Planning
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
A-5
Industrial type double acting cylinders are not designed for clamping. These cylinders, even high quality ones, have significant leakage across their internal seals. This leakage will not normally be externally visible. Internal leaks from one side of the piston to the other will cause pumps to cycle excessively.
I need to disconnect my fixture from the pump. I also need double acting clamps. How can I do this? Vektek has designed several configurations in Automatic and Manual Shutoff Valve Decouplers to fit your application. VektorFlo ® automatic valve decouplers work with either single or double acting devices. Manual decouplers, originally designed for single acting systems, include an auxiliary port that can be used for double acting systems. By adding a second quick disconnect to the auxiliary port of the manual decoupler (we suggest female), connecting a second line and employing appropriate valves you can decouple your fixture from the power supply for machining. (Top plates or manual decouplers with self- closing valves are not designed for use with double acting circuits.) We run a fixture for 3 months, store it for 6 months, then bring it back on line. How can we keep everything working? Preventive maintenance . Before you store your fixtures, be sure that they are free of coolants, coolant buildup, clean and dry. A light coating of corrosion protection may help. Be sure to store in a cool, dry, clean environment. We encourage the use of double acting clamps on fixtures which will be stored for extended periods. Our clamps are used for cast iron grinding. Our coolants also seem to be corrosive (our fixture plates rust). Will your clamps stand up to this? Nothing is going to be 100% foolproof. Our extensive use of hard chrome plating, stainless steel and our corrosion resistant BHC™ will give you the best possible resistance to corrosion. Our processes will allow our clamps to run longer with fewer problems even in this destructive environment. Preventive maintenance is essential to keep hydraulic systems and components running at peak performance through millions of cycles. Be sure to flush your entire system at least once a year and more frequently in high contamination environments.
When I unclamp my single acting clamps, a small amount of coolant comes out of the vent port. I am running flood coolant and the clamps are covered during the entire machine cycle. Can I eliminate this problem? Maybe. We suggest you run a vent line to fresh air from each breather port. This can be done in copper or plastic tubing. If you can’t get to fresh air, a trap in the tubing or protected vent inlet area will reduce the amount of coolant entering the cylinders. Keeping the coolant out will reduce the chance of corrosion in the cylinders. It will also keep the cylinders from having to expel the coolant as they return causing sluggish return. Our swing clamps are now available with bottom venting to allow them to breathe dry air from protected areas under the fixture. When I look at my clamps, there are threaded holes in them. What do the labels "P" "ADVANCE" "RETRACT" mean? These threaded holes are called ports. The label "P" or "ADVANCE" ports are normally used to clamp the part, "RETRACT" indicates the port normally used to unclamp or retract the clamp. My local chemical representative has recommended the use of "water-glycol" hydraulic fluid. What are the benefits of this fluid and should I use it? Water-glycol is a nontraditional hydraulic fluid. This fluid was developed for use where petroleum based fluids are not allowed. They are commonly used in areas requiring "flameproof" fluid. They often cause problems with device seals, valves and pumps. We do not recommend water-glycol fluids. We may in some cases be able to provide devices with seal compounds acceptable for use in this environment. We cannot recommend or warrant their use in any Vektek pump or directional control valve.
NOTE: These cylinders should be avoided in all palletized
applications as they may cause pressure loss or back pressure quick disconnects.
All leaks at fittings, seals, or other typical leak points will eventually cause a pump to cycle. If your VektorFlo ® pump cycles more often than you feel appropriate (more than once per minute without a valve being shifted) call us. We will gladly offer advice. I want to limit the pressure into a sequenced hydraulic circuit. Which valve would I install first? We recommend that you avoid putting one special function valve behind another if possible. If you must, put the pressure limiting valve after the sequence valve. This avoids the limiting valve being shut off before the sequenced circuit is fully actuated. I want several sequenced operations to happen on my fixture. Can I put three or four sequence valves in series? We do not recommend it. Our sequence valves operate better if run directly from the main hydraulic supply line and set at different pressures. We recommend at least a 35 bar (3.5 MPa) differential. My company uses a lot of brass fittings on our product. Can I use these to connect my hydraulic clamps? No, brass fittings and some aluminum or steel fittings are for low pressures. Be sure that locally sourced fittings are rated for 350 bar (35 MPa) operation. We do not recommend the use of lower pressure fittings. Ask your local source for high pressure BSPP S-Series fittings.
www.vektek.com
Outside US+1-913-365-1045
© Vektek December 2021
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs