Hydstar Engineering carves itself a niche in the hydraulic industry

May 22, 2023

In our private lives and at work most of us encounter hydraulics at least once a day. If you work in an engineering environment you are more than likely to encounter hydraulics more than once a day. Hydraulics provide an invaluable tool for machine tool designers to perform powerful and practical functions to improve the performance and reliability of their CNC lathes, mills and other machines – machines that cut, grind, shape or mill material to create finished components for literally every other industry.

However, unless you’re intimately familiar with machine tool technology, plenty of unique hydraulic applications are used in and around CNC machines that you have likely never seen. Although nearly all CNC machines run primarily from an electric motor, such as with vertical and horizontal machining centers, most auxiliary functions operate from fluid power.

Hydraulics provide an invaluable tool for machine tool designers to perform powerful and practical functions to improve the performance and reliability of their CNC lathes, mills and other machines – machines that cut, grind, shape or mill material to create finished components for literally every other industry

"Hydraulics is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counterpart of pneumatics, which concerns gases. Hydraulics is a mechanical function that operates through the force of liquid pressure. In hydraulics-based systems, mechanical movement is produced by contained, pumped liquid, typically through hydraulic cylinders moving pistons," explains Manie Du Plessis, owner and the driving force of Hydstar Engineering.

"Hydraulic fluid creates fluid power by pumping the fluid through the hydraulic system. The fluid flows to the cylinder through the valve, and the hydraulic energy converts it back to mechanical energy. The valves aid to direct the flow of the fluid and the pressure can be relieved if needed."

"Take workholding as an example. Many chucks and jaws have hydraulics as the holding force. With hydraulics, you get rigid holding, and you reduce human error. Other clamping methods work fine, but you can count on hydraulics to always provide the same level of force."

One of the latest machines to be delivered and installed by Craft Industrial Equipment to Hydstar Engineering is a Feeler VFP 1300A vertical machining center

"Hydraulic topics range through some parts of science and most of engineering modules, and cover concepts such as pipe flow, dam design, fluidics and fluid control circuitry. The principles of hydraulics are in use naturally in the human body within the vascular system. Another example is free surface hydraulics and it is the branch of hydraulics dealing with free surface flow, such as occurring in rivers, canals, lakes, estuaries and seas. Its sub-field open-channel flow studies the flow in open channels."

"Hence the name of my company – Hydstar Engineering – because the bulk of our business is about components and assemblies that have hydraulics attached to it or are part of it in some way or other. Rebuilding and machining, product development and the manufacture of new equipment, component reconditioning, design and manufacture of hydraulic systems is all part of the daily flow through the company, from the design office to the machines themselves and then final product or dispatch."

"We are not just a jobbing shop or a production orientated company. The number of components and products that we produce or process is diverse. This is what makes it exciting. No two days are the same. But it has not always been like this. We have had tough times but have survived."

Another of Hydstar Engineering's own products that they are successful with are the failsafe brakes

Another recent installation by Craft Industrial Equipment is a Feeler FTC-450 CNC lathe

"I qualified as a tool and jig diemaker while in the employ of Eimco, a process technology company that is a supplier of liquid solid separation equipment for mineral and chemical processing. I worked in the department that manufactured the trackless machines for mining. This included the components, manifolds and power packs for front end loaders. I took the opportunity to learn anything that was hydraulic driven about these machines. This included attending as many courses offered that had hydraulics as a subject matter."

"I was with them for 10 years before deciding to start a machining business with a partner. This did not work out and in 1998 I established my own business and have not regretted it at all. Since starting my business we have accumulated many drawings, too many to count, all strictly recorded. Extrapolated into machined components its thousands."

"With my hydraulic knowledge it was natural for me to follow the route of involving hydraulics and fortunately this strategy has been good for the company in its 24 years of existence."

Hydraulic manifolds"The company is not just about machining components for other companies. We have our own products that we have designed, manufacture and market and I am not talking about products that you will see in your local supermarket or hardware store. One of these is hydraulic manifold blocks that can be used in many different mechanical situations."

Hydstar Engineering has two CNC lathes and five CNC machining centers, all of them Feeler machines from Taiwan and supplied by Craft Industrial Equipment

Hydstar Engineering also has a range of manual lathes and mills and other associated equipment. This includes radial arm drills, slotting machines, surface grinders other drilling machines and an Everising bandsaw

"A hydraulic manifold has a vast range of applications. One area where it is commonly used is in the food processing industry where many of the processes require modern machinery. Other uses include oil field and farm equipment, off-highway equipment, heavy construction machines and valve operations. In our case we are selling to the refuse removal truck manufacturers, earth moving vehicle companies, crane companies, press shops and believe it or not Eskom."

"Simply put, a hydraulic manifold distributes hydraulic oil throughout a circuit. The flow of pressurised oil is regulated by hydraulic valves installed within the manifold and directed through hoses to some kind of work device, such as a hydraulic motor or a cylinder."

"If you use your imagination the hydraulic manifold looks like a block of Emmentaler or Appenzeller cheese. The two Swiss cheeses that are recognised for the holes that they have in them and of course the taste."

