Your Basic Guide to Parker Non-Spill Quick Couplings

Hydraulic fluid particle detection is essential in maintaining the performance of the systems and equipment requiring the movement of materials and parts. Standard operating procedures call for regular monitoring of contaminants in hydraulic fluid to make sure particles are within the acceptable range to ensure safe and optimum operations.

The importance of hydraulic fluid particles detection in machinery-in-motion systems cannot be overstated. It is critical in plants, facilities and equipment across many markets and industries, including mobile equipment for earth-moving, agricultural planting and harvesting, and forestry; power generation wind turbines, gear boxes and lubrication systems; industrial equipment for production plants, fluid transfer, pulp and paper, and refineries, and maintenance test rigs and flushing stands.

Cleanliness of hydraulic fluid

Particle detectors provide data that indicates cleanliness of fluids and the performance of filters and pumps. Detectors allow technicians and other plant and facility personnel to identify issues that can be corrected before machines and processes are shut down.

If filters aren’t working correctly, then pumps work harder, creating more wear and larger particles delivered into the hydraulic fluid. Particles can include metal chips, dirt, moisture and other contaminants. Water in hydraulic fluid makes it less efficient to lubricate gears and it corrodes the system. 

To ensure optimum safe operations, hydraulic fluid particles must be monitored. That typically requires frequent inspection by maintenance and tech personnel who often must do their work in locations where hazards lurk.

To assist in ensuring their hydraulic systems are performing at max levels and to reduce maintenance activities on plant floors, many are turning now to a new way to measure hydraulic fluid particles that allows for remote monitoring.

Parker’s solution for remote monitoring of hydraulic fluid 

Parker has created a wireless and remote particle monitoring system combining its SensoNODE™ IoT technology and particle detector. Parker’s SensoNODE Analog Transmitters are integrated with Parker’s particle detector, iCountPD. 

The measurements from the iCountPD are transferred from the SensoNODE Analog Transmitter to Parker’s Voice of the Machine™ Cloud interface, allowing managers and techs to get the data from any location, including offices and even at home—wherever Internet access is available.

Parker’s solution makes a formerly wired control system wireless so you can receive data remotely. The SensoNODE Analog Transmitter uses 4-20mA measurement outputs and translates the data into particle size measurements. The technology stores the data in the cloud.

    Particle detection and measurement

The system detects hydraulic fluid particles and reports them with ISO 4406 codes. Particle size measurements are 4, 6 and 14 microns. The iCountPD can also measure moisture in hydraulic fluid.

Parker’s iCountPD systems can be used to monitor the upstream and downstream sides of filters. The before-and-after measurements provide data that shows whether the filters are working and whether the fluid needs to be changed. If issues are detected, technicians can flush the hydraulic system and change the filter.

The compact iCountPD is a permanently mounted system using leading-edge laser-based technology to assist in hydraulic fluid management and contamination control. Three versions are available:

• ICountPD, designed for test stands, flushing skids, filter carts and other industrial applications. The iCountPD can be used for Zone I applications with a NEMA7 enclosure.
• iCountPDR, for mobile equipment or any outside use other than in hazardous environments.
• iCountPRZ, which is designed for offshore platforms or other hazardous environments requiring Zone II safety.

Accessing particle measurement data from anywhere

The system integrates Parker’s IoT-based platform, Voice of the Machine™ Cloud. This means data is accessed through the web-based platform from anywhere technicians, operators or managers have an internet connection.

The platform dashboards with live and historical data provide particle measurements and insights into what’s happening with the hydraulic fluid. You can also set customized alarm thresholds of measurements (min/max) and be alerted when measurements fall outside of those defined thresholds.

The wireless system delivers advantages in safety and convenience, as they reduce the number of technicians required on the plant floor or in the vicinity of hydraulic equipment. Readouts from the various installed iCountPD particle detectors can be accessed well clear of hazardous or dangerous locations. Having fewer technicians and maintenance workers on the plant floor also helps operations stay in compliance of social distancing recommendations.

Learn more about Parker’s wireless particle detection system

The Parker solution provides an accurate and reliable tool to monitor the quality of the fluids in hydraulic equipment. Parker’s iCountPD products deliver continuous performance for dependable analyses and have been shown to prolong fluid life and reduce machinery downtime.

Contact Parker’s IoT team or iCountPD team to get more information on this unique particle detection solution.

