Page 4 - Industrial Technology EXTRA 24th May 2021

HYDRAULICS...

Flexible priority flow sharing

for mini and micro machinery

In modern industry, there is ongoing demand for mini and micro machinery able to

offer ever-higher performance levels. Tolulope Oluwatudimu,
product manager for hydraulics at Eaton, discusses
the importance of flexible priority flow sharing.

egardless of whether the sector is
construction, agriculture or material
handling, mobile machines need to
Rprovide superior flexibility and load
control for OEMs to stand out in a crowded
marketplace. At the same time, it is crucial to
reduce the size and weight of components as
it can promote end-user benefits such as
better fuel efficiency, higher load
carrying capacity and longer battery
life. To meet these demands, the flow ranges, specifically for low-
development of electro-hydraulic flow control, where the assemblies are
cartridge valves suitable for low-flow typically too large and heavy. Furthermore,
applications is of paramount importance, such solutions are limited to the directional control
particularly those delivering optimum load sensing function, requiring ancillary valves to perform other
and priority flow sharing in a compact, lightweight tasks.
package with screw-in convenience.
While identifying this may be easy, developing a Low-flow requirements
solution that combines these performance, size and Fully understanding the demands for mini and
weight advantages has long-been a challenge in micro machinery first requires a definition for ‘low
low-flow applications. Traditional solutions for the flow’. For most machines in these categories, load
main control valves on mobile machines that sensing and priority flow sharing needs to serve
require load-sense and flow-sharing capabilities are applications up to 30 l/min. Of course, achieving
based on cast-iron slices with spools running this requirement without compromising on weight
directly in the casting. Although these products are or space is not straightforward, or the market would
efficient and cost-effective, there are gaps in the have seen a valve of this nature emerge long ago.

May 2021 • INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY EXTRA • p4