Parker’s IQAN Hydraulic Range Helps Train The Next Generation Of Engineers

Formed as the commercial arm of North Nottinghamshire College in April 2000, the National Fluid Power Centre offers a comprehensive range of specialist and bespoke training programmes that help keep engineers abreast of the ever changing technology and best practice procedures within the industry. Furthermore, service engineers already working in the industry come to the centre for vocational training to gain extra skills that can be used to enhance performance and productivity in the workplace on a day to day basis.

Richard Sharpe, Systems Training Engineer, Control and Automation Manager and Operations Manager at the National Fluid Power Centre, said, “Parker’s IQAN range includes some of the leading products in the market and gives us the perfect solution to represent what is actually used throughout industry. The range definitely sits up there with the top products available.”

Among the IQAN products being used is IQAN MD3 master display module which is fully programmable for any machine applications as a graphical user interface and as a CAN gateway. Other products from Parker’s IQAN range being used at the centre include the XA2 expansion unit which provides additional inputs/outputs, LSL analogue levers, analogue pressure transmitters, analogue temperature transmitters and the latest LC5 Co-ordinate joystick. The LC5 has a variety of handles available offering various combinations of buttons, thumbwheels and triggers, all proportional outputs signals are of the contactless Hall effect type with dual sensors which provides redundancy for high safety and reliability. The ergonomic design of this product makes it ideal for armrest and panel installations and is designed for outdoor use.

Other products from Parker’s range being used on the project include the L90LS load sensing valves, iCount Particle detector which provides analysis for fluid management and contamination control which is interface with the IQAN using CAN J1939. As well as being used as part of the course, the unique IQAN products are being integrated into a CAN open network around the laboratory at the centre to demonstrate how data can be exchanged between various machine controllers.

Director of the National Fluid Power Centre, John Savage, said, “We are taking a major step forward to develop and deliver systems based training, which involves the integration of hydraulics, electronics and control. Using Parker’s advanced hydraulic control technology we aim to develop engineers at a systems level, while also evolving the centre itself. Training has become the new direction of the National Fluid Power Centre and we are very proud and fortunate to have IQAN at the centre courtesy of Parker Hannifin.”