Hydraulics Expertise Benefits Design of Electric Machines
As electrification increases in the mobile equipment industry, the hydraulic systems utilized in excavators, tractors and other machines will remain vital to their operation. Because of this, many companies within the fluid power sector are bringing their expertise to the development of systems for electric-powered machines.
Chris Griffin, Group Business Development Manager – Electrification at Parker Hannifin, said it is not as simple as attaching an electric motor to a hydraulic pump. “There are a lot of changes that need to be made to the hydraulic system to accommodate [the requirements of] electric systems.”
The hydraulics need to be adapted to perform at their best and most efficient. To achieve all of the desired performance requirements of electric machines “you need the expertise of companies like [Parker Hannifin] that have all this experience and understanding of how the hydraulic systems work,” said Griffin.
Register for the Webinar to Learn More!
Register for our webinar "The Role Fluid Power Can Play in Electrification," which took place March 27 and is now available for on-demand viewing, for the full discussion with Chris Griffin from Parker Hannifin and Eric Vives of Poclain Hydraulics.
During the webinar you'll learn more about how hydraulics are being utilized in electric-powered mobile machinery, technologies being developed for these machines by fluid power companies as well as what further progress will be made in the field of electrification.
Eric Vives, Group Research and Technology Director at Poclain Hydraulics, added that understanding the applications in which electric machines will be used is where fluid power companies can offer expertise as well.
He said there are already a lot of companies in the market developing components such as electric motors and inverters. However, they may not be as knowledgeable about the tough operating environments where off-road equipment is often used.
Mud, extreme temperatures and other operating conditions can impact the performance of machines and their systems. These are factors known to companies like Poclain Hydraulics because of the years they have spent developing technologies for mobile machines used in various environments.
“Having the capacity to better understand the harsh driving conditions [often experienced] and inject this into the design of our products is unique,” said Vives.
In this excerpt from the Power & Motion webinar “The Role Fluid Power Can Play in Electrification,” Griffin and Vives offer their insights on why it is beneficial for the fluid power industry to be involved in the development of electric-powered machines and how hydraulic systems are being employed in them.
About the Author
Sara Jensen
Executive Editor, Power & Motion
Sara Jensen is executive editor of Power & Motion, directing expanded coverage into the modern fluid power space, as well as mechatronic and smart technologies. She has over 15 years of publishing experience. Prior to Power & Motion she spent 11 years with a trade publication for engineers of heavy-duty equipment, the last 3 of which were as the editor and brand lead. Over the course of her time in the B2B industry, Sara has gained an extensive knowledge of various heavy-duty equipment industries — including construction, agriculture, mining and on-road trucks —along with the systems and market trends which impact them such as fluid power and electronic motion control technologies.
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