David Marlowe • Owner/CEO • DMAR Technical Training and DMAR Business Centers USA

Hydraulic symbology 101 Out of any topic under the patio-sized umbrella of fluid power, hydraulic symbology garners the most requests from those wishing to learn more about fluid power. Reading any schematic with more than three symbols can be daunting if your experience is limited. But it’s not impossible to learn. In fact, it only takes a basic level understanding of how symbols work and how they’re arranged in a diagram. One challenge—even if you’ve memorized every symbol in the library—is understanding why a particular symbol is used in a circuit; that part is hard to teach and just comes with experience.

This month, I will give you the basics, so you know how the standardized lines and shapes are drawn and structured to be universally interpreted. If you’re already familiar with schematics, please bear with the simplicity. In some cases, I’m also going to try to give examples of older symbols, since many plants have old machines with old schematics.

The basic elements of any schematic are the lines of various types. The most commonly used line is the solid, black style, which I call the Basic Line.

This is a multi-function line, and is used for all the common shapes (such as squares, circles and diamonds) in addition to representing fluid conductors, such as suction, pressure and return lines.

Another style of line commonly used is the dash-dot Boundary or Enclosure Line. This represents a grouping of hydraulic components as part of a compound component (such as a pilot operated directional valve, with both pilot and main stage valve together), a sub circuit (such as a safety circuit for a hydraulic press) or a stand-alone hydraulic manifold with cartridge valves.

Generally, the Boundary Enclosure is a four-sided polygon, using the dot-dash line, with various valve symbols contained within as representation of the actual hydraulic system.

The third most common line you will see is the simple dashed line. This is a dual function line, representing both pilot 26

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and drain lines. A pilot line in both representation and function uses hydraulic energy to signal or operate other valves.

Learning to comprehend pilot lines is key to understanding advance hydraulic schematics. As a drain line, the dashed line simply represents any component with leakage fluid needing a path represented in the drawing.

When lines in a schematic represent hoses, tubes or pipes on a machine, they are often required to cross or join with other conduits. In the case of joined hydraulic conduits, a dot or node is added to the joint on the drawing to show how they’re joined on the machine. A line that crosses on a drawing doesn’t necessarily have to cross on the machine, but clarification on the drawing is required to differentiate lines that cross from lines that join. Crossing lines used to be shown as a jump or bridge, but the current standard is now that they simply cross with no drama.

If we get slightly more advanced than your basic line, we have three other common shapes used in hydraulic schematics. These are the circle, square and diamond.

Probably 99% of hydraulic symbols use one of these three as a

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foundation. Pumps and motors of every kind are drawn using a circle, as are measuring instruments. Valves of every kind use the basic square as a start. Some are simply one square, such as pressure valves, but others use three joined squares, such as with a three-position valve. Diamonds are used to represent fluid conditioning devices, like filters and heat exchangers.

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A square is used mostly for valves of various kinds; pressure valves and directional valves are the most common use. A single square is used for every simplified pressure valve I can think of; relief valves, pressure reducing valves, counterbalance valves, sequence valves, etc. Every pressure valve, with the exception of the reducing valve, is what we call normally closed, which does not pass fluid in its neutral state. The valves must be open via direct or pilot pressure, which can occur anywhere within the limits of its spring setting.

If we break down the relief valve symbol, we can see a few more shapes not previously discussed. The first is the arrow. In most cases, arrows are not used—and we assume fluid can flow in either direction. In the case of our relief valve, fluid flows only one way through it, as we can see by the vertical, offset arrow. The second arrow of the relief valve is drawn diagonally, which signifies adjustability. In this case, the spring it’s overlaying means this relief valve has a spring with adjustable pressure settings.

Let’s assume the relief valve is set to 2,000 psi. You’ll have noticed the dashed line coming from the bottom of the symbol, rounding the corner and is attached to the left side. This dashed line indicates the valve is directly operated by the pressure at its inlet port, and that pilot fluid can affect the valve by pushing the arrow to the right. The actual valve has no arrow, of course, but as is the nature of hydraulic symbols, just represents a visual model of what occurs. As pressure in the pilot line approaches 2,000

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psi, the arrow is pushed until the valve reaches the centre, allowing fluid to pass, which in turn reduces pressure until upstream is 2,000 psi.

The pressure-reducing valve is the only normally open pressure valve in hydraulics. As you can see, it’s very similar to the relief valve, save two changes in the symbol. Firstly, the arrow shows it flows in its neutral position, whereas the relief valve is blocked. Secondly, it gets its pilot signal from downstream of the valve. When downstream pressure rises above the spring setting value, the valve closes, preventing incoming pressure from reaching the downstream path, which allows pressure to decay back to below the pressure setting.

Directional valves continue to use the square envelopes, as is seen by the 2/2 poppet valve and 4/3 solenoid valves shown. Each envelope—or square— represents one of the possible positions of the valve. The 2/2 poppet doesn’t specify how the valve shifts, but that it will block flow in one position, and allows flow in the other. The 4/3 valve shows that it blocks all flow in the middle (neutral) position.

It can then be shifted to the left or right envelope, essentially reverse the flow out the work ports. The spring symbols are located above each of the solenoid symbols, and this represents dual solenoids with spring centered function.

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Circles represent pumps and motors in 90% of the symbols used, and can also be used in check valves or pressure gauges. The triangular arrows represent the direction fluid takes; in the case of pumps, it faces outward, and with motors, it faces inward.

Motors are often bi-rotational, and will have a triangle at the bottom as well, permitting fluid to enter at either port. Some pumps can also be motors at the same time, and further still, can be bi-rotational, as is shown in the next symbol. The pressurecompensated, variable displacement pump symbol varies widely, and sometimes is just shown with an arrow inside the circle. This particular example is my favourite, and is somewhat simple, although they can get quite complex, showing individual symbols for various compensators, orifices and/or electro-proportional valves.

The last basic shape commonly used in hydraulic symbology is the diamond.

Diamonds represent conditioning devices, such as filters, heaters or coolers. You can imagine the dashed line bisecting the filter symbol acts to trap particles as they pass through. For the cooler, the two outward arrows represent the heat radiating from the cooler.

Finally, the heat exchanger shown is the liquid-toliquid type, showing the path of incoming and

outgoing fluid that removes heat from the system.

The basics of hydraulic symbology are quite easy, but I have only scratched the surface. There are many specialized symbols representing things like electronics, accumulators, various cylinders and ball valves, which I don’t have the room to show. Furthermore, each symbol I’ve shown represents a small portion of the modifications possible to each; there is probably a hundred or more ways to represent a hydraulic pump with a schematic symbol.

Finally, the way in which hydraulic symbols are combined to create a complete schematic representing an actual machine is endless. I recommend you spend time reading hydraulic schematics to interpret the symbols, whenever you have time. Not only will you discover unique symbols, but you’ll come across unique ways to use old symbols and components in a hydraulic circuit.

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SAFETY

Linda Caron • Parker Hannifin Corp.

Achieving required safety levels with pneumatic exhaust valves As more companies increase their focus on machine safety, design engineers need a firm understanding of the Machinery Directive and how to comply with required safety levels. Installing a pneumatic safety exhaust valve can be a simple and cost-effective way to accomplish this aim.

Understanding safety standards The goal of the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC is to protect people and the environment from accidents caused by all types of machinery. The EN 954-1 standard, previously used to support the directive, has now been superseded by EN ISO 13849-1 and-2 and EN 62061 standards. A significant revision with these standards is the approach taken to assess safety-related controls systems, especially with regard to modern electronic control circuits.

