Compact, gearless and modular: Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive systems from Bosch Rexroth provide high flexibility in rubber manufacturing. Physical and digital innovations, together with service expertise, are creating further possibilities to keep rubber customers ahead.

Used in rubber production for decades, Hägglunds hydraulic direct drive systems continue to develop. Recent years have seen significant advances, especially in the connectivity solutions of the Hägglunds Inside Intelligence portfolio. For rubber producers, there is also development in some of the most fundamental functions. 

“There are many technical solutions today that improve productivity and competitiveness for our customers,” says Håkan Angerbjörn, rubber industry sector manager at Bosch Rexroth. “Those are extremely important. But we can never let go of our focus on people – the employees that our customers depend on. Safety and peace of mind, provided for example by our quick-stop valve and roll-back function, are also vital.” 

The Hägglunds quick-stop valve belongs to a broad portfolio of valves that add further functionality to Hägglunds drive systems. It provides critical safety in rubber production, most notably at roll mills. With the shortest response time on the market, the valve stops rollers in 3–10° degrees of rotation – just centimeters on a standard mill. But it not only makes workplaces more secure, it now comes in a new version promising even more advantages. 

“Today we have launched our new model of the quick-stop function for roll mills,” says Daniel Becker, Hägglunds expert and sales engineer at Bosch Rexroth in Germany. “Naturally, the valve meets the DIN EN 1417:2015-03 standard by fulfilling performance level d, category 3. However, it offers some new features that we look forward to sharing with the world, such as the potential to boost energy efficiency. Further studies are pending, but early indications show a significant potential for efficiency improvement.” 

The quick-stop valve, of course, is just one of many opportunities in a Hägglunds system for increasing efficiency and saving energy. Becker explains that more can be done by looking system-wide. 

“We work closely with the customer to find the right ways of optimizing an existing solution,” Becker says. “Our Hägglunds service experts measure, improve and fine-tune the system in the field, with the goal of reducing its energy consumption and improving productivity at the same time. This work is assisted by experts at our R&D department in Sweden, who support them with detailed computer-based simulations that show the potential energy savings of different alternatives.” 

“The customer gets all the necessary information from us, from the investment cost to the anticipated energy savings and time to return on investment,” Becker continues. “We’ve used the process to update many roll mills to meet new challenges, and the work has been very positively received.” 

Optimization processes like the one Becker describes can be handled with data collected in the field, but today data can also be collected through real-time connectivity. Hägglunds CMp is a secure connectivity solution that creates a reliable health index for Hägglunds systems. Besides being used for predictive maintenance, it lets Hägglunds experts see when a drive system is being under- or overutilized. 

“Hägglunds CMP creates an understanding of what’s happening within the drive system, so that if needed service experts can act in a timely and efficienty way to protect its health,” says Håkan Angerbjörn. “That might mean addressing early signs of wear or other issues before they become critical, but it can also mean using the modular design to keep the system in step with actual needs. Demands, compounds and processes can change over time, but a Hägglunds drive system can be adjusted, reconfigured or upgraded to match. Keeping it working within optimal parameters is a further way of securing uptime and extending its operating life – as well as the life of the equipment it serves.” 

Angerbjörn concludes, “Between innovations like the new quick-stop valve and the incremental improvements we can make through field service and connectivity, we’re always working to keep Hägglunds customers productive.”