Product Highlights from the IFPE Show

More than 144,600 industry professionals from around the world attended CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2008 and IFPE 2008 from March 11-15 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

In addition to setting records for both exhibit space and the number of exhibiting companies, manufacturers showcased their latest equipment, product innovations and technological advances to a record number of attendees from the construction, construction materials and power transmission industries.

Here is a sampling of new fluid power products introduced by companies exhibiting at the International Fluid Power Exposition (IFPE).

Modular Directional Valves

New sizes added to Bosch Rexroth's range of modular directional valves cover workflows from 50 to 0 l per min and working pressures up to 310 bar. The valves are zinc-plated to cope with harsh working environments encountered by mobile machines.

Although based on NG4/NG6 technology, the valves avoid sub-plates and are easily tailored to workflow requirements when compared to standard CETOP solutions. System modularity allows the number of sections to be expanded as needed when more functionality is needed for the machine. Individual sections come in different size options within one common interface, so engineers can select the appropriate size according to the actual flow required.

Air Preparation Equipment

Bimba Mfg. announced a new line of air preparation equipment featuring three sizes of filters, regulators and lubricators (FRLs). This Miniature Series (10) is available in 1/8-and ¼-inch NPT and offers a standard compressed air filter, pressure regulator, air line lubricator, filter/regulator combination unit and oil removal filter.

The Compact Series (20) is available in ¼-, 3/8- and ½-inch NPT and includes a vapor removal filter and multiple assembled combinations. The Large Series (70) is available in 1- and 1½-inch NPT and offers the same standard filter, regulator, lubricator, combination unit and oil removal filter as the Miniature and Compact Series. Each of the three series offers optional accessories including porting blocks, shut-off valves, gauges and soft start/quick-dump valves.

Bi-component Polyurethane Rod Seal

Simrit's bi-component polyurethane rod seal, HDR-2C, is a simple, one-piece component with low-temperature flexibility and extrusion resistance at high pressures.

Recommended for lift and steering cylinder applications, the component consists of static and dynamic sealing edges made of low-temperature polyurethane 92 AU 21100 and an extremely extrusion-resistant backside made from Simrit's 98 AU 928 polyurethane.

The design combines two materials into a single seal providing larger extrusion gap widths, protection against housing and bore contact and can increase service life up to 50 percent in applications characterized by high-pressure impact. The seal allows use of cost-effective engineered plastic guides, rather than metallic guides, and integrates the back-up ring in the seal. It is compatible with standard housings and provides an affordable way to improve cylinder performance.

Proportional Cartridge Valves

New HydraForce SVCL and SPCL Series valves offer integral piloting or load-signaling in a solenoid-operated on/off or proportional cartridge valve for directional control and load-holding applications. Patents are pending on the new valves, allowing us to offer the most advanced, high-performance hydraulic circuits in the industry.

The SVCL and SPCL products are initially released in the 10-size version, using the common VC10-3 cavity profile with a modified pre-drill. Other sizes in development will allow a flow range capability up to 40 gpm or 151 lpm. Rated operating pressure is 3,625 psi/250 bar while the load-holding port number 1 is capable of 5,000 psi/350 bar maximum pressure and is qualified to 4:1 burst pressure per ANSI test specifications.

Pressure Sensor for Construction Hydraulic Systems

A new rugged version of the 8PP3 silicon MEMS strain gage pressure sensor from Sensata is designed for use on construction and earth-moving equipment operating in harsh work-site environments. The new sensor features a redesigned and strengthened hex mounting feature that enables quick, easy and damage-free installation during onsite equipment assembly or field repairs.

Hydraulics on construction equipment require pressure sensors that operate at pressure levels as high as 20,000 psi and the 8PP3 has an operating pressure of up to 30,000 psi. It features a one-piece stainless-steel port that requires no internal fluid seals and is available in a variety of threaded connection styles. Built-in self-diagnostic capabilities can interface directly with equipment control systems.

Constant Pressure Pump Control Valves

New Cycle Gard® Constant Pressure Pump Control Valves from Danfoss Flomatic maintain a constant pressure and eliminate the pump from cycling. These valves feature a hydraulically operated valve requiring no electricity and helps eliminate the effect of water hammer, extends pump motor life and allows for a reduced tank size.

By automatically regulating downstream pressure, the units provide a constant pressure until the demand in the system is no longer required. Depending on the valve model, an integral or external low-flow bypass allows the system pressure to slowly rise under low demand and fill the tank or reservoir until the pressure switch setting is reached, shutting the pump off.

Hydraulic Filters

Donaldson introduced a hydraulic filter designed specifically for use with Plurasafe® EnBio TCS, a new environmentally friendly, high-performance hydraulic fluid manufactured by BASF to protect golf course turf and the environment.

The new hydraulic filter offers a filtration solution that can withstand the oil, unlike conventional filters that break down and deteriorate. Hydraulic leaks are a very visible problem for golf courses. The filter is manufactured with Synteq® synthetic media which provides optimum protection for applications that require high-efficiency filtration. Used with Plurasafe EnBio TCS, a biodegradable and environmentally friendly hydraulic fluid, golf course owners may reduce the cost of digging up and re-sodding greens and tee boxes damaged as a result of leaks caused by hydraulic fluids and filters. The hydraulic filters also fit many lawn- care machines from Jacobson, John Deere and Toro.

Powercore™ Air Filtration

Donaldson PowerCore™ G2 is designed with a 30 percent smaller footprint but the same straight-through airflow design and high-density filtration system as the company's original PowerCore™ design. The new design can provide smaller size, lower pressure drop and longer filter life, depending on customer underhood space and performance requirements.

PowerCore™ G2 includes options for panel, round- and obround-shaped air intake systems that can be customized to meet performance, size, shape and space constraints. Donaldson's Ultra-Web® nanofiber filtration technology is a proven filter media with more than 25 years in heavy-duty industrial air filtration applications and more than 1 billion sq ft of media sold. The unit's compact, metal-free, cartridge-style design traps contaminants inside the structure, offering long life and higher initial efficiency for superior diesel engine protection.

Universal Push-to-Connect Assembly

A universal push-to-connect (UPTC) assembly from Parker Hannifin's Tube Fittings Div. provides fast and efficient, leak-free connections for compact fluid power systems in industrial, mobile and construction equipment.

Utilizing a Seal-Lok O-ring face seal adapter or EO metric bite-type fittings, the system is designed for rigid inch and metric tubing, hydraulic hose and thermoplastic hose assemblies involving tube-hose, tube-port and hose-port connections. UPTC is especially useful during assembly where simply pushing the hose or tube into the adapter creates a leak-free connection.

UPTC consists of a Seal-Lok or EO metric bite-type fitting, a nut with its internal sealing and retaining elements, a dust O-ring and a hose assembly or rigid tube. The nut is assembled to the base or metric bite-type fitting at the factory to ensure proper torque is applied. Once engaged, it cannot escape even under vibration and extremely high pressure.