by Bryan Smith, Hydraulic Sales Manager at CMAFH

Automation technology needs are becoming more sophisticated as the industrial marketplace evolves. Efficiency and cost-effectiveness have never been more interrelated, and OEMs need to offer maximum value to stay competitive. The next tech revolution – Industry 4.0 – is here and as we all navigate these uncharted waters, CMAFH is proactively anticipating the need for advanced systems. Our customers have asked for, and we are designing, hydraulic systems that meet the following criteria:

– reduced dB (sound) levels
– reduced heat loads
– greater electrical efficiency

CMAFH designed a hybrid machine packaging hydraulic systems with electrical controls, and we call it HydraSmart. HydraSmart was designed initially to meet the criteria of our Plastics and Machine Tool customers. Working closely with a key customer we created two standard systems that will cover 95% of the industry’s needs.

Hydrasmart is an efficient plug and play HPU that provides variable pressure and flow, easily set by touchscreen. Using the proven technologies of variable speed drives and variable displacement pumps, along with some custom controls, we’ve created a power unit that has a small footprint. In many cases, HydraSmart consumes zero floor space as it is designed to fit within or under many injection molding machines allowing end users to maximize their output per square foot. It will also help your machines to become more energy efficient and much quieter. HydraSmart is typically used with all electric machinery such as injection molding or machine tool/CNC.

World, meet the HydraSmart Power Unit

In March of 2015, CMAFH had the opportunity to exhibit at the National Plastics Exhibition in Orlando showing two HydraSmart units as part of a larger display. CMAFH team members Gordon Johnson, Eric Grendahl and I had an exciting week that brought us exposure to thousands of customers. Traffic was steady at the five day event, and visitors were impressed by HydraSmart’s ease of use and small footprint. Pictured below, the ultra-compact HydraSmart unit is designed to reside within the framework of an injection molding machine.

Our efforts and investments in HydraSmart have brought many new and exciting opportunities. As a result, we have moved CMAFH electrical engineer Greg Parkhouse into a new role. Greg is now Special Projects Manager with primary emphasis and focus on the HydraSmart systems. Greg will be working closely with our engineering group, manufacturing group and sales and marketing group as we further develop this product.

If you want to know more about the HydraSmart system, please visit our website. We believe HydraSmart will be an expansive part of our systems business and the future in hydraulic systems.

HydraSmart is typically used with all electric machinery such as injection molding or machine tool/CNC. Learn more about the HydraSmart here or contact us at sales@cmafh.com for more information.