CLDP servo drives - maximum flexibility and high energy efficiency for test benches

In these and comparable applications, the Voith drives offer a crucial advantage – their enormous energy efficiency. The high efficiency allows an up to 70 percent reduction in energy consumption compared with conventional hydraulic drives with proportional valves. When used with springloaded test components, e.g. in the IABG test benches, the regenerative principle of the drives also feeds tension potential energy back to the system. This energy is then available for simultaneous asynchronous movements of other drives. Conventional hydraulic systems convert this energy into heat. Thanks to the option of running a second system asynchronously, the CLDP helps to substantially reduce overall running costs (TCO). In addition, the high degree of flexibility means that very different components can be tested in one system, which optimizes system capacity and increases productivity. The largely wear-free drive is also the basis for the high availability of the entire system. For example, in some cases, the IABG test benches run for several weeks in continuous unmanned operation – seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

Another benefit is that thanks to the compact design, the CLPD servo drive and associated actuators are located precisely above the component testers. As a result, the system needs much less installation space than comparable products. This also reduces the need to install and maintain piping. Because the CLDP servo drives, as the sole interface, need just one power feed, the systems are independent of the remaining infrastructure of a plant. In action, the CLDP servo drive basically works like an electromechanical drive, except that its power density and maximum achievable forces are much higher.

IABG builds these test benches for car manufacturers and their subsuppliers. But as a service provider, the company also conducts these kinds of tests itself. Its customers include the world's leading spring manufacturer NHK, and renowned car manufacturers like Audi or Hyundai.

“Operators of an IABG system with Voith CLDP drives gain a lot of advantages,” says Sebastian Hoffmann, the respective head of department at IABG. As well as the significant electricity savings, the linear drives also enable the use of resources to be reduced, as they work with a much lower volume of oil. “Above all, however, they substantially extend the range of tests on offer and increase productivity.”

Alongside the CLDP, the Voith range of self-contained servo-hydraulic linear drives also includes the smaller CLSP, featuring load-dependent changeover of the hydraulic transmission, and the highly efficient PDSC press drive. The systems have already proven efficient in cutting, bending and forming machines with position and/or force control. In addition, the drives offer an advantageous alternative to spindle drives with servo motor.