Liftgate manufacturers need to contend with a great many variables as they seek to make their hydraulic lift assemblies operational on the widest possible variety of vehicles. Is it a pickup truck, straight truck, van, or trailer application being used? What are body widths? Will it be a swing up platform or a stowaway gate? What ground clearance and load must it support? Will it cantilever to support uneven ground? The list of considerations goes on well beyond these and fleet managers need to consider all them when designing liftgate solutions for their work trucks. One thing however that seems to be more agreed upon are the requirements of the platform activation switches. These are typically mounted in a fixed position on or near the liftgate. As such they are often exposed to the same conditions as the outside of the vehicle itself, namely rain, mud, dirt, wind, vibration and temperature extremes. Given the propensity for operators to ride up and down on the liftgate, they are often designed to go for the ride too. CPI Switches and Panels for Liftgate Control Because CPI’s switch construction is truly waterproof, not just splash-proof or water resistant, we can create assemblies out of our totally submersible basic switches and stainless steel panels that are perfect for a wet outdoor environment. Our assemblies are used in outdoor applications including lift gate up/down control, construction and mining equipment, as well as engine compartments in transit buses. Most commonly used for liftgate control and positioning is our E1333 seriesdual pushbutton switch panel to raise and lower the lift gates. The E1333 provides a short behind the panel depth requirement making it usable in places where other switches can’t fit. The CPI switch also provides low assembly labor to install with its integral PEM nuts and its packard connector. Lastly as opposed to electronic switches that require power from the circuit to operate the discreet CPI switch is resistant to failures due to poor grounds and its high electromechanical endurance. In fact our “snap action” contact design has been tested to over 500,000 “contactor” electrical cycles. Don’t worry about lead lengths either. Our switches and switch panels can be ordered from the factory at any custom lead length you need. The ability of our switch to withstand abuse at the hands of an operator or mother nature, really sets our products apart for most outdoor applications. And with convenient custom or stock panels, there’s one less piece of engineering you need to do. CPI Custom Waterproof Switch Panels Switch panelscome in a variety of configurations: separate circuits, in-series, and in-series with interlock (to prevent both switches from operating at the same time). We can produce multiple switch panels that also include additional electrical components such as LED indicator lamps per customer specification. CPI Waterproof Switch Panel Features / Options
The Buck Stops with CPI Liftgate Control Solutions Given our durability and worldwide leadership in waterproof switching solutions, it’s likely that our switches will be the last you’ll ever need for your liftgate application. Give us a call today to discuss. Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/liftgate-engineering-for-work-trucks/ Designers looking for a robust waterproof limit switch, will almost certainly run across our switches at some point. It’s that “all roads lead to Rome” thing.
Sometimes however, its not just the stainless steel, high electromechanical endurance aspect of our switches that wins the day with engineers and OEM’s. Sometimes, it’s about how easily and flexibly our limit switches can be mounted into an application and how many different types of actuation we support. With over 70 years’ experience designing switches for demanding engine compartment, cab, door, cockpit and valve applications to name just a few, we’ve developed a set of low profile, hardened mounting and actuator combinations that fit into almost any contraption out there. Think “off-the-shelf”. Waterproof Switch Mounting Brackets A picture is worth 1000 words. Check out a few examples of the thousands of mounting configurations we support with off-the-shelf mounting hardware and actuators. Almost any of our sealed pendant switches can be mounted in this hardware, making this one of the most flexible waterproof switch configurations in the world. Surface Bracket With Momentary Switch Pictured here is our E1008 surface bracket used with any of our B series Momentary Waterproof Switches or K Series Waterproof Rocker Switches. This two-piece assembly is made of 304 stainless and welded together for a rock solid, flat surface mounting. A reverse mount option (E1005) isalso available. Right Angle Mount with Simulated Roller In this application our B9112 switch uses a simulated roller actuator to detect mechanical closure for anything from a truck door to a dump body. The mounting bracket is our standard stainless steel right angle mounting bracket. The switch internals are held inside the bracket, sealed in Santoprene including lead connections which can be ordered in any length. The switch itself can be any of our momentary or maintained waterproof pendant switches. Pipe Mount Rocker