Situation

The biggest hurdle for APT’s customers is the ability to read and interpret hydraulic schematics – a fundamental skill required to understand how a system works.

In addition, the number of experienced Hydraulic System Designers in Australia is reducing at an alarming rate. Adding to this problem is also a lack of formal training programs to teach new engineers how to properly design a hydraulic system, and as a result creating a skill shortage for this specific system designer. 

More importantly, APT customers demand safety and reliability from their systems. As hydraulic systems become more and more complicated, it becomes increasingly important to review and validate the systems prior to the manufacturing stage. 

APT has tackled this problem by firstly committing to educating its staff in design, validation and training.

Then, APT strategic direction to use technology to improve the repeatability of design success was a crucial element in the success of the business. The result was moving forward with Automation Studio^TM, from Famic Technologies.

System Analysis and Validation

When building hydraulic systems, it is very easy to miss small but critical failure modes which can have dire consequences after the machine is built. This is especially true when system size or complexity increases and the need for highly skilled hydraulic specialists become more and more required.

With Automation Studio^TM, APT can quickly conduct system analysis on designs by APT as well as designs of their customers. Using features such as Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and Simulation, APT can reliably verify the operation of a system for safety and reliability. FMEA while being a useful tool is still reliant on the experience of the participants.

APT also uses Automation Studio^TM in the area of system simulation to prove the effects of each failure on the system. The use of simulation to prove the effects dramatically reduces the amount of time required to complete this task and FMEA and vastly improves the reliability of the outcomes.

Automation Studio^TM really shines during the system design phase and when verifying it under failure conditions such as high back pressure or incorrect settings. The ability to easily insert these failures and view the results means that systems can be more accurately checked in a much smaller amount of time.

Simulation in Hydraulic Training

APT uses Automation Studio^TM to simulate hydraulic systems and demonstrate how the circuit works – without the need to teach students how symbols work. The animation of flow and pressure and valves moving give a clear picture of what is happening in the circuit.

Students who struggle with schematic reading instantly develop an understanding of what is going on. “What if” scenarios are easily answered by changing settings or component on the screen and observing the simulation results in real time.

Moreover, using Automation Studio^TM allows APT to rapidly develop system training for customers using schematics provided. The Simulation Troubleshooting Tools allow fault modes to be entered for components and make available diagnostic tools to allow students to safely practice troubleshooting without exposure to the hazards of hot or high pressure fluids. 

Training classes are more streamlined using the Automation Studio^TM Project Explorer. All courseware is organised into a logical order and everything is run from Automation Studio^TM. Links to external files such as PowerPoint presentations and component data sheets are also easily accessible.

Customer Support

The after sales service from Famic Technologies has really helped with the use of Automation Studio^TM at APT. Firstly, the face to face training offered by Famic on the Automation Studio^TM package allows for fast initial started by new employees. The Famic representative that came to APT and delivered a custom training course was really knowledgeable in the product and helped with new features and issues that APT were having with the software.

The technical support team at Famic are very fast to respond to issues and questions. Generally there is an answer overnight which is a great response considering the different time zones.

The online webinars and training sessions are one of the most important parts of the support. The ability to focus on specific functions and receive training targeted directly at APT needs allows for increased return on investment.

As a long term “super user” of Automation Studio™, APT often recommends improvements or new features to Famic which are more often than not implemented in future releases. The consultation with end users gives us confidence that any issues that we have will be solved through software improvements or new features.

Today, Automation Studio^TM is an integral technology assisting APT to produce safe and reliable designs by allowing its engineers to:

• Easily sketch ideas
• Test run ideas for functionality
• Verify system performance through accurate simulation
• Size and Select components and conductors
• Effectively document systems and train on then

Kyle Probert
Managing Director
APT Specialist Hydraulics & Training 
Toronto, NSW 2283 Australia
www.apthydraulics.com.au