Failsafe brakes"Another of our own products that we are successful with is the failsafe brakes that we developed. The company has strict braking legislation for mining vehicles, including LDVs, has led to the development of vehicle safe control systems that satisfy the safety requirement of both open cast and underground mining. Our company specialises in the manufacture and supply of fully enclosed spring applied hydraulic release failsafe braking offering immediate application in the event of power failure, hydraulic failure, or human intervention, in combination with pedestrian detection system interfacing, allowing for automatic progressive or full braking on pedestrian and vehicle detection, resulting in an integrated collision avoidance system that satisfies level 9 safety levels. We also specialise in converting combustion driven vehicles into hydrostatically driven and battery powered electric LDVs."

A range of components requiring tight tolerances are also machined by Hydstar Engineering

Hydstar Engineering keeps many of the same type of components for off-the-shelf delivery

"Failsafe brakes are brakes that, by nature, are always engaged unless otherwise activated. In essence, "failsafe" signifies that a brake disengages (allowing motion) when power or pressure to the brake is turned on and engages (restrains against motion) when the power is turned off."

"The failsafe braking system was developed owing to the prevalence of mining accidents. The spring-applied failsafe, hydraulic-applied service brake was initially developed for load-haul dump trucks. The braking system consists of two brake functions – a standard hydraulically-applied service brake and a spring-applied hydraulically-released failsafe brake. The hydraulically-applied service brake piston takes effect by means of a foot brake valve operated by the vehicle driver, which provides service braking. The spring-applied failsafe brake piston provides the emergency/failsafe and park braking."

"Even though mining vehicles are limited to second gear speed – 20kms an hour there are still accidents. These failsafe brakes have virtually eliminated these accidents."

"The company is not just about machining components for other companies. We have our own products that we have designed, manufacture and market and I am not talking about products that you will see in your local supermarket or hardware store. One of these is hydraulic manifold blocks that can be used in many different mechanical situations."

Manie Du Plessis, owner and the driving force of Hydstar Engineering

"The failsafe brakes are not limited to the mining industry. They are often used in applications where failsafe functionality is a requirement to follow safety protocol. They are also used to stop a rotating load upon loss of power, hydraulic pressure, or for other errors. They are used on a number of machines and vehicles including winches, utility vehicles and supervision vehicles. Elevator plunges are rare because failsafe brakes and cables provide failsafe protection."

"We have developed our design over 20 years and we believe we have a sizeable market leadership in South Africa. Our brakes are tailor-made for each vehicle that we fit them to which could be up to a 25 ton vehicle. We have 25 designs and each depends on the weight of the vehicle and the size of the tyre. This determines the number of plates necessary."

"The heart of the brake is the spring force and of course the plates. Both of these components are not made by ourselves and we add value to them during assembly."

"We are the manufacturers only and we appointed a marketing company four years ago which has taken our sales to another level."

Equipment and property"We have had a long relationship with the Thompson family and Craft Machine Tools, dating back to when I first started the company. The first factory I rented was owned by them as was the first factory I purchased. Subsequently I have sold that factory, which is also in Apex Industrial, to my current location in Apex Industrial, again purchased from the Thompsons."

"A hydraulic manifold has a vast range of applications. One area where it is commonly used is in the food processing industry where many of the processes require modern machinery. Other uses include oil field and farm equipment, off-highway equipment, heavy construction machines and valve operations. In our case we are selling to the refuse removal truck manufacturers, earth moving vehicle companies, crane companies, press shops and believe it or not Eskom."

Brass is one of the metals Hydstar Engineering machines

"As they are importers of machine tools and other equipment the synergy between the two continued when I purchased equipment, although I have to admit my first CNC purchase was a Kia SKT turning/milling center which I did not acquire from them. That machine is still on my floor and works like a trojan horse."

"I have a further two CNC lathes and five CNC machining centers, all of them Feeler machines from Taiwan and supplied by Craft Industrial Equipment. The most recent one was only installed a couple of months ago."

"The machine shop also includes a range of manual lathes and mills and other associated equipment. This includes radial arm drills, slotting machines, surface grinders and other drilling machines. We even have an Everising bandsaw to cut our own blocks because sometimes the suppliers are not reliable."

"Besides the failsafe brakes and manifolds we are very capable of rebuilding or machining new many different components. This includes cylinders, frames, axles, transmissions, brake heads and service exchange componentry."

More components machined by the company

Hydstar Engineering also does assemblies for its clients

"We are also very well-known for the designing of hydraulic systems and the designing and manufacturing of specialised mining equipment. We use the latest 3D drawing software package (Inventor). It is being used as a design tool that gives us total flexibility between 2D and 3D drawings."

"We have also supplied hydraulic componentry for companies rebuilding machine tools and similar equipment. One of the latest projects we have been involved in is to supply the componentry to a local manufacturer of bailers used in the scrap metal industry."

"Some of our clients that we deal directly with include Rotek Engineering, Aveng Grinaker LTA, Bates Mining, Sandvik Mining and Shaft Sinkers. But the client base is wide and varied. Even though we manufacture our own products our rebuild capacity, component reconditioning and machining and engineering capacity is by far the larger portion of our turnover."

For further details contact Hydstar Engineering on TEL: 011 421 4451 or visit www.hydstar.co.za