In essence, the new standard builds on existing categories of safety within EN 954-1 (B, 1, 2, 3, 4) and also adds a new procedure for risk assessment. Instead of categories this new standard of control, called a Performance Level (PL), is associated with a given safety function on a machine. Definitions for diagnostic coverage (DC) and common cause failures (CCF) are also incorporated into this calculation, as is component life (B10d). This ensures that safety is not just focused on component reliability, but also introduces commonsense safety principles such as redundancy, diversity, and fail-to-safe behavior.

High-level safety circuits must include redundancy and monitoring.

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Parker’s modular P33 safety valve combines with filtration and pressureregulation components, and a soft-start option.

Machinery Directive impacts pneumatics Because pneumatics is part of the Safety Related Parts of the Control System (SRP/CS), machine builders and end users should consider adding a safety exhaust valve into an air-preparation system. A safety exhaust valve lets the user safely and reliably shut off the pneumatic energy, stopping compressed-air flow to the machine and allowing downstream pressure to exhaust. For example, the safety function can activate when operators reach into hazardous areas or during an e-stop condition, as well as to meet the required performance level (PLr) determined by a risk assessment.

Some of the most important considerations when selecting a safety exhaust valve include: • Easy integration with electronic controls.

• Fast response time to exhaust.

• Minimal residual pressure when faulted.

• Long component life (B10d).

• Small footprint.

A prime example of a safety exhaust valve that meets these requirements is Parker’s new P33 valve. It is designed for external monitoring, incorporates series-parallel technology for high flows and fast exhausting response with minimal residual pressure in the fault condition, and has a long life with a B10d of 20,000,000 cycles.

It provides straightforward wiring options for most brands of controls, whether used with a safety relay, programmable safety relay or high-end safety PLC. LEDs indicate faults and diagnostics. The P33 valve is modular with Parker 0.75-in. air-entry filtration and pressure-regulation components, and an optional soft-start function does not increase the width of the product.

Series-parallel design The faster a machine can stop, the closer builders and users can install guards, light curtains and other presence-sensing devices. Valve “stickiness” is one of the biggest variable factors in stopping time, as related to the valve’s exhaust flow capability. Parker uses a patented series-parallel flow design that incorporates the best of both series and parallel arrangements to maximize safety.

The P33 valve has a series-parallel flow design to maximize safety.

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SAFETY

Parker’s P33T redundant safety exhaust valve features proven control-reliable technology with integrated soft start.

Essentially, the two valve elements are arranged such that air from inlet to outlet must pass through both valves in series (as illustrated in red in the graphic), but the flow path from outlet to exhaust is in parallel (shown in orange). Cross-flow technology ensures that both valve elements (redundant design) must shift to supply air downstream and, if either valve element is out of position with the other, downstream air will dump to exhaust in parallel. This arrangement permits higher exhaust flow capability and ensures low residual pressure during a fault, eliminating the danger of residual energy making its way into the machine.

External monitoring To achieve the highest level of diagnostic coverage, one must employ the best aspects of safety circuit architecture—redundancy (dualchannel circuits) and monitoring. Monitoring detects faults or failures in control systems, and checks for short-circuit faults. The monitoring portion of a safety system must check if both sides of the valve shift together every time—by monitoring the condition of pressureoperated sensors in the P33 valve. These sensors are hardwired into the controls and “monitored” by the external control system.

This is generally done with most safety relays and safety PLCs that can also perform pulse-test monitoring. These types of safety relays and safety PLCs make for reliable systems with high diagnostic coverage—especially, short-circuit faults in dual-channel systems.

The use of sophisticated controls and monitoring ensures sensors are not bypassed and the valve functions as intended. Because the P33 is a mechanical fail-safe device, monitoring could also be done via a standard PLC and still attain a rating as high as PL d.

A reset function is usually required to recover from a fault in the safety system. When a valve fault is detected (one pressure sensor not in the correct state), experts recommend incorporating a reset function. This prevents further operation, which could otherwise

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lead to a build-up of faults and a loss of the safety function.

Detection of any fault, though, must shut off the actuating signals to the valve, and they must remain off until a reset is performed. A risk assessment and available machine-specific safety standards should determine whether a dedicated, separate valve reset or an automatic valve reset is appropriate for the specific application.

Component life One characteristic of any safety component is statistical component life—B10d. When designing a safety system according to ISO 13849-1, each component in the system needs a B10d or a mean time to dangerous failure (MTTFd). Engineers use a B10d value, along with the number of operations (nop) to determine the MTTFd of the component for the application: MTTFd = B10d/nop.

Valves that use electromechanical components for monitoring are usually limited by the life of the monitoring components. Using solid-state electronic pressure sensors for monitoring greatly improves the B10d numbers as there are no mechanical wear components. Therefore, the P33 safety exhaust valve is given as 20,000,000 cycles for B10d.

Evaluating Performance Level The required Performance Level (PLr) should be determined by a risk assessment. Once a PLr is determined, application statistical component life (MTTFd), circuit architecture (Category), monitoring (DC), and consideration of commoncause failures (CCF) can be used to determine the system PL. The system PL must equal or exceed the required Performance Level. This is similar to working with Safety Integrity Levels (SIL).

(See the accompanying MTTFd chart for more details.)

For applications where the severity of injury and level of exposure are high, the percentage of diagnostic coverage of the monitoring system must be high as well. Depending on the safety relays or safety PLCs used to control command and monitoring, the system can achieve a high Performance Level, up to PL e and Safe Integrity Level to SIL 3.

If risk assessment demands a safety rating of PL c or higher for the pneumatic system, a dual-redundant safety exhaust valve is a simple-to-implement and cost-effective way to attain the required safety level. Parker’s P33 safe exhaust valve has been designed to fit well into both mid- and high-level safety circuits to ensure machines are properly protected.

Mean time to dangerous failure (MTTFd) helps determine the system Performance Level, which is similar to the Safety Integrity Level.

WHAT Connect with thousands of DO engineering YOU design THINK? professionals

FPW

online.

Parker Hannifin | www.parker.com/pneumatics

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HYDRAULIC SEALS

battle

EXTREME COLD

Construction machines equipped with the proper seals operate virtually leak free despite sub-zero temperatures.

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Equipment used in industries like

Low-temperature chemistry and innovative designs prevent weeps and leaks.

R YA N W E B S T E R • H A L L I T E S E A L S A M E R I C A S MARK HAGGERTY • HALLITE SEALS CANADA

construction, transportation, forestry, agriculture, mining and mineral extraction requires hydraulic seals fit for extreme temperatures. Whether due to subzero outdoor conditions or cold hydraulic fluid flowing through a cylinder, the appropriate sealing system is critical for operational success.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face an increasing demand for the highest-integrity hydraulic seals, in order to meet the needs of machines that push performance limits at low temperatures. Therefore, choosing the right seal for bitterly cold situations requires careful, thorough evaluation of some fundamental design and material aspects of the sealing solution.

Real-world examples demonstrating how certain seals perform when braving arctic-like environments should also be included in the hydraulic-seal evaluation mix. We will review several cases where equipment makers have overcome major challenges associated with finding seals designed and fit for the cold.

Design considerations Material compatibility is a distinguishing mark of seals designed for cold environments. Some low-temperature hydraulic fluids are not compatible with common elastomers, such as NBR low-temperature, resulting in leakage. The best approach to choosing the most appropriate material begins with a

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Material compatibility is a distinguishing mark of seals designed for cold environments. The best approach is to choose a sealing material that maintains pliability at low temperatures.

S

sealing material that maintains pliability in low temperatures.

Understanding the Glass Transition temperature (Tg) is critical.

Some of the better-performing urethanes that are tailored for high-temperature performance have a Tg that is too high for many low-temperature applications. As temperatures ramp downward, the pliability of a seal is reduced along with its ability to deform and prevent leaks.

