When a manufacturer boosts production to cope with burgeoning demand, efficiency-minded operations staff keenly seek out technologies to help them minimise costs and manual labour while maximising safety and ongoing returns.
Cordless carpets: Cavalier Bremworth plant engineer Chris Young with the XC equipped spool lifter
That is what happened recently to the leading Australasian carpet and textiles producer Cavalier Bremworth, which has doubled its production over the last year of its quality wool carpets for domestic and commercial markets throughout the Asia-Pacific.
The highly safety conscious company found exactly what it had been looking for when it replaced time-consuming manual pumping of hydraulic spool lifting machinery in its Auckland manufacturing operation with an Enerpac XC cordless electric pump that does the job in less than half the time with minimal physical effort.
“We have more than 300 spools – each weighing about 400 kg – that have to be continuously and precisely lifted from inventory and lowered into production positons,” says Cavalier Bremworth plant engineer Chris Young.
“The hydraulic hand pumps we were using previously were excellent gear in themselves, but even strong men had to use 35-40 strokes to get the required lift and some of our ladies required up to 70 to do it comfortably and safely.
“We thought, ‘there has got to be a better way’ and that’s when we saw the XC Cordless pump at an EMEX engineering show where it was being presented by Jonel Hydraulics. It was perfect.”
Through its network of distributor and service centres – of which Jonels is a major Authorised Distribution and Service Centre – Enerpac is introducing to Australasia the versatility of either single or double-acting XC Series cordless pumps, which offer the performance capabilities of an electric pump with the convenient portability of a hand pump.
Enerpac XC-Series cordless pumps actuate hydraulic tools as fast as a basic electric powered pump and create up to 700 bar (10,000psi) of pressure. This means that XC-Series cordless pumps are up to five times faster than manual hydraulic pumps and up to two times faster than popular pneumatic powered pumps.
Jonel Hydraulics business development manager Shane Quigley was part of the service team that worked with Cavalier Bremworth’s production and OHS staff to introduce the cordless technology to its Auckland plant.
“Cavalier Bremworth wanted to achieve a high standard of OHS safety by reducing repetitive pumping operations, while also avoiding the need to have electric cords or pneumatic leads in places where they were vulnerable to tripping hazards or to forklift and wheeled vehicle damage in a busy production environment.
“Their need for reliable cordless power was answered by the light, durable and powerful XC series pumps, which are built to stand up to demanding operations both inside and outside, in applications ranging from workshop and production environments, to remote sites without power.”
Bremworth Cavalier’s pumps can manage typically 30-plus actuations of the twin Enerpac 10T RC cylinders on the spool cradle, with each pump being rapidly charged while another XC equipped cradle takes over to maintain a smooth and effortless production flow.
Chris Young says that in addition to contributing to speedy and effortless spools changeover, the XC pumps are firm favourites with the staff using them. “They make for a very happy workforce. The XC pumps are easy to operate and ensure the job is so much simpler and precise. And we know that Jonel Hydraulics are always there to provide the service and backup for which Enerpac is known globally.”
Designed to provide optimal safety to operators, the XC-Series offers several safety features, including zero trip hazards through cordless design, overload protection circuitry from excessive amp draw or temperatures and a trigger lock-off mechanism to protect against unintended operation during transport
Engineered as a long-lasting pump that can be used in hard-to-access areas, XC-Series cordless pumps are constructed of lightweight materials, equipped with a powerful, one-half horsepower motor and feature 28-volt, Lithium-Ion battery technology.
With its bladder reservoir, Enerpac’s cordless pumps eliminate venting and offer leak-free operation in any orientation. Plus, the overall body, handle and trigger have been ergonomically engineered to maximize ease-of-use and portability.
XC-Series cordless pumps deliver oil flow of 2.05 litres per minute at its low-pressure setting and .25 litres per minute when operating at full pressure, up to 700bar. Additionally, the lithium-ion technology ensures XC-Series pumps provide end users with the battery runtime necessary to accommodate demanding application requirements.
The option of double-acting power – offering powered extension and retraction of an array of widely used cylinders and tools – further extends the versatility of the XC-Series Gen II cordless pumps, which weigh less than most common hand pumps and are capable of being used in any position.
Double-acting power means that in addition to hundreds of Enerpac single and double-acting hydraulic cylinders used throughout Australasia, the double-acting pump can power tools requiring powered extension and retraction, including cutters, crimpers, breakout tools for drill rigs and an array of tools used for lifting, bending forming and pulling.