 

 

 

 

Article contributed by Marc Williams, IoT project lead, and Gavin Barker, iCountPD applications engineer, Parker Hannifin Corporation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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As industry supply chains become more global and more complex, it behooves stakeholders to seek out ways to work with greater efficiency, reduce errors, increase equipment lifetime, and simply do more with fewer resources. Thus, a revolution is happening in many industries — including materials handling — as they align supply chain management and material handling practices with Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) solutions.  

 

Industrial IoT solutions defined

In Industrial IoT applications (sometimes referred to as IIoT applications), physical objects have been made “smart” with the addition of sensors and other technologies. These sensors can collect data, which is then transmitted, wirelessly, and automatically, to cloud-based computer networks. Data can then be analyzed by software to help human operators make more informed decisions about those objects. Increasingly, it’s the objects themselves that are making the decisions.

These technologies are quickly pervading many aspects of our daily lives: Most Americans already interact regularly with smart technologies when they work, shop, travel, or relax at home.

 

Download our white paper Off-Road Trends: Driving Cleaner, More Efficient and Connected Machinery, and learn what influences the advances in mobile heavy machinery.

        Applications of IoT in industrial automation

Those working in materials handling are increasingly interacting with Industrial IoT solutions while on the job. The impact of and potential for the technology are significant. As stated in a 2018 article in Wired Magazine:

The IIoT can transform traditional, linear manufacturing supply chains into dynamic, interconnected systems — a digital supply network (DSN) — that can more readily incorporate ecosystem partners. As key enablers of DSNs, IIoT technologies help to change the way that products are made and delivered, making factories more efficient, ensuring better safety for human operators, and, in some cases, saving millions of dollars.

 

Specifically, the Industrial IoT offers a range of advantages in material handling.

Equipment uptime and maintenance

If a machine fails, sensors can pinpoint the problem and make a service request. Better yet, data from sensors on materials handling machinery — which detect things such as vibrations, sound, and temperature — can drive predictive analytics that can help operators understand the maintenance needs to schedule service more effectively in advance.

The Wired article explains how one company used predictive maintenance to improve its production equipment uptime. The outcome? It avoided a $25 million expense to build another line to keep up with demand.

Workflow efficiency

Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR) in manufacturer stockrooms, warehouses, and distribution centers can collaborate with human workers to make workflows more efficient. One manufacturer’s AMR, for example, guides workers through a series of material picks in a way that minimizes travel and makes optimal use of the robot’s carrying capacity. The AMR then takes the material to a station for pack out. Over time, the cloud software to which the AMR is connected may recommend ways to reorganize product inventory for further efficiency gains.

Insight into fleet usage and availability

One forklift OEM offers telematics data that gives operators insights into how the vehicles are being used — how much are they driven, where they are driven, how much time they spend loading or unloading docked trucks, how often are they driven loaded or unloaded, etc. With this data in hand, operators and managers can make more informed decisions about fleet deployment and size.

Worker safety

IoT-enabled, self-driving forklifts, and pallet jacks can handle tasks that might be difficult or dangerous for humans. Predictive maintenance (see above) can help avoid breakdowns that often lead to worker injury.

Product status and shipping coordination

Sensors placed on pallets, in a product container, or on products themselves can track factors such as temperature, impact, and vibration. Any of this information may be critical, depending on the product. Those sensors can then transmit this information to the cloud to be accessed by stakeholders along the value chain.

Sensors can also be used to track the location and predict arrival times of shipments, to better coordinate and plan last-mile delivery.

New business models and opportunities

Some industry observers believe that the proliferation of Industrial IoT solutions will lead to an increase in the leasing of high-value equipment. Such equipment will be outfitted with sensors and networked. The manufacturer can then monitor remotely, to automatically (and efficiently) deliver maintenance and service. This allows the lessee to focus on its core business, rather than worry about equipment maintenance.

 

Technological hurdles to the IIoT

A webinar presented by the Materials Handling Industry of America pointed to the key challenges related to Industrial IoT applications. The primary ones relate to uncontrolled access to and misuse of IoT data—not necessarily for malicious intent, but misuse that can cause damage or injury nevertheless — along with true cyber threats.

These and other challenges reveal what’s referred to in the webinar as a root need for collaboration between IT and operations. The aim should be not only developing better security systems but a long-term management approach that ensures software is updated and maintained regularly.