If the Tg is known, the approximate last useful temperature the seal can be relied upon to perform properly is around 15° F toward the positive. For example, material with a Tg of -60° F would have a lowest useful sealability around -45° F. This general method can help determine whether a seal is suited for use in a low-temperature environment. However, from a more-scientific, laboratory perspective, Tg is determined by using standard test methods for polymers—dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The DMA is used to measure and compare modulus versus temperature.

Material advances Polyurethane is a thermoplastic elastomer capable of tremendous impact and wear resistance. Polyurethanes are unique in that they combine the strength of rigid plastics with the flexibility and elasticity of rubber. Polyurethane comes in many different chemistries, some of which are better at retaining elasticity and strength over the complete range of hardness. This particular aspect is critical when addressing an extremely cold environment. Certain polyurethane chemistries, such as PPDI (para-phenylene diisocyanate) and TODI (Tolidine diisocyanate), often have higher Tgs that prevent them from achieving robust low-temperature performance.

In contrast, seals produced with polyurethane materials like those found in several of Hallite’s Hythane range of performance urethanes have the lowest Tg on the market and, thus, yield much greater low-temperature performance. Hythane EUpolyether urethanes (181, 221 and 371) are unique in their ability to withstand the cold. Specifically, the polyurethane materials remain flexible as temperatures drop, and are indispensable when addressing low-temp applications.

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It is also possible for assemblies made of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to be applied to more challenging applications. PTFE, the most chemical-resistant thermoplastic polymer available, offers low friction, high-speed capacity and broad temperature resistance not found in most composite materials.

Fillers such as glass, bronze, carbon, and mineral can be used to provide an even wider range of performance characteristics. When paired with appropriate elastomers and/or metal loaders, Armorlene PTFE can be used to great effect in a multitude of environments such as: extremely low temperature; high speed (up to 15 m/sec or 50 ft/sec); low friction/breakaway; high longevity and wear; broad fluid compatibility; and high-pressure capabilities up to 600 bar (8,700 psi).

Experiences from the field When equipment is left parked in extremely cold weather, it is not uncommon to find cylinders weeping fluid at the rod gland. For proper function of a typical hydraulic system, the circuit must be sufficiently warmed to allow hydraulic fluids to flow properly. When the system is turned off it is impacted by the cold, thus seals manufactured with materials or geometries without the flexibility to provide effective sealing force will leak oil from the cylinder.

This was the case with a major excavator manufacturer in Asia. At the manufacturer’s request, the metric tooling range of the Hallite 621 high-pressure rod seal was expanded and used to replace a failing OEM seal where drips and puddles of hydraulic oil were often found under new or recently-purchased machines. The expanded rodsealing solution addressed the manufacturer’s need for a durable product, reducing warranty claims and increasing customer satisfaction. The 621 seal is produced in more than 70 European and Asian metric sizes from 30 to 215 mm. In addition, the imperial size range includes 75 sizes from 1.25 to 15.00 in.

A global road-equipment manufacturer also used the 621 seals to address cold-weather warranty issues. Extensive cold box testing at -40° F revealed exceptional performance of the 621 seal when compared with the existing product.

The test itself used cylinders filled with oil which were placed inside a cold chamber with a temperature set to -40° F. Pressure was then slowly applied to the cylinders in a manner that simulated low flow or a completely shut-down environment. The result was that the manufacturer’s current seal leaked significantly in every test.

Conversely, the 621 performed leak-free throughout the entirety of the test. In the end, the engineering team replaced the incumbent seal with the 621 sealing package, which virtually eliminated the manufacturer’s seal-related warranty claims.

Agriculture equipment manufacturers are not immune to cold weather-related challenges. Puddles of oil under equipment stored for the winter are common.

The Hallite T605 rod seal is molded in Hythane 181, and it has been applied in such cases to successfully solve leak issues. Its design features sealing lips trimmed asymmetrically to provide optimal dry sealing in light and medium-duty applications. However, the seal can be considered for use in heavy-duty applications when used with a suitable full-depth back-up ring or a reduction in the housing’s extrusion gaps.

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The Hallite 605 rod seal has a secondary lip interference in the seal housing groove. It is molded in Hythane 181 and successfully solves leak issues in cold-weather operations.

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Agriculture equipment such as seeders must have cold-weather sealing packages that prevent leaks when stored for the winter.

The 605 rod seal has a secondary lip that is precisely designed to have interference in the seal housing groove. The secondary sealing lip, located behind the primary sealing lip, improves stability of the seal in the gland. The inner dynamic lip is shorter and more robust, improving sealing and reaction time when compared to conventional, symmetrical U-rings. The 605 range covers most standard housings used in Europe, North America and Asia.

It is important to note, too, that the 605 seal is often used to reduce the variability of a leak analysis. It is inserted for the sole purpose of reducing the variables that may cause a leak in a system.

With its penchant for extreme sealing ability, this seal helps the user determine whether the issue is sealing related—or is caused by a bad surface finish, ovality or something more mechanical in nature.

As a case in point, many forklifts today are used in cold food storage facilities, where the machines are subject to a lifetime of extreme temperatures. These facilities are intolerant of leaks due to stringent standards regulating the production environment and, with it, the potentially grave consequences of product contamination.

A major forklift manufacturer needed help to eliminate an ongoing issue with residual oil leakage. The manufacturer was frustrated with what they described as wet rods forming drips or runs on their equipment in -10 to -20° F facilities. The OEM replaced the incumbent seal with the 605 and the issues were solved.

Tailgate lifts and other attachments to transportation trucks have their own challenges. The pumps and cylinders use low-weight oils to improve flow in the cold. Cylinders are often single-acting and require only a piston seal, bearing and wiper. Hallite designed the 659 piston seal specifically for these applications. The 659 features a secondary

sealing lip and Hythane 181 material. The unique design and material combine to offer leak-free performance.

The seal is available to directly interchange with common O-ring groove housings, aiding the designer when space is a challenge.

The protection offered by rod wipers should also be considered for complete cold-weather cylinder operation. Being directly exposed to the environment, the wiper must remain flexible but tough to seal out contaminants and moisture (dew and ice). There are several high-performance wiper options in the Hythane material suite, specifically the 181, 221, 591 and 371 materials. These profiles include snap-in styles such as 520, 521 and 831 all the way to the advanced Umbrella Wiper Technology found in the 820, 842, 844 and 846 profile ranges.

When addressing sealing demands for extremely cold environments, one must remember to thoroughly consider the design and materials needed for proper function. It is also vital to evaluate the seal’s current overall performance in the field. As industry requirements for more robust, dynamic sealing options for various cold conditions continue to evolve, it is crucial to follow the emergence and development of new and innovative test methods that assess seal performance— as this will play a vital role in the future.

FPW

Hallite | hallite.com

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der Cylin s. e e uk ail ilwa a seal f M from st or ders ure is lo n i l y s ing c pres lock if line l a c i even han Mec osition p hold

Pneumatic Cylinders: KEN KORANE • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

B U I LT F O R

THE LONG HAUL

In terms of reliability, cleanliness, safety and cost, air cylinders are tough to beat.

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Pneumatic cylinders and actuators are mainstays in countless industrial settings, performing wide-ranging motion control tasks. They let equipment press, pull, lift, clamp, eject, block and divert products in packaging, food and beverage, handling, metalworking, automotive and many other applications.

