FROM THE FIELD Paul J. Heney • VP, Editorial Director
Fluid power manufacturers make the LEAP Winners of the second annual LEAP Awards were announced in December 2019, and competition was fierce in the two fluid power categories. This year, judges awarded a Gold, Silver and Bronze in each of the categories, which stretched across mechanical and electrical engineering disciplines. In Pneumatics, Festo was awarded the gold for its DHEF adaptive shape gripper, which adapts to workpiece size and shape and picks up, gathers, and sets down single or multiple objects without manual adjustment. The gripper offers maximum gripping flexibility with minimal engineering. The adaptive shape gripper automatically grips mixed objects with multiple shapes, unaligned objects, and numerous objects at once. It gently forms around an object and is suitable for gripping fragile items and human/machine interaction. Taking Silver was Emerson Aventics’ Smart Pneumatics Analyzer (SPA). This product enhances preventative maintenance and energy optimization by analyzing and visualizing pneumatic systems. By digitizing the pneumatic environment, the SPA helps pneumatic system users quickly and easily see the potential benefits of integrating IIoT in their machine with a few simple steps. The monitor initially detects the system operating state, analyzes data, and provides this processed information to users for status-oriented maintenance. Finally, Parker Hannifin took the Bronze for its P2M Industrial Ethernet Node, which is optimized to be cost effective with the intention of providing the opportunity for customers with traditionally hardwired networks to migrate to an Ethernet solution that is intuitive, easy to use, install and maintain; all while reducing overall costs. In Hydraulics, Husco was awarded the Gold award for its Exacto Pilot Interrupter System, which enables digital control of any 4
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pilot operated mobile machine. This product was conceived to be fitted to current market machines either as a factory fit or in the field to give safe, autonomous, augmented, or remote digital control of the machine. It uses pressure transducers, solenoid valves, a wiring harness, and a precision controller with electrohydraulic control algorithms and software. All of this is combined into a single subsystem allowing for ease of installation and integration with current production systems and other systems such as machine control or remote operation. The Silver award went to Bosch Rexroth for its CytroBox — The Hydraulic Power Unit of the Future. With a compact and energyefficient design, the intelligent CytroBox is suited for a variety of hydraulic power applications, and comes fully equipped with a variable speed drive, electronic controller, sensor package, and its own IoT solution. Finally, the Bronze award was awarded to Linde Hydraulics Corp. for its Fast Stroking Concrete Pump HPV135-02T. The company developed a new faster stroking variable axial-piston pump for use in concrete pump applications. Constructive changes with the variable axial-piston pump’s internal design have allowed Linde to offer a pump with a significantly faster response time.
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Paul J. Heney
VP, Editorial Director pheney@wtwhmedia.com
On Twitter @wtwh_paulheney
