Improves efficiencies in hydraulic systems

Lee’s Industrial Micro Hydraulics Group (IMH) has developed a new 5.5mm Air Bleed Orifice which is an ideal solution to the problem of removing trapped air in hydraulic systems which can cause issues with system performance as air is compressible, whereas hydraulic fluid is not. Trapped air causes slower system reaction times or a ‘spongy feel’.

The traditional way to remove trapped air is often to drill a small hole approximately ø 0.5mm in the manifold allowing this air to escape back to the sump and so eliminating its negative effect on system performance. However, this drilled hole also allows hydraulic fluid to flow out of the system resulting in significant hydraulic loss, inefficient system performance and wasted energy.

A novel solution though is the Lee Air Bleed Orifice which removes this trapped air whilst keeping hydraulic pressure losses to an absolute minimum. It utilises a small precision flow orifice, with an integral 25µm safety screen for contaminant protection which allows trapped air to escape but is small enough to restrict most hydraulic fluid from passing. Crucially this minimises system losses and enables designers to optimise system component sizing which significantly contributes to improved efficiencies, reduction in overall system weight and ultimately lower costs.