MJC Engineering, Huntington Beach, CA, has created a turnkey solution that includes system integration, engineering, software technology, and programming under the Green Hydraulic Power (GHP) label. The system incorporates a Siemens Sinamics variable-speed drive powering an internal-gear hydraulic pump. MJC claims up to 70 percent energy savings over conventional hydraulic systems, as well as noise reduction by 20 dBA, less heat generation, lower cooling requirements, less oil volume, and a smaller footprint.
MJC, a custom machine tool builder, had been looking for ways to improve the energy efficiency of its machines. The company turned to Siemens, its longtime automation supplier, to help design a new hydraulic power unit.
“We saw that the servo pump could control pressure and flow and precisely convert electric energy into hydraulic power,” says Carl Lorentzen, president of MJC. “In some cases, the use of control valves is completely or partially eliminated.”
Lorentzen subsequently established Green Hydraulic Power, Inc. as a separate enterprise that now offers the unit for OEM integration by other machine builders. The GHP line is available in two styles: one with a VFD asynchronous motor and internal gear pump, and the other with a servo inverter, synchronous servo motor, and internal gear pump.
