STAUFF Technical Cleanliness in Hydraulics

RUBRI Z I ERUNGSEBENE www.oup-fluidtechnik.de  O+P Fluidtechnik 2023/10    19 involves no additional costs for customers, as Stauff has adopted this as a standard measure, not as an option to actual production. TESTED CLEANLINESS Stauff has examined the effectiveness of these measures in mul- tiple series of tests using different measuring methods. This is do- ne, among other things, using a test extraction system by remov- ing the particles from the test objects with liquid and ultrasound in the following process steps: injection, flushing, acting/dissolv- ing, ultrasound, shaking. A representative example frommultiple measurement series: A largest metallic particle of 846 μm and a largest non-metallic par- ticle of 963 μm was measured on a 90° equal elbow in standard production (1000 μm). This is slightly less than a millimetre and it is easy to imagine that particles of this size could cause damage to a valve or different seals etc. By contrast, in Stauff’s clean produc- tion, the largest metallic particle measured was 273 μm, and the largest non-metallic particle 213 μm. Equally persuasive are the numerical and gravimetric analysis processes undertaken, that is verifying the number and weight of the particles. 22,806 particles with a total weight of 1.5 mg/1000 cm3 were counted on the conventionally produced equal elbow. By contrast, 6253 particles with a total weight of 0.6 mg/1000 cm3 were counted on the same product produced under “technically clean” conditions. This shows that even technically clean compo- nents still have contaminants on their surface, albeit in signifi- cantly lower quantities and, as demonstrated above, with consid- erably smaller particle sizes at Stauff. RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ENTIRE SYSTEM The availability and service life of all functional units of the hy- draulic drive increased with the cleanliness of the hydraulic oil. While the main focus in the past has been on the ingress of exter- nal contaminants and maintenance of the oil in production, this is increasingly shifting to “initial” cleanliness too. Individual packaging of hydraulic components from clean production is just as important for the lasting maintenance of the hydraulic fluid as operational measures, including fluid filtration, ventilation filtra- tion, refilling of filtered fresh oil and regular analysis of the oil in situ or by an external laboratory. By 2023, Stauff had already made considerable investment in cleaning and test systems to ensure enhanced component clean- liness. The full-liner is therefore ahead of the market for all com- ponents of hydraulic line systems, and assumes responsibility for the entire hydraulic system. Apart from Stauff’s generally high quality standards, one aspect that should not be neglected here is the company’s own in-house depth of production – short distanc- es between production, logistics and the warehouse, as well as its carefully selected cooperation partner, the “electroplating service provider” just round the corner. Images: Stauff www.stauff.com PRODUCTION OF SENSITIVE COMPONENTS IS ORGANISED BASED ON TECHNICAL CLEANLINESS STAUFF IS INVESTING IN THE TECHNICAL CLEANLINESS OF SENSITIVE COMPONENTS CLEANLINESS AT STAUFF IS CONSIDERABLY HIGHER THAN THE STANDARD COMPANY’S IN-HOUSE DEPTH OF PRODUCTION IS BENEFICIAL HERE MULTIPLE NUMERICAL AND GRAVIMETRIC ANALYSIS PROCESSES PUTT ING I T PLAINLY 03