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JKU HOERBIGER Research Institute for Smart Actuators: Innovative trendsetters focus on long-term partnership

Today, April 29, a festive ceremony marked the opening of the JKU HOERBIGER Research Institute for Smart Actuators at the Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz, Austria. The sponsor of the institute is the HOERBIGER Foundation, Zug, Switzerland. The Foundation is the majority shareholder of HOERBIGER Holding AG, Zug, Switzerland. With the inception of the institute, the HOERBIGER Group, an industrial innovation and technology leader, consented to a future-oriented collaboration with one of the leading research centers in the world for electric drives and mechatronic systems. The two founders expect to achieve far-reaching impetus with the institute, both for basic research and for the customers of HOERBIGER.

Christiana Hörbiger, Prof. Dr. Richard Hagelauer (left, JKU Linz),
and Dr. Marcus Flubacher.

During the ceremony, Dr. Marcus Flubacher, President of the Board of Trustees of the HOERBIGER Foundation, explained the background for founding the institute: “Our commitment in Linz is the start of a long-term partnership between academic basic research and industry that is geared towards strengthening and expanding the significance of the HOERBIGER Group as an innovative trendsetter in its business segments.”

Johannes Kepler University is an internationally renowned institute for basic research in the field of intelligent actuators. The JKU HOERBIGER Research Institute for Smart Actuators in the Mechatronics Department at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering is one-of-a-kind and combines the research activities of numerous institutes with different disciplines. Dr. Marcus Flubacher said: “Linking proven mechanical solutions to the results of the latest research in the field of electric drive systems has triggered extensive change processes, especially in traditional fields of technology. The JKU HOERBIGER Research Institute of Smart Actuators will support the entities of the HOERBIGER Group in taking advantage of this technological metamorphosis for the enhancement of their portfolio.”

Common goals and values

"With HOERBIGER and the Johannes Kepler University in Linz, two excellently-matched innovation- and technology-oriented partners meet,” said Dr. Martin Komischke, CEO of the HOERBIGER Group. “Within the HOERBIGER Group, smart actuators merge the technological core competencies of the Strategic Business Units Compression Technology, Automation Technology, and Drive Technology as they relate to fluid technology, hydraulics, piezo technology, electronics, and sensor technology into innovative solutions with outstanding market potential—with comprehensive impetus for creating value for our customers."

European focus, worldwide opportunities

Subsequent to the festive event, a scientific symposium addressed the trends, innovations, and potential of electric drive technology. On this occasion, university professor Dr. Wolfgang Amrhein, Board Member of the Institute for Electrical Drives and Power Electronics, emphasized the significance of academic institutions and industry working together: "The opening of the JKU HOERBIGER Research Institute for Smart Actuators created the basis for optimal synergies between all players involved. Embedded into the broad research landscape of the JKU, the Institute will systematically pursue the target objective of HOERBIGER: to engage in research topics with lasting relevance for the company, thoroughly attend to them, and ensure the necessary technology transfer."

Dr. Peter Steinrück underscores the importance of Linz as a research location for the global orientation of the HOERBIGER Group: "Ingenuity is one of the sustained strengths of the European economy. Our cooperation with the Johannes Kepler University will provide new technological impetus, which will allow the HOERBIGER Group to preserve its European focus and, at the same time, take advantage of the opportunities that the new markets in Asia present. Innovations from Europe, and the success of our subsidiaries in Asia and the Americas, will jointly support the growth of the Group. This will benefit our long-established locations in Austria and Germany as well as our sites in Asia and the Americas.”

Intelligent actuators – a model for the future

Intelligent actuators are electric drives which through the use of sensors and electronics are able to actively adapt to a wide variety of factors such as internal or external interference, temperature fluctuations, or load interferences. In everyday industrial life, they increasingly determine the productivity and reliability of automated systems, particularly in environmentally relevant applications. The first research projects initiated by HOERBIGER at JKU will be dedicated to the early detection of damage to compressors and gas engines, the development of highly dynamic actuators for the control of engines and turbines, as well as the electrical operation of compression valves. In addition, the team will work on systems which will limit the emissions of pollutants by large-bore engines within tight tolerances in extreme situations, such as during rapid load changes.

