www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS September 2024 35 is shaped in a mould, is preferable. Faster still, both at heating up and cooling down, is a valve body manufactured with hydroforming, which involves high pressure fluid to create the design. This can be combined with the processes of annealing that increases durability by relieving residual stress and improving corrosion resistance, as well as laser welding that can establish a hygienic seal without adding any extra material. Together, these manufacturing techniques create a more lightweight valve body design, and this low mass achieves rapid heat transfer. While a forged valve body can take nearly 10 minutes to cool down to 45°C from the sterilisation temperature, a comparative hydroformed valve body reaches the mark in just over four minutes, and this difference can significantly speed up production turnaround. Optimising sustainability A hydroformed design also reduces the steam requirement, and hence energy use, necessary during SIP. This can represent a significant cost saving, especially when multiplied across all installed valves. As hydroformed valve bodies can be as much as 75% lighter, this also saves costs in installation with fewer supporting structures required. This energy saving also provides an advantage in sustainability. Reliability and hygienic conformance Although cost saving and sustainability improvements are highly important, valve body performance is fundamental. To ensure optimum durability, the design and manufacturing techniques of the valve body have to meet burst and leak pressure specifications. A safety factor multiple times the required real-world level can be achieved through the hydroforming and annealing processes, combined with the necessary conformance in wall thickness. It’s also essential to ensure that any welding can withstand the sudden temperature changes of sterilization and cooling, as well as resistance to cracking under vibration. Equally crucial is hygienic conformance. 316L stainless steel achieves this, and the design, including weld lines, has to remain corrosion-free under intensive saline testing. Ultimately, a material inspection certificate 3.1 according to EN10204, with a CIP-capable design that meets EHEDG Type EL, CLASS I Certification, as well as 3-A Sanitary Standards, create trust in hygienic conformance. Meeting standards in sustainability While reliability and hygienic conformance should be a given in specification, optimising valve body design can not only increase productivity but can also enhance sustainability. Lower energy use in operation, in addition to the lower carbon emissions in valve body manufacture, can help provide a pharmaceutical, food & beverage, or cosmetics manufacturer with the sustainability credentials they need from a supplier. Integrating light, strong tube valve bodies, these producers can reduce costs in production as well. According to the independent verifier, Trusted Footprint, comparing 1” tubing, up to 38% less gCO2 equivalent can be saved by using a hydroformed design, like the Bürkert Tube Valve Body, rather than a forged variant. Taking carbon emissions in valve body manufacture into consideration, hydroforming is also far greener. For a 1.5” device, Trusted Footprint confirms that the Bürkert Tube Valve Body generates 58% less emissions in carbon dioxide equivalent during its manufacture, which includes steel production as well as processing techniques, compared to a forged body of the same size. For further information please visit: www.burkert.co.uk Drive Forward with EtherCAT from Delta Motion CCSLN.com 44(0)1926 485532 Distributor One axis or fifty. Servo hydraulic or servo electric. Position, velocity, or force control. Direct connection or through EtherCAT. Delta RMC Motion Controllers and graphical RMCTools software make complex motion easier, smoother, and more precise. Drive over to deltamotion.com or call 44(0)7594 000453. Get your next project moving forward more quickly than you thought possible! HYDRAUIC VALVES MOTOR DRIVES SENSORS
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