39
december 2014
international
construction
COMPONENTS
Building for the future
W
ith a wealth of advances in machinery design
continuing to emerge, creating components that
are responsive to the demands of the construction
industry remains a challenge.
Among the key goals for components makers are improving
hydraulic performance and developing electronic systems to
improvingmachineprecision and controllability and reduce fuel
consumption. Translating this into a better finished machine
is often a combination of in-house design by the equipment
manufacturer and tapping into the expertise of components
suppliers and other partners.
Among the major manufacturers investing in research and
development is Hitachi, which has placed an emphasis on
designing equipment across global markets. As Hiroyuki
Kamata, engineering general manager for the company at its
European headquarters explained, product development is of
core importance.
Within its key areas of focus this year has been developing
a response to the stringent emissions regulation that have seen
engines developed tomeet Stage IV/Tier four 4 legislation.
The company is also working on improving its established
TRIAS hydraulics system, which three pumps and has been
fitted to itsZX series of excavators of between20 and35 tonnes.
MrKamata said, “From the feedback thatwehave gained from
customers, some of the key features they are looking for are
loweringof running costs andmaking cabinsmore comfortable.
They are looking formachineswith lower fuel consumption and
can handle increased loads, while also beingmore efficient.
“In general, the biggest challenge for engineers is to find the
best balancingpoint inproductivity, fuel consumption and total
cost. Our development team has been trying to evaluate loss
in hydraulics of our current system by all possible motions in
operation. Then they have implemented all possible methods
of loss reduction for our new hydraulic system. As a result, they
will achieve reduction in fuel consumption in futuremodels.”
Versatility is key
Creating robust and versatile equipment is something that
Liebherr has regarded as one of its highest priorities. This has
been demonstrated with its decision to expand its production
facilities and serve customers beyondproducing components for
its own equipment.
Gebhard Schwarz, managing director of the company’s
components division, said there had been an “increasing
importance” placed on developing its external customer base,
served from its latest facilities in Switzerland.
He said, “In addition to large diameter bearings and drives,
our focus is to promote the sales of diesel and gas engines,
common rail systems and axial piston units.
“The area of electronics represents a good future opportunity,
as electronics is increasingly being used for central control and
monitoring inmodernmachines.”
>
Building
for the future
If youwant a productive
constructionmachine,
you have to start with
high performance
components.
Neill
Barston
looks at
some of the
technological trends.
AHitachi excavator fitted
with TRIAS hydraulics.