And despite the growing popularity of electromechanical actuators, air cylinders still offer important benefits that competing technologies can’t easily match. For one, they’re relatively simple devices. They use compressed air acting on a piston, diaphragm or bladder to move a load, and that equates to durability, www.fluidpowerworld.com

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2018

Fluid Power Technology Conference Presented by

Featured Keynotes

Program Highlights

F r o m b a s i c s t o a d v a n c e d f l u i d p o w e r, sessions will target the following:

Austin Ramirez, President and CEO of HUSCO International

Properly size a system Maintain control Prevent and control contamination Read schematics Troubleshooting Reliability Component selection and design And more!

Astrid Mozes, Vice President, Hydraulics Business - Power and Motion Controls Eaton

SAVE THE DATE MAY 14-16, 2018

HOST SPONSOR

Milwaukee School of Engineering’s Kern Center The program commences on May 14, 2018 for a Fluid Power Basics workshop www.fluidpowertechconference.com

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reliability and long operating life. Thanks, to robust construction and sealing, they’re quite immune to external contamination from dust, dirt, moisture and washdown fluids. Thus, they routinely run for years trouble-free over wide temperature ranges with little maintenance.

Because a pneumatic actuator operates on air, leaks don’t drip and contaminate surrounding areas, as in hydraulic cylinders. Further, air cylinders can operate without electricity, so there is no chance of spark generation. This makes them ideal for hazardous environments, such as in petrochemical plants. Finally, the initial cost of a pneumatic actuator is significantly less than an electric actuator.

TOMPKINS BIN LABELS Your world is disorganized enough without having to fret over your inventory. So, to help keep it organized, Tompkins provides bin labels for all of our hydraulic adapters and fittings. They are easy to print, convenient to use, and help keep your inventory easy to locate. Visit tompkinsind.com today and start seeing a world with labels. www.tompkinsind.com

Pneumatic cylinders come in numerous versions, including compact, mini and shortstroke designs; with round or square profiles; in light-duty “throwaway” units and rugged tie-rod constructions; and in rod-type as well as rodless designs.

The most popular styles consist of a piston and rod moving inside a closed cylinder. Here, force, stroke and speed are basic considerations in terms of design engineering. The theoretical force available in the actuator is the piston surface area multiplied by the supplied air pressure. To that, add a margin of safety to compensate for internal friction and possible pressure losses in the system.

The required travel of the machine element driven by the actuator determines stroke length. However, it goes without saying that cylinder stroke should be no more than required. Longer-thanneeded cylinders cost more, waste energy and space, and add to cycle time.

Speed relates to flow considerations and air consumption.

Engineers must consider the forces required to move a load at the specified pressure, extend and retract volumes and cycle times, and how quickly and efficiently air flows through the cylinder.

To streamline design and selection, engineers increasingly turn to online sizing calculators offered by several pneumatics manufacturers. These software tools encompass theoretical operating parameters, well-established sizing equations, predetermined safety factors and real-world experience to arrive at conservative, but not overly designed, product selections. Results also include operating margins in terms of maximum load handling, speed and air consumption, plus recommended valve sizes and hose dimensions.

In addition to sorting out basic operating parameters, engineers should consider the numerous changes to pneumatic actuators—inside

www.tompkinsind.com | 800-255-1008

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and out—in recent years. For example, modern designs with aesthetically pleasing appearances tend to be on the rise, especially on packaging and food equipment where air cylinders are highly visible. They also may use corrosion resistant materials or coatings, or special designs to meet sanitization and hygiene requirements.

Internally, changes in load-bearing components let manufacturers incorporate more-advanced materials into their products.

And thanks to CAD and FEA software tools, engineers can design cylinder components like extrusions and end caps that are rigid, robust, lightweight and economical to manufacture.

Likewise, better seal materials and designs extend life and minimize both friction and leaks. And more and more manufacturers are building cushions into the cylinder to minimize shocks and impacts that can damage products and equipment.

The IoT is also affecting pneumatic cylinders. Many types of sensors can mount inside or outside the units and track position, speed, force or other critical parameters.

Increasingly, users not only want to collect data, they are asking for actionable insights into their equipment and processes.

For instance, some manufacturers use a combination of hardware and software to predict when a cylinder might fail, and tell the customer when to change the cylinder to avoid costly downtime.

Finally, even though the air cylinder market includes a multitude of standard options, pneumatic actuators are still selected by their ability to perform a specific function. Increasingly, custom products can be quickly and economically delivered to perfectly suit an application. For example, many standard mounts are offered, but when designs have space restrictions, special movements, side loads, or other issues, modified or unique flanges or brackets are readily available.

Here’s a look at some new, innovative and time-tested designs.

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Complete Motion Solutions Pneumatic, Electric & Hydraulic Actuators

PHD offers an extensive line of pneumatic actuators that are known for long life and high quality. Over our 60 years of innovation, we have extended our product offerings to include built-to-need components, price alternative components, electric actuators, specialty workholding clamps, and motion control robots.

From single actuator solutions, to multi-unit systems, PHD and Yamaha Robotics can provide complete solutions for practically any application requirement.

To order a catalog, visit

phdinc.com/complete • 1-800-624-8511

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PNEUMATIC ACTUATORS AND GRIPPERS

AUTOMATIONDIRECT AUTOMATIONDIRECT.COM/PNEUMATICS

AutomationDirect's line of NITRA pneumatics includes rotary actuators and pneumatic object grippers. NITRA rotary actuators are available in four body sizes with or without shock absorbers. All are double acting and have an adjustable travel range from zero to 190°. Anodized aluminum bodies include integral mounting slots for position switches and a durable ball-bearing hub, and integrated piston magnets are standard. The compact actuators are designed for general material handling and industrial applications such as conveying, clamping, transferring parts, positioning, and controlling valves.

NITRA pneumatic grippers are air-powered actuators with jaws (or fingers) to grasp, hold and release objects. They’re used in a broad range of general automation processes such as pick & place, material transfer, clamping and indexing. Two-jaw parallel and two-jaw angle grippers come in seven body sizes, and with side-mount or end-mount grips. Parallel grippers open and close parallel to the object and angle grippers open wider than parallel jaws, requiring more space. The units are either double-acting, single-acting normally open, or single-acting normally closed.

NEW ISO CLEAN-LINE

New CCL-IC series of compact pneumatic ISO cylinders from Aventics feature a hygienic design, making them suited for applications with limited installation space combined with stringent hygiene requirements, such as in food and beverage operations.

With nine bore sizes, the CCLIC cylinders reportedly cover the broadest range of hygienically designed cylinders on the market. Bore sizes range from 16 to 100 mm, with maximum strokes to 500 mm. Position is tracked by a sensitive ST6 proximity sensor; the sensor rail is located on the outside at a 90° offset relative to the air connections to ensure optimum end-position sensing even for short strokes.

The CCL-IC is readily cleaned thanks to smooth surfaces, lightweight, and compact to ISO 21287 standards. Universal mounts permit straightforward installation without additional mounting accessories. The weight-optimized profile tube, head and cap are made of anodized aluminum, with screws and piston rod made of stainless steel. The scraper and lubricants are approved for food industry use. Hygienic protective caps cover unused mounting holes.

Numerous versions provide user flexibility, including single- and doubleacting, single or double rod end, and internally or externally thread-rod versions. The CCL-IC complements other hygienic Aventics components such as valves, air preparation units and fittings.

AVENTICS | AVENTICS.COM

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COMPACT EXTRUDED-BODY CYLINDERS

Clippard’s Compact, Extruded Body Cylinders are available in double-acting, double-rod, single-acting spring return, and single-acting spring extended models.

The small and lightweight products reportedly provide reliable and long cycle life and are universally compatible for quick drop-in replacement.

Various mounting configurations, bore sizes, stroke lengths and other options make the units both versatile and highly interchangeable. Features include seven bore sizes from 12 to 50 mm with strokes from 5 to 100 mm (0.12 to 4 in.). Custom strokes are also available.

