Kitting Services and Hose Assemblies tailored to your needs

Looking to reduce inefficiency and increase your team’s capacity?

Eliminate non-value added activities and increase your productivity with Rotec’s Bespoke Kitting Service.

 

All components and sub-assemblies are labeled and packaged neatly together with a list detailing parts and quantities for your convenience. 

Whether you need basic to the most complex kits with multiple assemblies, Rotec Hydraulics delivers kit solutions to help you meet performance goals.

Benefits

  • Simplifies Inventory Management: Reduces volume of individual components to stock manage.
  • Increases Productivity: Your team no longer need to pick parts from different areas. Instead they have a kit ready to go so they can get on with the job in hand.
  • Reduces Manufacturing Time: Kits are tailored to your needs and can include pre-assembled items.

Getting Started

  • Establish a Bill of Materials: Identify items and quantities.
  • Identify Packaging Requirements: Define custom tagging/labelling.
  • Specify sub-assemblies: Decide if any pre-assembled items are required.
  • Request Custom Quote: Email sales@rotec.net or phone 01823 348900 to speak to a member of our team. 
It’s that simple!  Get started by clicking the button below and our Sales Team will be in touch to discuss your requirements.

How to prevent your hydraulic system overheating

Hydraulic oil temperature beyond 82°C is likely to cause damage to your hydraulic system’s components and accelerate oil degradation.

As one of the most common issues in a hydraulic system, ensuring your hydraulic oil does not overheat is a priority to keep your machines healthy, and avoid costly downtime and repairs.

You can usually tell if the temperature is too high, as the viscosity will be too low for the hydraulic components.

Viscosity can also be negatively affected in temperatures below 82°, depending on the oil’s viscosity index. To ensure a stable oil temperature, the hydraulic system must be able to dissipate heat faster than it is built up.

How to prevent overheating

Reducing hydraulic oil temperature and increasing the rate of heat dissipation are the two most common and effective ways to prevent your system from overheating.

Heat dissipation occurs in the hydraulic reservoir. Check your reservoir to ensure the fluid level is correct. If the fluid level is low, fill it to the recommended level. Whilst you are checking the oil level, make sure there are no obstructions, such as dirt or debris, preventing good air flow into the reservoir.

Heat exchangers

Heat-exchangers rely on the flow-rate and temperature of the hydraulic oil and the coolant in order to disperse heat efficiently. Once again it is critical that you regularly check for any debris or dirt, and ensure the core is not obstructed. If you experience issues with the cooling circuit then they may need to be replaced. Infra-red thermometers that check the performance and oil flow-rate of the heat exchanger can be used and are recommended.

Leakage

Excess heat can be generated when the pressure in a hydraulic system drops. Similarly, overheating can occur if any components are leaking. Check regularly for leaks and fix appropriately.

Protecting hydraulic hose from winter temperatures

100% Achilles audit _Rotec Hydraulics Ltd

For any industry, it is important to take necessary precautions to protect your hydraulic hose from extreme temperatures, such as those we experience in the winter months.

By taking preventative steps, you can limit the risk of detremental effects which can occur when hose is exposed to weather such as snow, ice, frost and high winds, potentially increase a hose’s lifespan and avoid maintenance costs due to things such sudden hose failure.

Despite many modern hoses being developed to withstand temperatures, the cold weather can still permanently alter the bending behaviour of your hydraulic hose and, when warmed up, can make your hose stiff, leathery and tough, especially when exposed to extreme cold for prolonged periods.

Most hydraulic hoses are rated for  -40°C to 100°C. Some specialty hydraulic hoses can withstand -48°C) to 149°C depending on the number of spiral or braided wires, and type of elastomeric material.

Viscosity is a vital consideration when preparing your hydraulic systems for the winter months. Choosing the fluid with the appropriate viscosity for the application can help to protect equipment from friction, abrasion and adhesive wear rise. The incorrect viscosity can have the opposite effect. For example, high oil viscosity can lead to starved pumps, cavitation and lack of lubrication.

Did you know lower temperatures cause hydraulic oil to increase to a higher viscosity? Therefore, we recommend checking the grade, pour point (and added depressants), as well as the viscosity index (VI) of any fluids you are using in your systems.

