Project
Background
A European precision forging equipment manufacturer specializing in high-precision machining of aerospace components upgraded a 1,500-ton precision die forging press in 2022, requiring a supporting high-pressure hydraulic system. The hydraulic pump needed to meet the following criteria:
1. Stable output of 200 ml/s (12 L/min) under continuous high pressure of 400 Bar.
2. Servo-programmable control with ±0.3% flow accuracy.
3. Full-load noise ≤75 dB.
Fatal Issues in Traditional Plunger Pump Trials
● Excessive Flow Pulsation: High-pressure flow reached ±7%, causing forging dimensional deviations exceeding ±0.2 mm (vs. the design requirement of ±0.05 mm).
● Severe Plunger Pair Wear: Cavitation effects degraded surface roughness from Ra0.8μm to Ra3.2μm, with a service life of only 500 hours.
● Response Lag: Electro-hydraulic servo system control delay reached 5 ms, failing to match the forging machine's rapid direction-change requirements.
Customized Solution:
Our technical team collaborated with Yanshan University Laboratory to propose a three-level optimization scheme for stability and precision control under high-pressure, low-flow conditions:
1. High-Pressure Precision Pump Body Structure Reengineering
Asymmetric Valve Plate Design
Through ANSYS Fluent flow field simulation, variable-section damping grooves (inlet width 0.8 mm → outlet 1.2 mm) were designed on the valve plate, combined with a pre-boost unloading angle of 18°. This reduced pressure shock from 12 MPa to 4.5 MPa and suppressed flow pulsation to ±0.25% <RichMediaReference>@CFD-2023</RichMediaReference>.
Nano-Enhanced Plunger Pair
The plunger surface was treated with Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation (PIII) to form a 50μm-thick TiN/TiCN composite coating (hardness HV1500, friction coefficient 0.06), enhancing wear resistance to 8,000 hours <RichMediaReference>@SurfaceEng-2024</RichMediaReference>.
High-Precision Swash Plate Mechanism
The swash plate angle sensor has a resolution of 0.01°, paired with a dual-feedback fork-type servo valve (response time 1.2 ms), achieving displacement control accuracy of ±0.1 ml/s <RichMediaReference>@PrecisionCtrl-2023</RichMediaReference>.
2. Digital Twin-Driven Intelligent Control System
Nanosecond-Level Closed-Loop Control
Using SERCOS III real-time Ethernet (communication cycle 0.1 ms) and integrating the IndraMotion MLD motion controller, a pump-valve collaborative control model was built. Digital twin technology previews the forging process to dynamically adjust displacement and compensate for pressure fluctuations, with control delay < 1μs <RichMediaReference>@DigitalTwin-2024</RichMediaReference>.
Adaptive Filtering Algorithm
A Kalman filter-based noise suppression algorithm was developed to real-time filter high-frequency sensor interference (noise attenuation rate >95% for >100Hz), ensuring flow signal stability <RichMediaReference>@FilterAlgo-2023</RichMediaReference>.
3. Low-Vibration Green Manufacturing Process
Precision Machining Technology
The pump body was formed in a single clamping on a Mazak Integrex i-400AM milling-turning composite center, with key hole coaxiality ≤0.002mm and surface roughness Ra≤0.4μm <RichMediaReference>@UltraPrecision-2024</RichMediaReference>.
Modular Noise Reduction Design
Integrated Helmholtz mufflers (resonance frequency 800Hz) and carbon fiber vibration-damping supports (damping ratio 0.15), combined with acoustic topology optimization of the pump body surface, reduced noise to 72dB at 1 meter <RichMediaReference>@AcousticDesign-2023</RichMediaReference>.
Implementation Results
The project was developed over 12 months to meet the requirements of the European precision forging equipment manufacturer:
● Precision Breakthrough: Achieved 0.03mm-level dimensional accuracy with the forging machine, increasing first-pass yield from 85% to 99.2%.
● Reliability Verification: Continuous trouble-free operation for 10,000 hours in testing equipment, with maintenance costs reduced by 60%.
