The Hänchen product configurator:
Design a custom hydraulic cylinder with our hydraulic catalogue E-Kat

Informing, designing, calculating ...
The "E-Kat" from Hänchen Hydraulik captures the third dimension

The current version of "E-Kat", the electronic catalogue from Hänchen that is now being presented to the industry in general, allows particularly close co-operation between the customer and the hydraulics supplier. Containing almost all catalogue products, the new "E-Kat" is based around a three-dimensional CAD module by which hydraulic cylinders and other products of the fluid specialists from Ostfildern can be precision-dimensioned thanks to the variant expansion on the screen and then copied directly into the design drawings. But the "E-Kat" also offers extensive calculation aids as well as a wide range of very specific information about all product configurations, giving the designer access to wide and varied support functions for his work. The buyer thus obtains a sophisticated foundation for his purchase decision, so that the ordering process is considerably simplified. What is more, the mechanic is kept informed about assembly instructions or cable assignments, for instance. All in all, the "E-Kat" has become a comprehensive and target-oriented information system for the Hänchen product system and for hydraulic cylinders in particular.

From the catalogue direct to CAD

In the second generation of the "E-Kat", a fundamentally new software displays all catalogue products in true-to-scale two and three-dimensional form in accordance with the technical specifications laid down by the customer. All the stroke-dependent dimensions for each product are calculated precisely and reproduced in the correct size ratio. The program itself is founded on a comprehensive CAD functionality and an extremely efficient database. By transposing the design variants of the hydraulics specialist onto 24 workstations with 3D-CAD systems, the software developer was able to access a wide and varied data pool when programming the new "E-Kat". The electronic catalogue enables a CAD file of the desired product to be generated for 2D and 3D and stored directly as a DXF file which is compatible with all commercial CAD programs. The two-dimensional file can be generated for the six basic planes of up, down, left, right, front and rear. The three-dimensional file contains the entire construction with all mounting parts, combines them into one object and delivers the complete shell of the user-defined product.

User-friendly guidance

To enable the customer to take full advantage of this functionality, the user-friendly intuitive guidance of the first generation of the "E-Kat" was developed further: product selection is by means of a much simpler menu guidance, and every selection step can now be undone again. Once the product and the model series have been selected, the basic dimensions and the stroke are defined. The software processes these data in the graphic configurator to create a true-to-scale three-dimensional illustration which the user can rotate around all axes and zoom in or out as much as he likes. On this spatial graphic are docking points at which mounting or fitting parts can or have to be added and configured. Mandatory mounting parts are marked in red, ordinary mounting parts in yellow and cylinder accessories in blue. On selection, the system then integrates these parts immediately into the product illustration. In all operations the whole combination of basic product and mounting and fitting parts is treated as one graphic object.

Exact design in the catalogue

Once the developer has gained an impression of the three-dimensional object, the six two-dimensional views can also be generated as technical drawings. Supported by CAD, the program accepts all dimensions after free selection and automatically finds lock-in points for the exact capture of horizontal, vertical and diagonal distances, radii, diameters and angles. This function also works in conjunction with the scrolling of an enlarged drawing. In addition, text and notes can be inserted at any desired position, so that even a hydraulics layman can be sure that he is working with an exact design. And there is plentiful support through a multi-faceted range of plausibility checks and technical calculations on the monitor: dimensions, pressures, forces, strokes, frequencies, surface areas and many other different measurements are calculated to match the particular operation.

Diversity on the silver disk

The enormous diversity of products on the CD-ROM is typical of Hänchen. The "E-Kat" includes, for instance, hydraulic cylinders up to 150 and 300 bar with and without damping as well as with proximity switches; these are Hänchen's 120, 160, 250, 300 and 660 series. They can be configured as differential and synchronous cylinders and have piston diameters of between 25 and 300 mm. The stroke length is up to 7,500 mm and can be stipulated down to the last millimetre. Finally, the customer can specify thread and fixing types as well as the type of sealing in standard, Servoslide®, Servocop® and Servofloat® quality. Fastening elements, transition pieces, couplings and accessories such as air filters, screws, feather keys and tooling can then be selected in the configurator. It is also possible to extend the piston rod to the exact millimetre, with the PC checking the maximum extension, thereby prohibiting any inadmissible measurements from being entered and changing the measurement as required if mounting parts are added. The "E-Kat" also offers four-stroke cylinders and standard cylinders to ISO 6020-1, 6020-2 and 6022.

The complete Ratio-Drive® unite

The Ratio-Drive® is a further product family on the silver disk. These electric-hydraulic axles consist of a hydraulic cylinder with integrated travel measuring system and an extensive range of accessories. They are available on the CD-ROM in the pressure series up to 150, 160 and 300 bar. The developer can configure them with analogue and digital travel measuring systems, which come from the various sensor manufacturers with different output signals and varying linearity as well as differing fastening elements. In addition to engineering services, Hänchen also supplies valve mounting plates, controller units, proportional and control valves in a wide choice of versions, protective tubing and electrical connections.

Test cylinders from the "E-Kat" test

The double rod cylinders of the new Hänchen series 326 are compact and smaller than they used to be. But they are as powerful. Their new outstanding feature is the variably selectable piston diameter, which allows the piston surface area to be customised. A customised test cylinder for high-dynamics applications in the test sector, featuring an adapted design in terms of add-on elements, valves, sensors, pump, etc., all coming from our modular system. By comparing the series, the customer is able to choose the test cylinder that is best for him.

Other products

Other fluid technology products from Hänchen are already in the electronic catalogue, for instance the patented Ratio-Clamp® clamping unit in both the standard version and the ultra-safe RC-H version with dual safety feature approved by the trade association. Here too, the customer can choose from a variety of rod diameters from 10 to 140 mm for RC and 18 to 140 mm for RCH and clamping forces of up to 450 kN as well as integrating mounting parts or proximity switches. The Ratio-Clamp® can be configured as a single product or linked to hydraulic cylinders via the menu for mounting parts, so that both components are captured in one design. Finally, the three-dimensional catalogue also contains industrial shock absorbers, pressure intensifiers as well as a wide range of accessories.

Order list and technical parts list

The user can generate a parts list at any time in order to gain an overview of all the chosen components, their weight and the order numbers. This can then be used as the purchase order. However, there is also the option of supplementing this list by entering technical values and then checking it on the basis of the technical boundary conditions: the place of installation and method of fixing, fluid pressure, extension and retraction speeds are requested here.

Based on this information, additional data sheets are produced on which the designer can see all the system values such as nominal pressure, test pressure, weight, forces, maximum piston speed, temperature range, useful force, oil quantity or permissible buckling force in order to prevent the wrong decisions being made. The data can be stored, printed out and changed in the graphic configurator at any time. Documentation is further aided by the operator's own information, which the user can enter, save and then print out.

Comprehensive information and calculations

At the i-points throughout the program the user can obtain extensive explanations, product descriptions and the option to call up information material. Only the information that is relevant is selected. Thus the user obtains specific technical descriptions, data sheets, series comparisons, master gauges for holes of the mounting plates, pin assignments of plugs and other technical information from the data pool, which runs to 400 pages, without getting lost in all the mass of information. The system is also able to access detailed information about more than 100 travel measuring systems, offering up to four for selection according to the specifications of the user. These individual pages can be printed in the order list on request so that here again, just the required information is shown as well and the customer is not faced with a huge amount of unnecessary material. After all, the basic philosophy behind the new "E-Kat" is to offer special technical information that is as comprehensive as possible but at the same time tailored precisely to the particular application.