Select hydraulic oil with a low VI, and measure it when any changes in temperature occur. The higher the viscosity index, the higher the resistance to change in viscosity.

Check your VI requirements and fluid levels within hydraulic equipment prior to starting. If any fluid is too thick to drip off the end of a dipstick, it is too viscous to function properly, especially in the cold. It is also wise to check fluid levels before each use, and refill after each use.

Commercial hydraulic hose can be protected from colder temperatures, to a degree, by using a protective wrap or sleeve. This helps to keep ice and snow away from your hose and its components. If possible, store your hydraulic hoses indoors in a clean and dry area, and run your hydraulic system prior to operating any attachments to give it time to warm up beforehand.

Lastly, carrying out regular visual inspections of your hoses and hydraulic cylinder rods for cracks and rust is critical, espiecially during the winter months. If you notice any damage, do not use the system and source emergency repair services or new commercial hoses and accessories to prevent injuries or further damage to the hydraulic system.

For more information on hydraulic hose or fittings, contact our team.

Choosing the correct hydraulic filter

Filtration is undeniably one of the most important components in any hydraulic system. Choosing the correct hydraulic filter can increase a machine’s life expectancy and  lower the risk of expensive component damage.

Establishing the Target Cleanliness Level

We recommend identifying the most sensitive component in your system and learn the filtration cleanliness level (or micron rating) for that component. This is often a variable piston pump or the proportional valve. By using a recommended cleanliness code chart, you can determine the ISO code for a range of the most critical components such as pumps, valves, actuators, and more. From this ISO code, you can select the appropriate filter from your preferred manufacturer’s catalogue. Contact our team if you are unsure.

Achieving Target Cleanliness

There are generally four major factors in positioning contamination control devices in a hydraulic or lubrication system to achieve the target cleanliness level that is required.

Initial filter element efficiency

Filter element efficiency under system stress

Location and sizing of contamination control devices in the system

Filter element service life of the system

While all of these factors are important, filter manufacturers (such as Parker, Eaton and MP Filters) typically design their filters for maximum efficiency, so you have more responsibility to ensure the location and filter sizing is correct to increase the longevity and reduce maintenance damage to your hydraulic system. When done correctly, this will give the best service life of a system.

Selecting The Right Filter Type

Suction filters are usually put in a tank to filter out any large items, such as bolts or rags that may have dropped in the reservoir. They are not generally used for filtering your fluid to the required ISO code.

Pressure filters come highly recommended because they are placed after your pump, so if the pump was to fail, all of the components downstream would still be protected. These filters must be rated for your system’s running pressure and ISO code.

Return filters are important because they clean the oil before it returns to your hydraulic reservoir and therefore keep your reservoir clean and free from dirt particles. Return line filters are generally used in open-loop applications and should be rated at the ISO code that your system requires.

While all three filter types are generally not needed in the same system, it is important to have at least one pressure filter or one return line filter in every application to maintain the fluid cleanliness level that hydraulic components require.

Selecting The Right Filter Size

Once you determine what type of filter to use, you must consider the pressure drop through the filter. In most cases, pressure filters and return filters have a bypass that protects the system when the filter gets clogged or plugged. It allows the oil to go around the filter element and allows the system to run even though it’s not being filtered. Do keep in mind that your system would be running unfiltered with this setup.

As your filter becomes dirtier, it requires more pressure to push the oil through the element because it is clogged with dirt and debris. Once the pressure required reaches a certain point it becomes inefficient and starts wasting horsepower in the hydraulic system; this is the reason for the bypass. Typically, bypass settings on pressure filters are 40-50 PSI to limit this inefficiency.

When sizing a pressure filter, generally we would like to keep the pressure drop through the filter under 10 PSI. This gives your filter more time to get to the 50 PSI bypass setting, thus increasing the length of time between element changes. If you size your filter with a 25 PSI pressure drop you are already at half of your filter life (assuming 50 PSI bypass). If we selected a filter that only had a 10 PSI pressure drop, your filter will have 40 PSI of pressure drop before it reaches bypass setting, thus, allowing the element to last longer before needing service or be replaced.

