The challenges for component manufacturers in mechanical engineering: Industry 4.0 / Internet of Things (IOT)

The challenges posed by issues involving Industry 4.0 and the increasing spread of IOT as a result of ever-progressing digitisation are very special. For classic mechanical engineering components such as hydraulic or pneumatic connecting elements or corresponding quick-release coupling systems:

• Replacement of hydraulic or pneumatic energy sources with electrical energy
• Increasing modularity of technological systems, e.g. for systems with optional, configurable expansion stages
• Growing number of process-relevant electronic interfaces needed for process monitoring / control (IOT)

There are also new challenges to be mastered in terms of cooling such systems: Rather than dissipating the generated process heat directly through hydraulics or air as an energy carrier, electrical energy requires additional cooling systems to dissipate the additional generated heat, which otherwise only reduces efficiency.

The industry is therefore increasingly calling for

• electrical connections of all kinds that can be freely combined with air and/or fluid elements in Clean Break design (e.g. for cooling).
• solutions that can be either manually operated or fully and easily integrated into automatic processes.

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