Bosch Rexroth Wins Hermes Award
The Hermes Award is among the most sought-after product innovation prizes in the world. Presented each year at Hannover Messe, it is both a recognition of great product design and how that product is incorporated into the larger goals of manufacturing today.
In 2021, the Hermes Award jury has presented the award to Bosch Rexroth for its SVA R2 (Subsea Valve Actuator), the world's first electrical actuator for controlling process valves under water. The Hermes Award press release states, “the SVA R2 offers an energy-efficient and safe alternative to the actuators previously used in offshore oil and gas production. SVA are self-sufficient assemblies with their own fluid circuit and a variable-speed pump drive.
"The central unit and the kilometers of lines for the fluid are no longer required," the release continues. "This also greatly minimizes environmental risks. The SVA only require a power supply and a data line. A displacement control regulates the flow rate from the speed with almost no loss. This simplifies the construction and increases the energy efficiency significantly.”
"With the SVA R2, the developers at Bosch Rexroth combine economic and ecological aspects into a sustainably innovative product for the maritime process industry,” said Hermes Award Jury Chair and Fraunhofer President Professor Reimund Neugebauer. “With the Subsea Valve Actuator, existing electrical supply lines for sensors are sufficient for reliable operation of the actuators. The small dimensions and integrated interfaces provide industry with another advantage, because they enable the new actuator to be used and retrofitted in existing systems."
Cleanliness is Next to…?
The old adage, “Cleanliness is next to godliness” is certainly something to strive for in manufacturing, although a lot of design and maintenance professionals might respond, “Cleanliness is next to impossible.”
That’s where standards come in, and a recent article from Ivan N. Sheffield of Des-Case talks about that issue as it pertains to lubricants and hydraulic fluids. The article notes that the guidelines for fluid cleanliness is based on four international contamination control standards: ISO 11171, ISO 11943, ISO 16889 and ISO 4406.
“But some companies might not be aware of what the current standards on cleanliness are and how to begin what could be a cleanliness program that spans several facilities and hundreds of machines,” Sheffield notes in his article.