New design adds sales value to road compactor machine
Danfoss’ solution was to replace the pump control unit with an EV310B solenoid valve. An extremely reliable and robust valve, the EV310B would make the water spraying unit more efficient, and would reduce equipment failures from 16 percent to less than 1 percent. There was just one snag: the new design was more expensive to produce.
But production costs are never the full story – and it soon became apparent that reducing the number of breakdowns that occur within the machine’s guarantee period would lead to significant savings for the manufacturer.
Combined with increased sales driven by the new more efficient product, the Danfoss design was clearly good value for money. In fact, taking into account the entire product life-cycle, the manufacturer estimates that the new design generates over 700 Euros in added value for each compactor machine it produces.
So how does the new design work?
The EV310B solenoid valve controls water pressure between the pump and the sprinkler. As part of a loop system, the valve sends any unused water back to the water tank – and this change alone saves 250 litres of water in each machine per hour compared to the old design.
The valve also keeps the water pressure stable, ensuring that rollers are always covered in the right amount of water – an important consideration in road rollers of this type. And by maintaining a steady pump temperature of 40° (compared to a fluctuating temperature between 70 and 80° in the old design), the valve doubles the pump’s average lifetime.
The manufacturer tested the new design on a double-drum compactor in 2008 with huge success – and in 2009 it began using the EV310B solenoid valve in its pneumatic roller series.
If you would like to find out how Danfoss could increase the efficiency of your products, please contact your nearest Danfoss office.
By Xun Wu, sales engineer
