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The missing link... found
Frame? Check. Engine? Check. Fuel system? Check. Battery? Check. Hose? Erm…
You may have all the other components in place, but without the industrial hose to carry the fluids and gases, a generator or other asset simply won’t work. Yet hose is almost always the last thing to be considered, specified and supplied.
A large manufacturer has recently developed a new-style mobile generator. Designed to be transported around the world, the generator will provide more sustainable power for major sporting events which move from venue to venue. However, despite the many months of design and development work, the required industrial hose was ordered with a delivery deadline of just three days.
Fortunately, ERIKS Industrial Hose facility has the experience, expertise and capability to design and manufacture to the highest standards, even on the shortest deadlines.
Hoses with a twist
When customers provide original drawings, ERIKS’ engineers don’t rush straight into production. Experience proves that a few small design twists and tweaks can often help to cut manufacturing costs, or make the hose easier to fit or maintain. So time spent in the short-term can mean time or money saved in the long run.
Customers’ design and engineering teams will often collaborate with ERIKS’ own engineers, to discuss the feasibility of a particular idea before it moves beyond the initial development stage.
With ERIKS’ input, the customer can be sure that not only will the finished design be fit for purpose, but also that it will be capable of cost-effective manufacture.
In this particular case, despite the exceptionally short timescale, ERIKS’ engineers went back to the customer’s CAD design team to point out a problem with their initial design. The proposed location of the hose meant there wasn’t room to manoeuvre a welding torch into position for fitment. But a couple of small tweaks solved the problem on the drawing board and meant no further issues on the factory floor.
ERIKS is a long-standing partner of this original equipment manufacturer – and their sole supplier of welded hose assemblies. The close working relationship makes this kind of co-operation possible, to the ultimate benefit of the customer.
3,2,1, Go!
Once the design was finalised, the Welding and Assembly Team Leader for Industrial Hose set to work. Bringing his know-how and experience to bear, his aim is always to devise the most efficient production method for the assembly.
The solution for the new-style generator comes in three parts. The first part involves two solid welded tubes, each half a metre long, with flanges welded to the end. The second part is a support plate, and the third is a seal designed to fit around the plate. The breadth of knowledge within ERIKS meant that the Industrial Hose team could call on the ERIKS Sealing & Polymer team, to find a sealing solution that was not only practical and effective, but also affordable.
The production run is now under way, with two generators having been successfully manufactured and tested, and a total of 140 to be manufactured over 12 months.
The end to a means
The expertise of the ERIKS Industrial Hose team means that whatever needs welding to the end of a hose, they can do it. And in many cases, they already do.
The nuclear industry, oil refineries and the pharmaceutical sector all rely on hose manufactured and supplied by ERIKS. But they don’t rely on ERIKS’ reputation alone.
In these areas and others, where hose is required to transport dangerous or critical materials, or as part of potentially dangerous processes, extensive and strict testing and certification of hose components, fittings and welds is mandatory.
ERIKS not only provide full traceability right back to the raw materials, but also offer non-destructive Dye Pen Testing to test the penetration of the weld, which is a crucial safety issue.
Hose is probably never going to be the first thing you think of when developing new equipment or machinery. But with a capability that extends from hoses to solid tubes and welded assemblies, and from design to supply, ERIKS Industrial Hose should be the first people you think of.
For more information on Hose solutions or to get in touch with one of our ERIKS Fluid Power Specialists please contact your local ERIKS Service Centre, who will be happy to discuss your options.
#ERIKS #LetsMakeIndustryWorkBetter #IndustrialHose #Engineering
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