Another consideration is oil viscosity. Thicker oil will cause a higher pressure drop, so you need to know what oil you are going to run in your system to truly size the filter correctly and get the best filter life for your application.

 

Effects Of Hydraulic Oil

Choosing the correct filter is only part of the equation. New hydraulic oil straight from the drum has a typical cleanliness level of ISO 4406 23/21/18. From what we learned above you can see that this is 16-64x dirtier than what most hydraulic systems require (each single number increase in the ISO code is double the contaminant level for that micron size)! To put it another way, a 25 GPM pump operating continuously in hydraulic oil at 23/21/18 will circulate 3,500 pounds of dirt to the hydraulic system’s components each year.

Extend Filter Life By Using Clean Hydraulic Oil

To add hydraulic oil, and not the dirt, always filter new oil prior to use in a hydraulic system. This can be done in a number of ways. The most common way is to use a filtration cart or kidney loop filter in your reservoir. Schroeder makes an exceptional filter cart that can not only remove dirt particulates from new oil, but also water, if needed. Carts like these offer great value for your investment, as they range from relatively low cost to expensive, depending on what you are trying to accomplish. Also, if you are already running Schroeder mobile filtration on your machine, then there is a good chance you can use the same filter element that you already use, thus reducing inventory parts.

Another way to pre-filter your hydraulic oil is by pumping the oil into the hydraulic reservoir through the system’s return filter. The easiest way to do this is to install a tee in the return line and attach a quick-connector to the branch of this tee. Attach the other half of the quick-connector to the discharge hose of a drum pump. When hydraulic oil needs to be added to the reservoir, the drum pump is coupled to the return line and the oil is pumped into the reservoir through the return filter. Benefits of this method include reduced spills and prevention of ingress of external contamination.

While many people don’t even think about filtering new oil, it is very important to get clean oil into the system. It is much easier to prevent dirt from getting into a system by using precautionary measures than it is to remove dirt from a hydraulic system. Once the dirt ingresses, it is very difficult to get the system clean.

When To Change Hydraulic Fluid

Maintaining the hydraulic fluid in your machine is an important consideration when choosing and extending the life of hydraulic filters. It’s challenging to set an expiration on hydraulic fluid introduced into your system, even under ideal circumstances. Over time even well maintained oil will wear out, however here are a few factors that affect hydraulic fluid and when filter changes are more than likely necessary.

Contamination

Contamination, in the context of having to change your hydraulic fluid, means you have debris in the fluid than the filtration system can reasonably remove. This is usually some sort of particulate contamination event that overruns the system’s onboard filtration. This can also include contaminating situations such as getting water mixed into the fluid (looks cloudy) or mistakenly topping off your hydraulic reservoir with the wrong fluid. It may be possible to salvage your particulate or water contamination situation using some sort of off-line filtration asset.

Heat

This one is simple. If you get your fluid gets too hot, it breaks down. Most of the time you know it got too hot because it becomes darker in color and it doesn’t smell right. It usually doesn’t take the time and expense of a fluid sample analysis to figure this one out. Heat accelerates the condition called oxidative degradation.

Oxidative Degradation and Additive Depletion

This one is a little more complex and will require a fluid analysis to determine. By performing routine fluid analysis a degradation or depletion trend can be spotted before it becomes a mechanical maintenance event.

A hydraulic oil’s oxidative degradation is determined by its Total Acid Number or TAN. As the name implies, this is the absolute measure of the total acid number in the fluid. Over time, oxygen will combine with the hydrocarbon molecules of the oil and a chain reaction occurs. This action results in some obvious conditions like darkened oil, varnishing, and sludge. Some conditions that are not so obvious are increased viscosity, increased foaming, and retained air.

A hydraulic oil’s additive depletion is determined by comparing the used oil’s elemental analysis to the baseline of identical new oil. For example, zinc is an antioxidant and anti-wear additive. Over time it gets depleted, so it’s important to check the concentration of zinc in your current oil to the concentration of zinc in the same new oil.

Rotec’s technical experts have many years of experience in applying the right components for maximum effectiveness and overall lower total cost of ownership. They can help you to improve efficiency and save money over the life of your equipment. Contact our team today for help in finding the correct filter and oil for your hydraulic system.

