The prevailing approach to motion control, especially in hydraulics, is plagued by inefficiency. While hydraulics are essential to countless industries, their widespread use comes with significant energy waste, hindering progress in system efficiency and optimisation. Consequently, industries are missing out on the significant value that could be unlocked by adopting more advanced technologies in their operations.
Domin’s white paper entitled ‘Transforming Motion Control: A Revolution in Hydraulic Systems’ highlights the inefficiencies of hydraulic systems and examines how a return to first principles, combined with the utilisation of modern tools and methods, can revolutionise motion control. In doing so, we can achieve significant enhancements in performance, efficiency and sustainability, across critical industries.
They also require a lot of energy. A McKinsey report (www.tinyurl.com/5f9jphsm), Preparing for the Imminent Revolution in the Fluid Systems Industry, estimated that fluid pumps alone account for 15% of all the energy used within the EU.
Hydraulics are integral to many industries, powering machinery in manufacturing, aviation, automotive, construction, and mining. In industrial settings, hydraulic systems control huge tools and allow the easy movement of heavy loads in very harsh conditions.
Modern tools such as metal 3D printing, advanced motors, sensors and electronics present a significant opportunity to innovate and overcome the limitations of traditional hydraulic systems. These advancements have the potential to establish the new “stable” technology, shaping the creation of systems for the next 50 to 100 years.
Utilising modern technology and combining it with a first-principles approach, will help us achieve our goals with greater efficiency and enhanced performance, unlocking possibilities that were once thought unattainable. The question that the white paper sought to answer is: “If we were trying to achieve this goal for the first time with the technology available today - how would we do it?”
3D PRINTING
Metal 3D printing offers unprecedented design freedom. When we find opportunities that allow us to rethink how we design, we can make things that previously were simply not possible. This kind of shift can be seen by looking back at the construction of the Iron Bridge in 1779 – the world’s first major bridge made from cast iron. Initially, engineers applied traditional designs to this new material, but soon they began to innovate, creating bridges that fully utilised cast iron’s properties.
Similarly, while metal 3D printing is currently being used to improve existing designs, the real potential lies in rethinking products from the ground up. Rather than simply tweaking existing products, we can ask: “What if this product was designed from scratch with the freedom metal 3D printing allows?”
This approach mirrors the Iron Bridge’s legacy – moving from old designs to new paradigms, demonstrating how new technologies can make what was once unimaginable a reality. The Iron Bridge is 30.6 metres long and was a feat of engineering. Today, the Danyang-Kunshan Grand Bridge in China is 164km. It is only through this philosophy of reimagination that this seismic difference could be achieved.
Applying this approach, metal 3D printing enables the creation of intricate curvilinear internal passages, channels, and fluid flow paths that are challenging or impossible to achieve using traditional manufacturing techniques. This enhances the performance and efficiency of hydraulic components, by optimising fluid dynamics and reducing pressure losses.
Metal 3D printing makes it substantially easier to tailor components to specific applications or system requirements. The flexibility of the design and manufacturing process enables the rapid incorporation of design modifications, such as varying valve sizes, shapes, and flow characteristics for bespoke purposes. The benefits presented by metal 3D printing enables us to rethink the design of hydraulic components with improved fluid dynamics and reduced energy losses.
NEW STABLE TECHNOLOGY
By returning to a first-principles approach and redesigning hydraulic technology with innovations and advanced design and simulation techniques, we can establish a new stable technology. This new technology will set the benchmark for years to come.
We can address the energy efficiency problem while still achieving the performance and precision required by hydraulic systems to power our world. Domin’s utilisation of these opportunities to develop high-performance hydraulic technology – high-speed control valves and ultra-compact pumps – enables a complete redesign of hydraulic systems.
By taking a first-principles approach and combining the modern tools available to us, it has developed a high-speed control valve that controls the motion of hydraulic fluid in new ways.
Traditionally, servo valves will have a large electronics housing on the side of the valve. Domin’s solution is a slim, modular PCB approach that sits within the housing of the valve.
Most direct drive valves currently use large, bulky linear position transducers with relatively average resolution and performance. Domin can harness the benefits of the miniscule magnetic hall effect sensors, whilst achieving greater control accuracy.
By opting for brushless DC motors instead of the traditional solenoid drive, we can achieve a high amount of torque for the same given electrical input. This enables us to control the valve both at high pressures when the flow forces on the spooler grate and maintain accurate control at high frequencies.
These algorithms allow Domin’s products to meet the highest demands in terms of step input speeds and frequencies, to minimise overshoots, and maintain very accurate, repeatable and precise control. The manifold is one of the components manufactured using metal 3D printing. Simulation tools like CFD determine the optimum flow galleries to minimise pressure drops and optimise flow rates.
OVERCOMING INEFFICIENCIES
The transformation of motion control, particularly within the realm of hydraulic systems, represents not just an incremental improvement, but a profound revolution in efficiency, performance, and sustainability.
By reimagining traditional hydraulic technologies through the lens of modern advancements – such as metal 3D printing, advanced motors and sensors, and electronics – we can overcome the inefficiencies that have long plagued these systems and define the new stable technologies that will build our world.
The limitations of conventional hydraulic systems, which despite their ubiquity across various critical industries, have stagnated in terms of innovation. The consequences of this stagnation are severe, with traditional systems operating at a fraction of their potential efficiency. This inefficiency translates into vast amounts of wasted energy, economic loss, and a significant environmental impact.
However, the challenges posed by outdated hydraulic technology present an immense opportunity. By applying a first-principles approach, we open the door to a new era of hydraulic innovation. The integration of metal 3D printing, allows for the creation of components that are not only lighter and more efficient, but also tailored to optimise fluid dynamics in ways previously thought impossible.
Similarly, the adoption of brushless DC motors and hall effect sensors provides unprecedented precision and durability, further enhancing system performance whilst reducing energy consumption.
These Technologies redefine what is possible in hydraulic systems, push the boundaries of performance and efficiency and set new standards for sustainability.