A leading worldwide life science company asked Helipebs to design a hydraulic control system to provide power and high accuracy control of actuators mounted within a chromatography column. The system was required to achieve matched position movements between all three actuators, to a close tolerance, whilst ensuring hydraulic forces were maintained within strict limits.
The challenge
To design a compact stainless steel HPU and actuator system to meet the client’s requirements and be capable of being washed down to help prevent bacterial growth. The system would be capable of intermittent usage with periods of long term storage, without loss of performance or significant maintenance requirements.
The solution
We designed a high specification HPU which incorporated a closed loop control system with a NEMA 4X HMI to allow operator control. The HPU utilised high performance servo valves in conjunction with a programmable controller. Roundline type hydraulic actuators were developed, eliminating tie rods which could act as dirt collection areas. Both the HPU and hydraulic actuators were manufactured in 316L stainless steel, polished to a 32 micron sateen finish.
Key points
- The power pack was designed to use modern servo control techniques to operate the column actuators at the same rate on both extend and retract operations. The power pack was also designed to be used on multiple columns.
- Actuators were designed as a roundline type, in mainly 316L stainless steel, polished to resist corrosion and aid wash down cleaning after process completion.
- Both hydraulic cylinders and power pack were designed to operate on FDA approved food grade non-toxic synthetic hydraulic oil.
- Helipebs worked closely with the customer to deliver a high quality product for pharmaceutical industry drug filtration use.