The cylinders have universal metric or imperial ports, multiple mounting options, internal bumpers, are available with magnetic pistons, and a low-profile GMR sensor slides into a groove within the cylinder. Standard piston and head seals are Nitrile, and the rod seal/wiper is polyurethane. The units are rated for a maximum pressure of 150 psig (10 bar) and operating temperatures from 14 to

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140° F (-10 to 60° C). According to the company, the cylinders provide quality and reliable pneumatic actuation at great value.

CLIPPARD INSTRUMENT LABORATORY | CLIPPARD.COM

PNEUMATIC DSBC IMPROVES MOTION PERFORMANCE

PANCAKE CYLINDERS

The Pancake cylinder is a particular type of pneumatic actuator designed to satisfy the need for short stroke, low profile, compact air cylinders that fit in tight spaces. The original Pancake cylinder was invented in 1958 by Al Schmidt, and today it remains a mainstay in the compact air-cylinder market.

This round-body cylinder has a smooth outside diameter for easy cleaning. Although it was initially used for strokes less than 1-in., units with strokes to 4 in. are now available. They come in eight bores sizes from 0.5 to 4 in. Pressure ratings are to 250 psig pneumatic and 500 psig hydraulic service.

Cylinder bodies are machined from high-quality aluminum bar stock and clear anodized for superior appearance and corrosion resistance.

Hard chrome plated stainless-steel piston rods add longevity to the cylinder. A non-metallic, Duralon rod bushing is standard, and cylinders are pre-lubed with Magnalube-G grease. Users can also select from many standard options, such as a magnetic piston option for cylinder position sensing, and custom designs are available on request.

Festo’s DSBC family of ISO 15552 standard pneumatic cylinders features the company’s patented PPS self-adjusting cushioning capability.

PPS ensures that cushioning into the end position is dynamic, but gentle, and requires no manual intervention. PPS eliminates the need to manually adjust needle valves, a time consuming task when installing air cylinders. This self-adjusting ability ensures optimum cushioning performance at all times—even for changes in parameters such as load, speed, pressure and friction—thus reducing wear and vibration and extending life.

The DSBC has the reliability and sturdiness of the popular ISO 15552 standard cylinders used in many industries. Sizes range from 1.25 to 5 in.

(32 to 125 mm). A wide range of configuration options are available, including an integrated rod clamp or mechanical end lock for safety; additional corrosion resistance for demanding environments, such as wash-down applications; chemical-resistant seals; scrapers optimized for high-dust areas, such as packaging; and designs for low friction or slow speeds. The company’s online product configurator makes ordering quick and efficient.

FESTO | FESTO.COM/US

FABCO AIR | FABCO-AIR.COM www.fluidpowerworld.com

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ISO 15552 CYLINDERS WITH ADAPTIVE CUSHIONING

The new IMI Norgren ISOLine family of ISO 15552 standard cylinders adapt automatically to varying loads without manual adjustment. Adaptive cushioning compensates for varying loads or application changes without the need to adjust the cushion screw. This makes installation simpler and faster. At up to 20% lighter than previous cylinders, the ISOLine reduces machine weight and shipping costs. Tight-tolerance components result in smoother piston movement and lower leakage in lock-out systems. Switch mounting on three sides gives machine designers greater flexibility. Robust construction and a clean profile mean these versatile cylinders can be used in applications ranging from food processing to heavy industrial settings.

Two versions with a profile barrel (ISOLine PDA/802000) or external tie-rod construction (ISOLine DA/802000) come in diameters from 32 to 125 mm. The units are available in standard strokes from 25 to 500 mm and nonstandard strokes from 10 to 2,800 mm. Operating pressure is to 16 bar, and temperature range is from -20 to 80° C. The ISOLine cylinder family is manufactured in North America and available for immediate shipment.

IMI NORGREN | IMI-PRECISION.COM

HIGH-PRECISION SLIDERS

Koganei mini guide sliders are compact, high-precision actuators. The MGA units reportedly offer a smaller physical size as compared to competitive units with the same bore and stroke. And they are more rigid to torque moments in roll, pitch and yaw.

The products feature high-precision mounting with running parallelism of 0.005 mm and mounting parallelism of 0.03 mm. That’s due to a 4-pointcontact type linear guide that stands up to variable and complex loads. It uses a finite track type with bearing cage, preloaded to reduce play.

Construction of the environmentally friendly RoHS compliant products includes wear-resistant aluminum alloy or stainless-steel plates, and a stainless table and body. Ports in the symmetrical construction permit left or right piping options.

They come in nine bore sizes, including the smallest 4.5 mm to the new 25 and 32-mm bore units. Standard strokes range from 5 to 150 mm, depending on the size. The line include the standard MGA, as well as versions with a buffer, end keep, shock absorber or rear piping; and extended/retracted side stroke adjusting cylinders, clean-system cylinders, and side-mounted options. The company also offers position stroke sensors and linear magnetic sensor controllers to complement the MGA. KOGANEI | KOGANEIUSA.COM

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MECHANICAL LOCKING CYLINDERS

End-of-stroke, mechanical locking cylinders provide positive mechanical locking when cylinders are fully extended, fully retracted, or both. An internal mechanical device locks the load into position, and it and remains locked until line pressure is applied. It also remains locked in the event of piston-seal failure or the absence of line pressure. Only applied hydraulic or pneumatic pressure will release the lock mechanism.

Thus, line pressure can be removed in applications that must hold loads in position for long periods of time.

The lock is available on Milwaukee Series A and LH cylinders in all mounting styles and in bore sizes from 1.5 to 6 in. They’re suited for cylinder applications such as presses, door openers, air hoists and many others, whenever a positive lock is desired to prevent drifting, or for loads that are to be held for extensive periods without line pressure.

Maximum holding capacity ranges from 100 to 2,500 lb and they operate at temperatures from -20° to 200° F. Operating pressures are from 750 to 1,500 psi for LH cylinders, and 750 psi for A versions.

MILWAUKEE CYLINDER | MILWAUKEECYLINDER.COM

ISO/VDMA SERIES CV

PHD Inc. originally began manufacturing a line of small bore cylinders in 1957, under the Tom Thumb brand name. The NFPA line provides reliability and long-life characteristics in small bore cylinders, and the products continue to be a popular choice among manufacturers around the world due to features like low maintenance, field-reparability, various mounting styles and a wide range of options. For instance, heavy duty, air/oil tandem, back-to-back, double rod, and non-rotating versions are available.

More recently, PHD developed its super cylinder, the ISO/VDMA Series CV. The CV is available in eight bore sizes from 32 to 100 mm, with 20 to 100-mm standard strokes and lengths up to 1,000 mm. Construction includes rugged and lightweight anodized aluminum-alloy heads caps and tube, and a PTFE wear ring and built-in shock pads help ensure long cylinder life. Options include built-in port controls and cushions for superior speed and deceleration control, and a Rodlok option for dependable locking of piston rod.

Many interchangeable mounting styles makes it suited for applications such as packaging, assembly machines, machine loading/unloading, and general industrial automation.

PHD INC. | PHDINC.COM

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IoT Gateway from Bosch Rexroth allows use of the company’s IoT-capable products with seamless collection of data via cloud computing.

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JOSH COSFORD • CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

Integrating

IoT fluid power with

The Internet of Things has been touted for years, but how will it mesh with hydraulics and pneumatics?

The world is full of uncertainty, and fluid power should be no different. We in the industry question our own relevance and capacity to exist in the future. Can the venerable fluidpower industry maintain its pertinency against the tsunami of electric actuation trying to drown us? Can the hydraulic and pneumatic employers of the world maintain a dynamic and talented workforce despite the apathy of millennials towards our perceived “dirty” industry? Can we adopt to the digital age and use the tools of Industry 4.0 to further both our product lines and the way we make them?

It seems that everywhere you turn, people are talking about Industry 4.0. Before I get too deep into IoT, which itself is a component of a bigger picture, I should really provide a quick explanation for those who are aware of neither the 4th Industrial Revolution nor the Internet of Things (IoT).

The four industrial revolutions, in chronological order, are: mechanization, electric-powered mass production, automation and now digitization. We travelled from steampowered machines to assembly lines, and then from robots to wireless factory control.

The term "Industrie 4.0" originates from a high-tech strategy by the German government to promote the computerization of manufacturing. Industry 4.0 is the complex, yet seamless, integration of mechatronics and digital processing. It’s more than automation; it’s a connected world where your customer can log in to your website to see their order travel through stages of production and then also

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track the delivery truck on a map, live via GPS. It’s where your phone app monitors a pump that not only tells you how soon it will fail as it trends leakage rates, but also shows you the supplier’s inventory and allows you to order at the click of a button. Industry 4.0 is the combination of what you and your kids do on your iPad with what your brick and mortar factory does.

The line between virtual and reality is becoming finer.

Every one of the big fluid power manufacturers is heavily invested in Industry 4.0 technology, and not just from the IoT perspective, but also in the form of complete integration. Parker has developed their Voice of the Machine to ensure interoperability between all components of each division of Parker product lines. Voice of the Machine is a cohesive strategy to include security, scalability, data access and interoperability between proprietary and thirdparty nodes. The system does everything from smart system maintenance, on-demand machine function changes and asset and inventory management through smart tagging.

The approach Festo takes is slightly different from Parker in that they offer various platforms and systems to integrate Industry 4.0 with IoT and smart factory technology, but not necessarily under one umbrella term. Festo is approaching Industry 4.0 with a holistic methodology in all products and systems they manufacture, from their centralized ERP software to their cyber-physical systems. Festo is also a world leader in training and implementation of Industry 4.0, and they even offer turn-key factory training and learning systems.

Bosch Rexroth has developed their own system, as well: IoT Gateway. Just as with other technologies, it allows use of the company’s own IoTcapable products in a secure, scalable fashion, with seamless collection of data via cloud computing. Although IoT Gateway runs with Linux, because Rexroth partnered with OPC, the industrial interoperability standards foundation, their platform is compatible with peripherals from any other OPC UA platform user, such as Parker or Festo.

So, Industry 4.0 is the cyber-physical smart factory, where machines can be programmed from the cloud, modular production lines can switch between value streams within minutes and machine downtime is a thing of the past. The key to all this capability is IoT; but what exactly is it?

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The Internet of Things is simply the connectedness of individual smart components to intranets, extranets and the World Wide Web, such has been seen in the refrigerator that tells you to order new milk because it knows the expiry of the current carton.

Consumer electronics is innovative and often revolutionary, so it makes sense IoT technology started there. However, industrial machinery typically lags in technology compared to consumer goods, so it’s no surprise we’re not yet controlling pump pressure from our smartphones with the Internet of Industrial Things, but the time is nearly upon us.

The industrial fluidpower industry is ripe for integration of IoT and Industry 4.0. I’ve said it a million times, but hydraulic maintenance in the form of fluid conditioning is the single most important consideration of any hydraulic system. System monitoring and maintenance with IoT has been on the radar for some time, with companies like Hydac and Bosch Rexroth offering live system performance monitoring packages for years. Although they ran on proprietary networks and protocols, they could monitor and trend hydraulic machine performance, and even send alerts to your email (and therefore your smart phone— if you were lucky enough to have a Blackberry at the time).

Another example of predictive maintenance through IoT components is monitoring of pump casedrain flow.

After the initial break-in period, for example, a piston pump typically provides a steady rate of case drain flow, which is required for lubrication purposes. Hydac makes components capable of monitoring steadystate fluid flow, such as their EVS 3100 flow rate transmitter, which when connected to their Condition Sensor Interface (CSI-C-11), allows you to monitor pump lifecycle.

Piston pumps typically experience two instances of rapid wear; when they are broken in, and then again when they’re close to failure. When case drain flow starts to accelerate, it’s a sign that clearances are opening up due to wear or damage. The CSI-C-11 observes the increased case drain flow rate and sends a signal to your maintenance software or app, telling you that it’s time to replace or repair the pump.

If you don’t have a spare pump in stock, intelligent inventory control software can automatically send out RFQ’s to approved vendors for replacement. Upon receipt of the quote, the order can be placed for the pump and lead time entered into maintenance software, effectively booking the machine for downtime upon receipt of the pump. This not only lets maintenance staff plan their time effectively, but also allows production teams to work around the scheduled downtime.

Because advanced technology often requires years to be fully adopted, it’s not even currently known how the technology will help at all levels of manufacturing, especially for the fluid-power industry. Right now, the largest industries are best suited to adopt the technology, which will trickle down to the smaller companies in time.

I imagine IoT and Industry 4.0 will saturate industries such as steel, power generation, water treatment and automotive, and then other industries can take what was learned to be effective.

What IoT does for the industrial fluid power industry is to ensure our technology stays relevant for decades to come. The uncertainty of our industry can be replaced by the certainties given by IoT and Industry 4.0 technology, ensuring the world inside the factory is always in step with the outside world.

Every one of the big fluid power manufacturers is

heavily invested in Industry 4.0 technology, and not just from

the IoT perspective, but also in

Getting real IoT components are simply any web-enabled smart devices, which themselves are part of a greater network of smart apparatus. I feel at this point, it’s best to use specific examples, because the whole IoT and Industry 4.0 concept can seem fairly contrived without some context. The most obvious direction for IoT in industrial fluidpower maintenance is with predictive maintenance—components that can not only monitor critical machine parameters, but then predict and avoid failure.

The Eaton LifeSense hose conditioning monitoring system is a great example of IoT technology for the fluidpower market. Sensors are installed at hose ends of the hydraulic lines which monitor hose and connection compared to baseline data. As the wire braiding in a hydraulic hose changes structure as it wears, it also changes its electrical properties. When the wire becomes fatigued beyond an acceptable standard, the sensors transmit data to the hose diagnostic unit, which itself sends a signal to your smartphone or PC app that the hose should be replaced soon. This allows for planned maintenance, which can occur during scheduled shutdown periods, rather than premature timetables or sudden breakdowns, both of which are costly.

the form of complete integration.

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E D I T E D B Y PAU L J . H E N E Y , E D I T O R I A L D I R E C T O R

A hydraulic pump is the device that converts mechanical energy into hydraulic energy, which is a combination of pressure and flow

There are a lot of components in a hydraulic system that are not required to achieve the result of work, but you wouldn’t get very far without a pump.

Hydraulic pumps are used in literally every single hydraulic power transmission system.

The hydraulic pump is the heart of the machine, converting mechanical energy to hydraulic energy, and then pumping it out into the system. That a hydraulic pump actually pumps is often where similarities stop, as pump design and construction can vary vastly.

The basics When applying a pump, one first considers the pressure required to meet the design criteria. The choice in pump construction can often be decided by the operating pressure, as a piston pump will be more reliable at 5,000 psi than, say, a vane pump.

Once pump design is finalized, you will need to choose the physical displacement of the pump, which is the fluid volume it can pump in a single rotation, normally expressed in cubic centimeters or cubic inches per minute.

Most hydraulic pumps have a mechanical input from an internal combustion engine or electric motor. These prime movers input their mechanical power to the hydraulic pump in a rotational fashion. The input shaft of the pump will be connected to gears, vanes or pistons

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While pump construction is a matter of preference, some designs are certainly better suited for specific applications than others.

