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SIO technology
gaining universal
approval
ADDISONMCKEE, a designer, manu-
facturer and supplier of tube bending
and end-forming technologies, has been
commissioned to build an innovative
SIO end-forming machine by US-based
Eastern Catalytic, a manufacturer of
catalytic converters, manifold converters
and converter components for the
aftermarket and original equipment
manufacturers.
At the heart of the design is
AddisonMckee’s ‘Hydra Green’
technology, designed to allow the
latest end-forming equipment to take
advantage of hydraulic power without
the constant noise, heat and energy
usage associated with traditional
hydraulic power units.
While traditional hydraulic systems for
end-forming machines use an AC motor
continuously driving a hydraulic pump,
even when the machine is not in use and
no oil pressure and/or flow is required,
AddisonMckee’s new technology
is designed so that the pump is in
operation only when there is a demand
for pressure/flow.
The company claims that Hydra Green
delivers a number of key benefits over
a traditional hydraulic circuit in terms
of using 50 per cent less electricity due
to the significantly reduced duty cycle
of the hydraulic pump, minimising heat
emissions and reducing noise emissions
by as much as 50 per cent. The system
also achieves a major reduction in
the amount of hydraulic maintenance
required, while the smaller hydraulic
reservoir uses 65 per cent less oil.
The key advantage of the SIO concept
lies in overcoming one of the traditional
limitations of a conventional sizing
machine with its internal fingers going
inside the tube and expanding past the
elastic limit, and external fingers going
outside to reduce the diameter to the
required size. A conventional machine
is limited in the range of expansion/
reduction that any set of fingers can
handle, which means that the tooling
needs to be constantly changed and
reset to handle a range of tubes. The
SIO machine, however, provides six
sets of tools in one machine, removing
the need for changeovers to meet
production requirements.
As the market climbs out of recession,
the fortunes of AddisonMckee have
taken a turn for the better, and in
response to demand from its European
customers the company has restored
the manufacturing facility at its UK
headquarters in Lancashire.
AddisonMckee Inc – USA
Website:
Hydra Green technology from AddisonMckee