Switch Our curved metal pipe mount bracket is easily secured to a wide variety of common pipe diameters. Shown here is our K1007 Maintained Contact Rocker Switch. With our standard Neoprene seal, this switch can operate from -60F to 180F without issue and can be specified with current capability up to 15A or endurance to 5 million cycles at lower amp ratings. Angle Mount with double simulated roller Actuator In this configuration, any two of our low profile momentary or maintained pendent switches can be used to create redundant, or complementary sensing of mechanical actuation. All lead connections are sealed within the neoprene coating. Waterproof Roller Limit Switch Roller limit switches of varying angles can be used in many of our bracket configurations including both flush mount and angle mount housings. These switches see diverse usage as safety limit switches for doors, hatches, outriggers, cranes, emergency vehicle systems and much more. Did we Mention Custom? If after all this and more, you still don’t have the bracket or actuator you need, our custom design team is standing by to tweak a high performance switch exactly to your needs. Our switches are all IP68 rated and Military and Space Qualification documentation can be made available for most switches. Give our engineers a call today to discuss your application. Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpi-limit-switches-climbing-that-mounting/ For many applications requiring robust toggle switch functionality CPI sealed, waterproof toggle switches can be a good solution. Whether your application ishand actuated or needs be actuated mechanically, we have a complete off the shelf part configuration that incorporates all the necessary switch electrical parameters as well as an appropriate mounting bracket for your application. The niche for our switches is really for applications that are in wet, or outdoor environments, or environments that get a lot of heat and vibration. That’s because we manufacture our base pendant style switches with either a Santoprene or Neoprene coating. Not only does that make them completely waterproof (not water resistant or “splash proof”) but it makes them operational in extremes of temperature or toxic environments. CPI Switches in Action – Marine Toggle SwitchesCPI switches have seen hundreds of uses as boat toggle switches and marine rocker switches over the years. Here are some examples of specific CPI toggle switches in real-world marine applications. Engine Start/Kill – Mounted in one of our custom waterproof switch panels, Or K1 series toggle switches have been used as start/stop switches on work-boats and other commercial fishing boats owing to their extremely high durability and of course, completely waterproof operation. Horn and Signal Operation – In the same panel our switches which are rated to 28VDC and 5A can be used to control manually activated onboard horns or alarms. Bulkhead Lighting Controls – CPI switches can be used to control bulkhead lighting either manually or automatically when used in a door open/closed configuration. Bilge Pump Control – Our K1007 SPST Maintained Rocker Switch. sees use as a toggle switch for bilge pumps in everything from jet skis to commercial fishing boats. For expert help with your waterproof toggle switch application, call the team at CPI today. Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/waterproof-toggle-switches-for-marine-and-outdoor-applications/ Hydraulic Multipliers see use in a wide variety of industrial equipment as a cost effective way of driving multiple actuators from a single hydraulic circuit. These systems typically allow the operator to manually activate a conveniently mounted switch which controls a valve diverter. At the right moment, hydraulic pressure is diverted from one circuit to another and back again when done.
Since operators are typically using levers in things like Backhoe’s, Crane’s, Forklift’s, or agricultural sprayers, it is convenient to mount these switches directly on the lever itself where it can be ergonomically reached during operation. These switches are often subject to repeated use and abuse, outdoor environments, and extreme vibration in conditions which pose a safety hazard. The switches need to work, work well, and work for a long time without failure. Typical Hydraulic Multiplier Circuit Using CPI Switches While there are a number of our switches used into this application, your selection will depend on a few key considerations:
Harsh Duty Switches Control Heavy Duty Hydraulics CPI’s line of waterproof switches get used on these kinds of hydraulic multiplier applications because they are just plain hard to kill. In applications like forklifts, telehandlers, backhoe’s, cranes, agricultural machines, or flow control valve hydraulics, there is generally an unfriendly ambient environment that places additional demands on the electromechanical endurance of switches… …CPI switches were designed with that in mind. Call the CPI engineering team today to discuss your switching challenges or visit http://www.cpi-nj.com . Original content posted on https://www.cpi-nj.com/blog/cpi-limit-switches-in-hydraulic-multiplier-applications/ |
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