Electric alternative of hydraulic operation : Empowering safety through electrification

Abstract: Electrification is a relevant subject in the industrial market and provides many benefits. The motivation for this project is to reduce the fire hazard by removing the hydraulic fluids from the steel mill environment. This project aims to analyze the existing hydraulic sealing unit and evaluate the electrification alternatives. This was done by assessing the performance of the current sealing unit to identify the needs that are essential for the product. Concepts that fulfill these needs were then generated and evaluated to decide the optimal solution for this application. The final solution of this project is a concept that replaces the hydraulic cylinder with an electromechanical actuator in the form of a planetary roller screw. This results in a product that performs the punch operation at a sequence time of 0.6 seconds. This solution reaches the goal of electrifying the function while still being compatible with the steel mill environment and spatial constraints.