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of the hydraulic pump, where they will rotate or reciprocate to transfer pressure (force) to the hydraulic fluid. As long as the force (pressure) created by the pump is high enough, flow will occur at a rate dictated by the displacement volume of the pump and the speed at which it rotates.

These pumps, also called positive displacement pumps, have a small clearance between rotating and stationary parts. A specific amount of fluid is delivered to the system for each revolution. Positive-displacement pumps can be further divided into two categories: fixed- and variable-displacement. Fixed-displacement pumps provide a single, specific volume displacement per revolution. In variable-displacement pumps, displacement per cycle can vary from zero to maximum volumetric capacity.

Pump construction is often a matter of preference, but some designs are better suited from some applications than others. The three main types of pump are gear, vane and piston.

Gear pumps The gear pump family has two siblings; the outside and inside type— also called internal or external styles. Gear pumps are used in almost every conceivable application, especially where price is a concern.

External gear pumps are one of the most popular types used in modern hydraulic systems. Gear pumps produce flow by using the teeth of two meshing gears to move the fluid. Their simple construction ensures limited purchase costs and servicing. They feature decent mechanical and volumetric efficiency, compact dimensions and low weight/power ratio. Of the three common types of positive displacement pumps, gear pumps are the least efficient; their appeal is low cost and simple design.

External gear pumps can be equipped with straight spur (the most common type), helical or herringbone gears. In operation, the drive gear and driven gear rotate, creating a partial vacuum at the pump inlet (where gear teeth unmesh) that draws fluid into gear teeth. Gear teeth mesh at the outlet, forcing fluid out of the pump.

Internal gear pumps contain one internal and one external gear.

They pump fluid in the same manner as external spur gear pumps.

In the basic design, the internal gear, which drives the outer gear, 54

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Positive displacement pumps have a small clearance between their rotating and stationary parts.

has one tooth less than the outer gear. As they mesh, the teeth create sliding seal points. Because their transition zone from low to high pressure (the area over the crescent) is relatively long, internal gear pumps can offer lower noise levels than some other types of pumps.

Gears are made of special steel and are often case hardened and quench hardened. Then gears are ground and fine finished. Proper tooth profile design and geometric proportions can reduce pulsation and noise levels during pump operation.

Piston pumps Piston pumps are used in the majority of highpressure applications and supply high flows at high speed. The lion’s share of the market is the variable-displacement, axial-piston pump, with the remaining piston designs claiming a small slice of the pie. This pump is highly efficient, very reliable and

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and relatively easy to rebuild—even though it is not very inexpensive.

They are available with countless control options, such as pressurecompensated, load sensing, remote pressure control, proportional control, etc. Also, the vast majority of closed loop pumps are axial piston type, because of the versatility and robust construction it offers.

Two types of piston pumps—axial and radial—are manufactured in both fixed- and variable-displacement versions. Axial-piston pumps contain one or more pistons that convert rotary shaft motion into axial reciprocating motion. An angled cam (or wobble plate) rotates, causing pistons to reciprocate and take fluid in as they move toward the thin part of the plate. Fluid is expelled as pistons approach the thick end. In the bent-axis design, both pistons and shaft rotate, making a wobble plate unnecessary. Bent-axis pumps use the drive shaft to rotate pistons.

With the longer sealing paths along the piston walls, piston pump efficiencies tend to be higher than other types of pumps. In addition, variable-displacement pumps can provide savings by only providing the pumping necessary for the function, saving additional energy and costs.

Radial-piston pumps (fixed-displacement) are used especially for high pressure and relatively small flows. Pressures of up to 10,000 psi are common. Variable-displacement is not possible, but sometimes the pump is designed in such a way that the plungers can be switched off one by one, so that a sort of variable-displacement pump is obtained.

Radial-piston pumps are characterized by a radial piston arrangement within a cylinder block. As pistons reciprocate, they convert rotary shaft motion into radial motion. One version has cylindrical pistons, while another uses ball-shaped pistons. Another classification refers to porting: Check-valve radial-piston pumps use a rotating cam to reciprocate pistons; pintlevalve pumps have a rotating cylinder block, and piston heads contact an eccentric stationary reaction ring.

Vane pumps Vane pumps, once one of the most popular choices, use a rotating group with rectangular vanes pushed out via springs, centrifugal force or hydraulic pressure. The offset between the vanes and cam ring allows the pump to create flow, and in variable displacement vane pumps, the offset distance is what dictates volume. Vane pumps are quiet, reliable and easy to repair. They are most popular in industrial applications, especially those running lower pressure.

Rotary vane pumps (fixed and simple adjustable displacement) generally have higher efficiencies and lower noise levels than gear pumps. They can be used for mid-range pressures of 2,500 psi.

Some types of vane pumps can change the center of the vane body, so that a simple adjustable pump is obtained. These adjustable vane pumps are constant pressure or constant power pumps.

Displacement is increased until the required pressure or power is reached and subsequently the displacement or swept volume is decreased until equilibrium is reached.

A critical element in vane pump design is how the vanes are pushed into contact with the pump housing, and how the vane tips are machined at this very point. Several types of “lip” designs are used, and the main objective is to provide a tight seal between the inside of the housing and the vane, and at the same time to minimize wear and metal-tometal contact. Forcing the vane out of the rotating center and toward the pump housing is accomplished using spring-loaded vanes, or more traditionally, vanes loaded hydrodynamically (by the pressurized system fluid).

FPW

Hydraulic pumps are the heart of a fluid power system, converting mechanical energy into hydraulic energy.

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PRODUCT WORLD

2-way Piloting Solenoid Valve Lee www.theleeco.com This 2-way Piloting Solenoid Valve draws on the design elements of the company’s compact 3-way valve and provides a simplified flow path for applications requiring only two ports. The incorporation of our MultiSeal simplifies port layout, offers significant space savings, reduces machining costs and provides superior reliability over traditional sealing methods. Available either normally open or closed, and with lead wires or integral electrical connector, the single coil 2-way Piloting Solenoid Valve weighs only 0.14 pounds and consumes just 7.8 watts at 28 Vdc.

Sectional mobile valves

Slip-in check valves

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The VD8A/Z is a sectional

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drop profiles and should be considered in applications

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6149, or SAE UN-UNF. The VD8A/Z offers nominal flow of 75 l/min (20 gpm)

90º flow path cavity examples are documented in

with maximum flow of 90 l/min (24 gpm). Operating pressure ratings are 315

the product literature and may be found on the

bar (4,600 psi) nominal and 350 bar (5,070 psi) maximum.

company website. No specialized cavity form tooling is required.

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PRODUCT WORLD

Vacuum pump for automated industrial procedures Piab www.piab.com

Cassette seal Freudenberg Sealing Technologies fst.com The S4 cassette seal keeps dirt away from the shaft while preventing the escape of lubricating oils

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20% while decreasing fuel consumption by 10%. Patented material innovations made of elastomers, polyurethanes and polytetrafluoroethylene

Fully configurable, piPUMP23 is available with either one or two COAX SX12/SX42 multistage vacuum ejection cartridges, and can be supplied with or without cleanable and replaceable filters in two optional sizes. The pump can be configured for up to three vacuum connections, making it suitable for a variety of applications and industrial settings.

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PRODUCT WORLD

Hydraulic unit with both single and double acting actuation Kurt kurtworkholding.com The KHU6 Hydraulic unit comes ready with both single- and double-acting capabilities providing an option to users who prefer a clamping method. Single acting method uses hydraulic clamping and spring return for unclamping. Double acting capability uses both hydraulics to clamp and unclamp for faster, more precise setup.

