Megatrends
At the start of a new year it is fun to have a bit of a look into the future. In this issue of Motion Control, Andrew Ashton, contributing editor for our Technews publication SA Instrumentation & Control, takes a look at future trends in hydraulics and pneumatics. He says that contrary to the general perception that pneumatics and hydraulics are static technologies, statistics show that these markets are growing well, driven by factors such as regulatory and green initiatives, safety issues and increasing efficiencies. One response by fluid power equipment manufacturers has been to make equipment smarter by integrating more components into functional units. A recent article in Automation World entitled ‘Fluid power gets smart by adding electronic controls’, adds to this. It says that the latest hybrid drives and controls are breathing new life into pneumatics and hydraulics, boosting the efficiency of equipment and saving users lots of money. Jan Komsta, manager of new technology and simulation at Bosch Rexroth, sees the integration of fluid power with electronic devices as an emerging discipline in its own right, and it is being called ‘fluidtronics’.
Jim Pinto is also very good at this. Last year we had a feature on 3D printing (how to print a control valve) and Jim says this technology is now at the inflection point. Here are a couple of examples: gadget lovers can now print their very own Nokia mobile phone case if they have access to a desktop 3D printer, as Nokia has released the necessary files online; and biomedical specialists in Belgium have recently implanted a 3D-printed titanium jawbone into an 83-year old.
Looking at trends back home, a new ARC Advisory Group survey says that despite internal struggles and structural problems, the South African automation market will continue to grow and is expected to exceed $1 billion in 2016. The main economic factor driving development is the constant inflow of foreign direct investment, a significant amount being from China. Social tension and skills shortages are a threat to growth but local and global companies have established strategies to overcome these problems. ARC is convinced that there is great potential in this market and advises investors to use South Africa as a base to address sub-Saharan Africa; tap the potential of South Africa’s infrastructure markets; and focus on easy-to-use automation, while providing plenty of services.
Megamechanics
We have some great stories about the power of hydraulics. There is one about a Hi-Force project to create a jacking system capable of lifting a staggering 16 000 tons to a maximum height of 900 mm. This was the result of a need to lift a deepwater jacket in order to carry out vital maintenance to the skidding system on which it was positioned, prior to it being mobilised offshore in the Caspian Sea.
Bosch Rexroth has also made its début in the field of mega-size forge presses. The hydraulics for this press, which has a massive gripper arm and applies 80 MN of power to shape steel in ingots up to four metres thick, allows pumps to move ten thousand litres of high pressure hydraulic fluid into the system each minute.
While on the subject of extremes, Parker Hannifin fittings have been chosen by the German mechanical engineering firm Herrenknecht for the world’s longest tunnel boring machine for the construction of the 57 km Gotthard railway tunnel in Switzerland. Herrenknecht’s huge tunnel boring machines were also used in the construction of the Gautrain tunnels and are a possibility for phase 2 of the Lesotho Highlands Water scheme; and with the mining industry’s trend towards automation, more enormous tunnel boring machines are likely to be seen in various mining projects in South Africa.
Hydraulics and crisis management
In our cover story Parker Hannifin’s weldless flange connection systems also make a contribution to the shipbuilding and marine engineering industries. These are available from the Cape Town based hydraulics engineering company, hydron hydraulics. There are also some hydraulics items covering Commercial Shearing’s new test stand which will help its customers save substantially on valves, as well as Axiom’s new anti-shock relief valves from Sun Hydraulics. We have all seen examples of very bad crisis management – BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill comes to mind – as well as good – what about Pick ‘n Pay’s handling of its food tampering scare. Schneider Electric has some useful disaster management advice.
Revamped webpage
Our Motion Control webpage has recently been revamped and has a cleaner look in line with our regular Newsbrief. It will have regularly changing articles and we have included a Tech Tips button which will lead to quick hydraulics and pneumatics tips by various experts.
Kim Roberts, editor
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