Energy management system for electrohydrostatic actuation systems

January 2024 Motion Control & Drives

In the machine manufacturing industry, more drive systems are being converted from servo-hydraulic throttle to electrohydrostatic actuation systems (EAS). The four-quadrant capability of the electrohydrostatic pump unit and servo drive used in this technology, in combination with the new Moog energy management system (EMS), allows regenerative power flows generated during braking or pressure relief to be stored and reused.

The Moog EMS, consisting of power supply and energy storage, also supports machine builders in the important goal of reducing the connected load in an EAS-based machine to a fraction of the peak power, compared to the hydraulic equivalent. This is done by using actively or passively operating capacitors and/or kinetic storage.

Applications

Ideal use cases for the Moog EMS are in oscillating applications such as elastic material testing or gas compressors and pressure intensifiers, where very high positive and negative power peaks occur, and low process energies are required. These peak-shaving approaches also make sense for forming presses, injection moulding machines and hexapods. In customer applications in testing and forming technology, the use of the Moog EMS has enabled the maximum power consumption from the power grid to be reduced by a factor of six in some cases.

As from 1 September 2023, Customised Motion Control (CMC) is the exclusive distributor and authorised repair centre for Moog for most of the Africa region. This came about when CMC bought Moog SA as a going concern in a management buyout initiated by Moog as part of a footprint rationalisation.

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