Dr. Peter Steinrück used specific practical examples to highlight the importance of smart actuators for the technological advancement of machine drives, clutch systems, and control systems for reciprocating compressors. "The goal is to utilize the physical possibilities of mechanical systems in the best possible manner through the combination of progressive control technology and electric drive technology." He explained what this means by way of the example of an "intelligent" compressor controller: "In this instance, smart actuators allow us to ensure optimal applicability, depending on the operational state and the current need." Such unique selling propositions play a decisive role in the customer's buying decision: "HOERBIGER has the goal of developing unique selling propositions in all business segments, which play a decisive role in the investments the customers make because they contribute to the value added."

Paving the way for efficiency and protection of the environment

The current portfolio of the HOERBIGER Group already features a number of technologies which are based on intelligent actuators. The HydroCOM system developed by HOERBIGER Compression Technology employs state-of-the-art mechatronics to continuously control the gas throughput of reciprocating compressors more efficiently than conventional control systems. In the oil and gas industries, reciprocating compressors are indispensable for many processes, such as the desulfurization of fuel. With an input power of several megawatts, which equates to the energy demand of thousands of households, the infinitely variable control allows a good portion of power to be saved. These savings are comparable to the output of large wind turbines and contribute to protecting the climate because CO₂ is avoided.

Monitoring systems, such as RecipCOM New Generation unveiled at the 2009 ACHEMA in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, serve the continuous, automatic monitoring of compressors and prevent expensive lost production output. Innovative solutions for the efficient and reliable management of industrial engines is also part of the focus of the new Business Segment Engine Solutions.

Where previously in the process technology field hydraulic drives were primarily used to transfer power in tight spaces, HOERBIGER Automation Technology was able to migrate to a new, interdisciplinary direction with a combination of electric drive technology and completely encapsulated hydraulics: An innovative electrohydraulic control valve actuator combines the simplicity and user-friendliness of purely electric drives with the high and quickly accessible power density of hydraulic systems in a compact, self-contained unit.

HOERBIGER Drive Technology is engaged in electric and electrohydraulic solutions to allow for greater mileage, while reducing fuel consumption, by using "intelligent" support of the shifting process. The development of the HOERBIGER double-clutch system presents important starting points for the combined use of electronic control and the hydraulic operation of a clutch.

About HOERBIGER

The HOERBIGER Group is active throughout the world as a leading player in the fields of compression technology, automation technology, and drive technology. In 2009, its 6,500 employees achieved sales of around 772 million Euros. The focal points of its business activities include key components and services for compressors, gas-powered engines, and turbomachinery, hydraulic systems and piezo technology for vehicles and machine tools, as well as components and systems for shift and clutch operations in vehicle drive trains of all kinds. Through innovations in attractive technological niche markets, the HOERBIGER Group sets standards and creates unique selling propositions with long-term benefit for the customer.

About Johannes Kepler University

Johannes Kepler University (JKU) in Linz is one of the leading research organizations for electric drives and mechatronics systems. As early as 1990, mechatronics was offered as a registered course at the university, which at that time was a worldwide novelty. Since then, the range of research disciplines has been systematically expanded. Today, the Mechatronics Department includes 13 institutes and the subject areas range from electric drives and power electronics, robotics, control engineering, fluid mechanics or technical mechanics to microelectronics and microsensor systems. The vision of the Mechatronics Department to be the source of inspiration and a reliable partner for technology-oriented companies and find international recognition as an expert platform is manifested in numerous research cooperations, laboratories, and spin-off companies that emerged from the Department.

Your contact

Ludwig Schönefeld
HOERBIGER Holding AG
Corporate Communications
Baarerstr. 18
6304 Zug, Switzerland

Phone +41 41 560 75 79
Fax +41 41 560 75 70
ludwig.schoenefeldhoerbigercom
www.hoerbiger.com