Increased flexibility with compact manifold design

In response to a customer’s requirement to improve safety and operating efficiency, Custom Fluidpower has redesigned a customer’s application to eliminate multiple manifolds and valves. This has effectively replaced these items with a single manifold also incorporating state-of-the-art electronic control components.

Ongoing development with the cartridge valve technology of Sun Hydraulic, a global designer and manufacturer of high-performance cartridge valves and manifolds, has resulted in a significant increase in design and circuit flexibility for equipment powered by hydraulic systems.

Generally, most standard mobile-style directional valves require supply and mounting as independent items. In some areas they may interface with existing manifolds and valves to provide their functionality, although this can be challenging and, in many instances, provides a solution which is both aesthetically impractical and not cost effective.

Importantly, the Sun Hydraulics range of proportional valves and electronic amplifiers allows considerable design opportunities in providing a consolidated manifold design providing both traditional spool functions with proportional electronic solenoid control. It is a further benefit that these solenoid coils are standard within the Sun product range and are not of complex design or prohibitive cost.

There are many advantages to a single manifold design using Sun components. Typically, some of these features include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Service port location flexibility
• Reduction in hose assemblies supporting increased safety
• Valve location flexibility
• Fewer component parts
• Manifold size and weight
• Completely functional hydraulic circuit in one manifold

Custom Fluidpower is able to apply this technology to its manifold design and application engineering in a broad range of applications. In applications where multiple valves exist, and are supplemented by significant hydraulic hose installations, this technology is a suitable platform.