There is no shortage of machinery in industrial automation promising superior performance and productivity enhancements. Hydraulically and electrically powered equipment has been around for decades, but are there advantages of melding the concepts together? The world of electro-hydraulic control is upturning industrial operations in unexpectedly groundbreaking ways. What are the implications professionals should know in order to prepare for the future?
Combining Water With Electricity
Imagine combining the next-level thinking and efficiency of aqueducts with the productive response times of electrical technologies. If hydraulics leverage pressured liquids to move mechanical objects, electrical processes use signals to guide equipment. It makes sense that electro-hydraulic control is using electricity to make mechanisms alter liquid. This could be changes in flow, speed and pressure.
Electro-hydraulic is the best of both worlds, literally and metaphorically sparking a new age of industrial efficiency. They are still capable of carrying 4,800-pound loads, much like hydraulic cylinder systems. When undergoing a comparative analysis, electro-hydraulics win by having the highest power density of any other equipment.
It is also cleaner, safer, versatile and has a low cost over its life cycle. This happens because it is less prone to the disadvantages of hydraulic cylinders. Operators will experience fewer speed disruptions because of hose leaks or safety incidents from slipping on seeping oil. There is minimal fluid servicing.
Making Machines Move
The electrical signals control a mechanism in electro-hydraulic equipment called a solenoid, which coils in a housing. Once it receives instructions, it operates a directional valve. It only needs one signal to control multiple functions, including motor direction or flow speed. The valve introduces a layer of flexibility and malleability new to industrial equipment, whether on a construction site or distribution center.
The currents can be as precise as the operator wants, meaning the openings do not have to be fully closed or open. If technicians want to change the set points the computer responds to, whether it be temperature, pressure, or flow rate, this is customizable. Smart software may even trigger automated responses to proportional valves, reacting dynamically to specific applications.
This reactive structure enhances process compensation. Electro-hydraulic control is about mitigating the influences of environmental disturbances or stressors on the machines. This setup promises consistent, higher performance for longer. If industrial workers are not satisfied with the strength of a tensioning system or the speed of an injection molding machine, they can easily change the parameters.
Comparing Electro-Hydraulics to Conventional Systems
Traditional hydraulic systems are more cumbersome, laden with tubes and pumps that weigh down what could be a streamlined tool. Hydraulic presses and actuators can also be intensely loud, forcing technicians to take additional safety precautions. The simplicity of electro-hydraulics makes maintenance more straightforward and less expensive because there are fewer parts to replace.
For example, electrical equipment is always pulling power when turned on, degrading everything from fasteners to engines faster than desired. Electro-hydraulic options only run on demand. If there is no flow, then idling uses no excess power. This reduces fuel, energy and financial waste.
Some upkeep recommendations from hydraulic systems may apply to modern tools, such as monitoring temperature levels regularly or replacing fluids — though the type of fluid is different. Empty and change them every 1,000 days unless it has contaminants, which necessitates an earlier refill. However, other fixes may require specialist input compared to traditional machines, which have myriad tenured professionals with knowledge at the ready.
The equipment itself is more compact and refined, which translates to operations. Industries investing in electro-hydraulics will solidify competitive advantages because of the efficiency gains. With industries moving to autonomous vehicles, electro-hydraulic systems have an edge. Even though they have a perceived disadvantage with high inertia, they still produced these results compared to a load-sensing actuator:
- 60% lower energy consumption
- 66% less tracking errors
- 61% less overshoot
- 75% quicker settling
Because the systems are a combination of methods industry professionals are already familiar with, the learning curve for operating these machines will be lower than other tech implementations. When countless other digital transformations happen simultaneously, it provides peace of mind to know significant processes will not require as extensive training.
Bettering Electro-Hydraulic Control
Despite the overwhelming benefits, electro-hydraulic machinery has a few faults it can overcome to become even better than current iterations. They were not popular with industry experts for a long time, primarily with actuators because they were not strong. Now, they are having a resurgence because of quality improvements. It will take time for experts and clients to have this change of thinking simultaneously, making buy-in a potential challenge.
Recent research has attempted to use reinforcement learning and AI in electro-hydraulic machine simulations. One use case sought to make the logging industry more efficient by modeling situations where the crane would take care of multiple logs simultaneously. While the idea would give foresters insight into its viability, more research is necessary when combining these additional technologies.
The models struggled to be bias-free when making virtual visuals. While the study produced 95% accuracy in picking up multiple logs, it required experts to eliminate the system’s desire to know the crane’s actuation. This could be a viable solution for simulating autonomous technologies in industries with environmental stressors, but learning more ways to interact with modeling behaviors is required.
Costs are the most significant barrier for professionals, which is the case with most trending technologies. As facilities try them out, costs should stabilize to more justifiable price tags. Up-and-coming machinery is always a gamble, but the experts are confident the return on investment will be worth it with savings on labor costs and expenses from increasing the machinery’s life cycle. Additionally, it will put facilities in a good position to adopt electrification, having already invested in technologies supporting this transition.
Electro-Hydraulic Is the Future
The industry can innovate using techniques and technologies it already has. Electro-hydraulic control is a perfect example of how much the industry can improve age-old concepts and apply them to modern needs. Facilities must encourage discourse around its potential to discover its best use cases and regulate pricing to increase its industrial accessibility.
Emily Newton is the Editor-in-Chief of Revolutionized Magazine, an online publication that explores innovations in science and technology.
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