 

The promise of Industrial IoT applications

Industrial IoT solutions hold tremendous promise to transform manufacturing and logistics. A key part of this transformation will be the widespread adoption of “smart” material handling equipment and systems that provide data to help operators create more efficiency, better use resources, improve worker safety, ensure product quality, and improve shipping.

 

To learn more about the key role of Parker 's Mobile IoT solutions and the trends revolutionalizing material handling equipment read our  White Paper Off-Road Trends: Driving Cleaner, More Efficient and Connected Machinery.

 

This article was contributed by the Fluid and Gas Handling Team

 

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A cramped, crowded, urban construction zone hardly seems the place for a 100-ton excavator or dozer. That’s why, in the 1980s, compact versions of these and other standard construction machines started appearing on jobsites.  

Aside from their smaller footprint, these machines offer versatility, portability, and lower cost of ownership. And while the compact construction equipment market started its evolution in Asia and Europe, it’s rapidly spreading to other regions as well.  

 

Compact construction equipment defined 

Compact construction equipment refers to any small unit designed to be used on a construction site. Among the vehicles classified as such are mini excavators, compact wheel loaders, multi-terrain loaders, compact track loaders, and skid steer loaders. These are produced by major OEMs, such as John Deere, Bobcat Doosan, Caterpillar, and many others. 

Generally, compact construction machines are not defined by size, but by their utility. Compact equipment offers a level of versatility and an ability to perform multiple tasks otherwise undertaken by heavy machinery. They offer a relatively low cost (including less fuel use), are lighter weight and “footprint,” and are easy to transport and operate. Their versatility and portability mean they’re popular as rental machines. 

One original equipment manufacturer representative explains it this way in an article for RER Reports: 

"While some people look at these machines as simply “downsized” versions of full-size machines, the fact is they’re serious pieces of equipment that are appropriate for a wide variety of smaller jobs. For example, it wouldn’t make any sense to use a full-size excavator to put a hot tub in a backyard, but a piece of compact equipment is just right for this kind of project. There’s a large market for these machines due to the variety of applications they can be used in, and I don’t see that changing."

OEM Equipment Representative

 

Global construction equipment market trends 

According to a 2019 report by QY Research, the global compact construction equipment market was valued at more than $10 billion (USD) in 2017 and is likely to reach more than $15 billion by the end of 2025. The global market for compact construction equipment is expected to show a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1% during these years.  

Another report by Allied Market Research claims the Asia-Pacific region will have the highest growth rate for compact construction equipment through 2023. This is no surprise when the region is experiencing a boom in urban infrastructure. We can also expect growth in Latin America, as that region’s overall construction industry rebounds.  

 

North American demand is growing 

Even in North America, demand has grown as many construction professionals have recognized the versatility these machines offer, along with their ability to quickly and easily mechanize work that had previously been done — and done more expensively — by hand. They have also recognized that compact construction equipment can be moved easily between jobsites, perhaps on a trailer hitched to a standard pickup truck. This portability adds to the equipment’s versatility and overall attractiveness.  

 

Electrification 

Another of the market trends affecting the growth of compact construction equipment is vehicle electrification.  

The electrification of these machines is generally easier than on large construction equipment, and major OEMs are introducing electric options. Volvo, for instance, has launched a range of electric compact excavators and wheel loaders, and will no longer produce diesel versions of these compact models.  

Quoted in an article published in OEM Off-Highway magazine, a Volvo representative states: 

"It’s easy to understand why this segment has been so attracted to electromobility. Cities want to – and need to – drive down their emissions and as regulations become more prevalent our customer base is increasingly looking for electric machines to meet these requirements. Compact machines are built for inner-city work and if you add in zero exhaust fumes and a quieter, safer work environment, you have a complete package perfectly suited to urban applications."

Volvo Representative

 
A bright future for the compact construction equipment market 

The compact construction equipment market is growing, owing to these machines’ overall versatility, portability, and cost of ownership. The electrification trend promises to further evolve these machines, making them even more ideal for crowded, urban jobsite environments. 

To learn more about trends in the Construction industry, read our white paper, Off-Road Trends: Driving Cleaner, More Efficient and Connected Machinery.

 

 

 

 

This article was contributed by the Fluid Gas Handling Team, Parker Hannifin

 

 

 

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