unit built to run a metal spinning machine at MJC Engineering, Huntington Beach, CA. Substantial power-savings and noise reduction are achieved by the use of the GHP unit, according to documentation provided. (Photo courtesy of Jelly Hamilton)
(l-r) Kai Fredlov, Vice President, and Per Carlson, Senior Design Engineer
(l-r) Jose Machuca, President; Kai Fredlov, Vice President; Per Carlson, Senior Design Engineer; and Carl Lorentzen, Director of Sales.
The metal spinning machine was built by MJC at its Huntington Beach, CA, facility. GHP is collocated here. The MJC machine has a footprint of 30' x 30' and is used to spinform exotic aerospace materials using a hot forming technique. (Photo courtesy of Jelly Hamilton)
(l-r) Carl Lorentzen, Director of Sales, and Jose Machuca, President
The entire metal spinning machine, including the GHP hydraulic power unit, is run by the SINUMERIK ONE CNC from Siemens. (Photo courtesy of Jelly Hamilton)
SINAMICS drive components contribute to the power savings on the GHP unit. Flow and pressure are optimized as needed vs continuous running, which results in substantial energy savings, as detailed in this story. (Photo courtesy of Jelly Hamilton)
Power savings chart
Finished component manufactured on a metal spinning machine.
A decade ago, MJC Engineering (MJC) spun off its green hydraulic unit as a separate company and , Inc. (GHP) was born. All the power units designed and engineered by GHP are produced at the MJC facility in Huntington Beach, CA. Since then, GHP has provided its energy-saving and noise-reducing units to a variety of companies, primarily in the aerospace industry.
Recently, on an MJC metal spinning machine used for turbine production at an aircraft manufacturer, MJC turned to GHP for a solution. The machine was very large, 30' x 30', working to spinform exotic aerospace materials using a hot forming technique.
As MJC President Carl Lorentzen detailed, "MJC uses the SINUMERIK ONE CNC from Siemens, while GHP uses SINAMICS S120 drives paired with a SIMOTICS 1PH8 motor. In addition, both companies utilize SIMATIC PLCs, touchscreens and relays provided by Siemens, making everything compatible for seamless communication. We had a job where the two companies fit together perfectly."
He also noted the energy efficiency of the Siemens products, as they monitor and control the power consumption on the machine.
On this machine, which is being provided to a major aircraft builder in southern California, the main requirement was the reduction of motor speed from 1,750 RPM to 300 RPM, since it is only providing pressure and flow on demand, idling the system during dwell time-that is, when blanks are loaded and unloaded.
Lorentzen further explained: "We have had a 30-year relationship with Siemens with just a few sidetracks to other automation suppliers. After reviewing the possible components to use on our MJC machine and the hydraulic power unit provided by GHP, we quickly realized the way to go."
The Managing Director of GHP, Soren Rasmussen, added: "On such a large workpiece with long cycle time, many machine builders take the conventional route of electric motors, running at a set overshoot of power, both during the cycle and during the dwell time, which can be rather long by itself. Instead of running the motors at this wasteful level, our hydraulic technology produces much higher energy efficiency and a substantial reduction in decibel levels."
Through the combination of peak energy demand reduction by use of the GHP unit as well as the inherently quieter operation of the system, MJC is delivering a 30%+ energy-savings and improved operator conditions to its customer.
In addition, the digital technology of the GHP hydraulic system with smart drive technology onboard enables other collateral benefits, including better predictive maintenance protocols and a more rapid integration into the customer's IoT and Industry 4.0 paradigms. This is especially applicable to the major OEMs in aerospace, automotive, off-highway and other customer segments of the market for MJC and GHP.
In this case, the MJC customer is able to track all the following on a touchscreen display or via remote monitoring: oil level, temperature, power consumption, system PSI, GPM flow rate, pump RPM, torque, hydraulic schematics and more. Flow, pressure and speed are all programmable, and the GHP unit eliminates such components as flow control and pressure reducer valves.
As Rasmussen noted: "Think of the analogy of a car's auto-stop feature. It combines electronics and mechanical operations for a sustainable, energy-saving operation with no disruption of the driver's environment."
Rasmussen continued: "Hydraulic pumps and power units have been the backbone of global manufacturing equipment for over a century. Machines such as presses, expanders, press brakes, machine tools, material handling equipment and many others all rely on the power of hydraulics. Nearly 25% of the world's electrical energy production is consumed by electric motors that power these types of machines. In the United States, this percentage is much higher. Imagine the energy savings that could be gained if even a fraction of these machines were converted or replaced by modern VFD-equipped hydraulic units."
GHP works routinely with Onsite Energy and Southern California Edison to do needs analysis, power consumption and documented energy-savings at the comparatively high cost per kilowatt hour today.
A spokesperson added: "In the area of noise reduction, until now, the debilitating noise levels generated by traditional hydraulic power units had to be tolerated because there was no alternative. This is no longer the case if equipment is powered by a GHP hydraulic unit. In fact, no hearing protection is necessary while working on or around the equipment. Machine operators are better able to concentrate and communicate with co-workers, resulting in higher productivity with less fatigue. All employees will more easily hear approaching vehicles and any safety or emergency instructions, making the overall work environment more pleasant to occupy. There is even the potential for reduced insurance premiums related to noise and hearing related risks."
GHP can provide turn-key units as well as drive & motor combinations to retrofit existing hydraulic units in the field. While typical noise reduction of 20 decibels or more are achieved by the GHP units, the energy-savings do vary. On this MJC machine specifically, the energy-savings are tracking at 30%+ for the customer, who is located in southern California, but other installations have reported up to 70% energy-savings.
Lorentzen noted, "We have now used a GHP unit for the last eight years on the metal spinning machines we have built. We really do practice what we preach."
For more information contact:
John Meyer
Marketing Communications Manager
Siemens Industry, Inc.
Digital Industries-Motion Control
john.meyer@siemens.com
847-952-4158
Sean Rasmussen
Managing Director
Green Hydraulic Power, Inc.
15401 Assembly Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
714-333-7367
sales@greenhydraulicpower.com
Carl Lorentzen
President
MJC Engineering & Technology, Inc.
15401 Assembly Lane
Huntington Beach, CA 92649
714-890-0618
sales@mjcengineering.com