Rotec hosts Remote Monitoring Technology Discovery Day

Rotec Hydraulics Ltd hosted their first ever Technology Discovery Day in August, with a focus on cutting-edge remote monitoring technology.

Guests were invited to the home of Somerset County Cricket, and after a opportunity for networking listened to a short presentation from Phil Ingate on the benefits of the Parker Tracking System (PTS). Proven to significantly reduce equipment downtime, PTS is a tagging and tracking solution to store, access and monitor critical asset information.

Following this, the focus of the Technology Discovery Day turned to Rotec’s remote monitoring offer. Guests listened to a presentation from Parker’s IoT expert, Tim Harris, ending with a demonstration using an intelligent demo kit linked to a mobile and laptop.

The ability to remotely and reliably monitor assets, collect data and receive service alerts is becoming increasingly desirable for clients from all sector industries. Rotec is proud to have been the first in the UK to offer Parker Internet of Things (IoT) Technology.

Parker IoT is the latest monitoring cloud-based solution specifically designed to provide sophisticated data, monitoring and performance control capabilities.

IoT makes it easy for businesses to collect and analyse data to identify usage trends and system maintenance concerns with unparalleled intellectual design and operational insight. Smart sensors and telematics help manage assets and prevent failures by optimising performance across multiple sites. By investing in IoT, you can reduce asset downtime, eliminate unnecessary spend, ensure compliance and safety as well as gain critical performance visibility. 

Continuous remote monitoring allows you to track key parameters and gauge the health of your assets. Parker IoT technology delivers an integrated, automated monitoring solution that uses the internet to enable you to monitor your assets from anywhere remotely.

With IoT technology, users can:

  • Review data anywhere, anytime and make informed decisions
  • Improve safety
  • Gather data without interrupting production
  • Schedule service events
  • Receive alert notifications
  • Optimise machine performance and service life
  • Maintain production quality

Data, provided by Parker, has shown IoT to increase productivity by up to 20%, reduce fuel consumption and recordable accidents by up to 20% and reduce diagnostic time by up to 70%.

For more information, please visit our remote monitoring technology page.

A basic guide to hydraulic oil

Hydraulic oil is a non-compressible fluid that is used to transfer power within hydraulic machinery and equipment, and lubricates system components. It is crucially important to regularly check and maintain a system’s hydraulic fluid.

Hydraulic oil can be synthetic or mineral based. Other chemical additives are often added to hydraulic fluid to maintain or improve performance of the oil and the equipment within the hydraulic system. The additives can help to prevent corrosion, rusting and water contamination. It is critical the appropriate oil is chosen for each system. Using the incorrect oil can lead to performance issues and potentially system and component damage.

Additives may include anti-freeze for oils that are been used in harsh, cold environments. In the event of high temperatures, which in turn would lower the oil’s viscosity and increase the risk of leakages, additives may be added to maintain a suitable viscosity for the system being used.

If hydraulic fluid is being used in a high pressure condition, heavy-duty oil is necessary. Heavy-duty hydraulic oil often contains additives that prevent wear.

Biodegradable and environmentally-friendly oils are excellent for those working in sectors that may pose a potential risk of oil spills or leak, and thus environmental contamination. The oils, which are made of rapeseed and other vegetable oils, are also great for businesses with sustainability awareness and targets.

Hydraulic oil life

It’s important to maintain healthy hydraulic systems and components, a crucial part of this is looking after your hydraulic oil.

Modern hydraulic systems are typically smaller and use less oil during operation. Pumps can also produce a lot more output, subsequently producing higher pressures. Less oil means higher fluid temperatures – which in turn, increases oxidation and thermal stress on the additives on the oil. 

Several factors can influence hydraulic oil longevity including:

  • Oil quality
  • Working conditions
  • Oil temperature
  • Oxidation
  • Contamination.

Within the right environment and with the correct maintenance, a high quality oil may last longer than six months. 

For technical support and more information about choosing and maintaining hydraulic oil for your systems, contact Rotec via sales@rotec.net or phone 01823 348900.