Search Results

Proportional valves for hydraulic and pneumatic applications are well developed and the technology behind it can be considered mature. The paper focuses on valves that are already on the market as well as on developments which can be observed at universities and their institutes or departments. For both fields - meaning hydraulics and pneumatics - the trend of integrating digital electronics into the components is treated and discussed. Developments accompanying these innovations include miniature, micro and low power valves as well as standards to drive these valves directly from a field bus. However, also innovations on the mechanic, electric or fluidic side on valves are remarkable and will be introduced to the reader.

A special clamping cell developed in the framework of the collaborative research center 368 at the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH) is able to clamp different workpieces in an absolutely autonomous way. In this paper an autonomous hydraulic clamping system for milling processes as well as a clamping system for 3-dimensional laser welding are presented. In particular a proportional throttle valve for several hydraulic cylinder developed for this clamping cell is introduced. The clamping system for the milling process is a completely autonomous hydraulic clamping system. All of the hydraulic as well as the electric components are integrated into this device. Further more a micro controller and a power supply are integrated into the clamping system as well. For the welding process the clamping system has to hold two sheet metal.