Matija Oblak, mag., Matej Zorko, univ. dipl. inž. oba Domel, d. d., Železniki

Abstract:
Fluid power represents one of the possibilities of controlled energy transfer. Although nowadays especially political actors on a global level strongly push electric drives, hydraulics is still unavoidable. Fluid power also impacts the carbon footprint, so reducing this impact is a very important trend. From a hydraulics perspective, this can be achieved by improving the efficiency of individual components. The average overall efficiency of hydraulic systems is between 23% and 30%, so it is necessary to analyse in depth the causes of this situation and take action. Users of hydraulic components want to calculate the service life of each hydraulic component, similar to bearings. It is also a modern trend to set up digital twins, i.e. numerical models and measurement and control systems that use machine learning to tell the user the current state of the system. The use of computer simulations and 3D printing is also very important.

Keywords:
fluid power, hydraulics, soft robotics, digitalisation, Alternative technologies, digital twins