The KHU6 hydraulic unit uses 3,200 PSI operating pressure which provides a .25-in. stroke and 7,200 pounds of clamping force. Clamping consistency and improved part quality are benefits of hydraulic vise actuation. Clamping speed is also significantly faster than manually closing and opening vise jaws.

Deutsch-to-DIN electrical connector

Explosion proof PVE-EX electrohydraulic actuator

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This is a Deutsch-to-DIN electrical connector under the

Approved and certified according to ATEX and IECEx standards, the PVE-

GatorMate brand. The 5JD adapter mates Deutsch DT04-2P

EX enables the use of PVG valves in harsh environments with explosive

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atmospheres. Designed with a cast iron enclosure, the PVE-EX protects

solenoid coils. The connector enables manufacturers and

the interior connectors and embedded electronics, while a protective

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coating on the exterior provides superior corrosion protection.

The new adapter also lets users add options not available

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for “A” and "B” solenoids. The 5JD adapter has applications in many industries, including makers of mobile

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PRODUCT WORLD

Solenoid valves and coils Sun Hydraulics SunHydraulics.com These newly designed valves – including on/off and proportional models – are the first phase of products introduced in the Sun FLeXTM Series Solenoid Valves. Coil options for the family include interchangeable low-power, highpower and hazardous location (explosion-proof) versions for expanded configuration flexibility.

The FLeX Series solenoid valves have better pressure drop in a virtually leak-proof poppet-style valve that is designed and tested to exceed 10-million-cycle operations. All the valves and coils in the FLeX Series are zinc-nickel coated to offer 1,000-hour salt fog protection, so they’re suitable for a range of demanding applications.

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Flow dividers for higher precision Bucher Hydraulics bucherhydraulics.com

With a deviation of just 1.5%, these flow dividers have higher precision compared to their more-conventional counterparts.

The new versions are additions to the company’s MT series of flow dividers. These automatically operating units split a volume flow into two part-flows that can vary within certain limits. The standard division ratio is 1:1, but other ratios are readily available.

The QXT range of internal gear flow dividers completes the product portfolio. These units are available with division volumes of 5 to 250 cm³/rev for 2, 3 or 4-part flows and pressures to 320 bars. These internal gear flow dividers feature high division accuracy, exceptionally smooth operation and reduced pressure pulses as well as a long service life.

www.fluidpowerworld.com

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COMPONENT FOCUS

Tubing vs. hose in mobile machinery Josh Cosford • Contributing Editor

In this world, there are as many preferences as choices. Dark meat vs. white meat. Baths vs. showers. Wagons vs. SUVs. Every one of these choices is personal, and every one is inconsequential.

You don’t care that Bob likes white meat and drives a Volvo station wagon. It’s his choice doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

Unless he’s racing his wagon, there’s no practical advantage to his preference.

Some choices in fluid power are inconsequential, such as which of the top brands of D03 valves to use, or what color to paint your power unit (machine grey for the win!). Some choices do matter, and there are practical advantages and disadvantages. Picking a piston pump over a vane pump brings vastly different pumping characters 62

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to your system since the strengths and weaknesses of each are diametrically opposed. But what about the age-old battle between tube and hose … is there a clear winner, or is the choice inconsequential?

There is a level of comfort to either tube or hose, and it depends on your past usage and preference. If you came from a shop using primarily hose assemblies, you probably enjoy the ease and speed of a hose assembly, which can be cut and crimped in minutes. If you worked at a machinery OEM, I’m sure you’ve cut your teeth making tube sections to hard pipe a cylinder or motor, and you prefer the clean, permanent appearance of tubing.

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However, there are some cases when it makes sense to choose one over the other, or where there is no choice but one. Often, you can plumb an entire system with only tube or only hose, and everything will work just fine. Just fine and optimal are two different things, of course, and what is optimal depends on the application.

Hydraulic hose has come a long way and was once only used when it was absolutely necessary. It was necessary to choose hose when you had two moving components of machinery requiring a conduit for hydraulic fluid to travel. If you had a pivoting arm, boom or bucket, you needed a flexible joint to send flow to the cylinders or motors on the other end. Pipe or tube is obviously rigid and would buckle, break or burst if you attempted to treat them like bendy straws. And herein lies the advantage of hoses—they’re flexible.

Progress has occurred, and hydraulic hose is vastly superior to olden days, especially in pressure capacity. Hose assemblies are available in pressure capacities matching any tube or pipe, and their flexibility has advantages beyond just a joint between two moving components, although that remains its primary advantage.

For some machine designers, hydraulic hose is the only option to plumb an entire system. From a design perspective, it offers a couple advantages over tubing. Because it is flexible and ductile, hose can absorb vibration inherent in any hydraulic machine. Machines plumbed with hose rather than tube appear to operate more smoothly and with less vibration.

The same properties of hose that allow it to absorb vibration allow it to absorb spikes in pressure. If you’ve been around machinery plumbed with hose, you’ll noticed how it comes to attention and stiffen when pressure rises or spikes.

Although hose can’t eliminate the pressure spike, it can reduce the damaging effects it has on seals, valves and other components, especially though not meant for high pressure, such as return line filters.

Of course, where there is vibration, there is also sound.

Pumps, especially, produce vibration harmonics that can be annoying and grinding to sensitive ears, especially over extended periods. Often times, the sound resulting from a particular power unit or system can be unpredicted until it is fired up. Chasing down the exact source of vibrating tube, fitting, plate or mount can be like finding Waldo.

If you think I’m being unfair to tubing, think again. If you work in a plant or shop with old hydraulic machines, take a pause and go out to inspect that machinery. Take note of the age of the hard plumbing on that machine; chances are it’s the same plumbing that existed when the machine was first commissioned, even if it’s older than I am.

Tubing, when done well, is extremely reliable and maintenance free. The only time it is changed is typically when a modification or upgrade is done to the machine.

Tubing resists motion or vibration that, although it can transmit it, doesn’t cause it to shake or move the assembly itself. The inherent flexibility of hose allows it to chafe, rub and scratch against other surfaces if it’s not well supported.

Many failures occur at those points of contact on a hydraulic hose, but tubes simply resist motion altogether.

Tube assemblies can be more work up front, but look cleaner and have other advantages. They can still be manufactured to be removed and replaced if the attached components require servicing because they’re made with semi-flexible bends at strategic points. You rarely see a straight shot of tube, but rather an L or S shape to provide some flexibility so the assembly can be pulled and replaced between two fixed locations.

Tube assemblies also provide long-lasting, leak-free service, especially with newer O-ring Face fittings used.

Although older assemblies with JIC type flare have been in operation for decades, if a tube does leak, it will nearly always be between the seat and face of a JIC connection.

At this point, I haven’t even mentioned the cost of either option. Tubing has natural high-pressure capacity, and dollar-for-dollar is actually less expensive to manufacture and sell than hose. Tubing can be purchased for pennies per foot, but any high-quality hose with reasonable pressure rating is rather expensive, and the cost rises exponentially with size. A 1-in. ID hose rated for 4,000 psi can be hundreds of dollars, but even including labor, a tube can be made for a fraction of the cost.

I should mention, however, tubes are more labour intensive, and require special machinery. You need expensive bending and flaring equipment, and the investment in that can run five digits. Hose crimping WHAT Connect with thousands of DO equipment can also be expensive, but engineering YOU you can get by with field-attachable design THINK? professionals hose requiring only two wrenches. online.

Even a hand-pump operated crimper can be had for a few hundred dollars if you wish to go that route.

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LEADERSHIP TEAM

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NitroSteel, LLC ............................ 29 Follow the whole team on twitter @FluidPowerWorld

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