Italy-based Aidro Hydraulics has found a new lightweight means of producing their HPUs (Hydraulic Power Units). While HPUs are a staple of many work sites and high-power operations, they also need to be light enough to carry. Companies had, so far, tried multiple options to lighten the manifold but Aidro’s new method allows them to redesign the HPUs using DMLS to only keep those components that are absolutely necessary.
The company is using an efficient mode of building that retains the parts enable the HPUs dimensional, physical, and mechanical properties while cutting out the deadweight. Traditional manufacturing keeps the excess weight due to subtractive methods, thus weighing about four times more. As a result, they even incur more material costs than their metal printed counterparts.
Aside from the weight and the cost, the method also allows for a lot more unique designs. Not merely aesthetic, these choices make the fluid channels more efficient and cut out designs once constrained by traditional modes of production. The is particularly great considering that hydraulic power is based on creating more pressure with a smaller unit. Most of these devices can maximise pressure while being lightweight additions to tools like the jaws of life.
Light-Weight Hydraulic Power Units
It’s crucial for a lot of high power hydraulic systems to be lightweight and transportable. They are often used in high-power tools that require pressure, particularly by firefighters (i.e. the jaws of life).
Featured image courtesy of Aidro.