Defining Harsh Environments for Commercial Vehicles.

 

Sometimes clients come to us because they have a small need for switches on an outdoor application and want to design in a sealed switch that they won’t ever have to worry about.  A switch that is truly waterproof, with reliability over tens of thousands of actuations, and just the right tactile feel. Applications on jet ski’s and speedboats come to mind. Or motors on specialized enduro-mountain bikes, motorized fishing reels for the handicapped and push-to-talk helmet mounted buttons for cops. Dozens more like this. All small but important CPI customers because they just didn’t want to mess around with the switch. They wanted a bulletproof implementation from the get-go.

Some of the environmental stress these applications experience can be severe for sure, but a whole different set of environmental challenges exist in the commercial mobile space. This is the place which CPI switches were exactly designed for. Some of these apps represent the most difficult operating environments you will find on the planet.

The Non-Automotive Commercial Mobile Vehicle Problem

Consider the use of limit switches on a backhoe loader or other construction vehicles like a crane or dump truck. These vehicles can employ strong hydraulic movement on loader arms, dump bodies, or stabilizers with limit switches exposed to the outdoor elements constantly. This means rain, wind, dust, oil and other chemicals, even power washing. Add to that extreme temperatures, high vibration, constant use and physical abuse by operators and machines alike. Many times, these switches function as a critical safety sensor and so failure in the field can be expensive to resolve and dangerous to leave unresolved. Here are just a few examples:

Next Gen Telehandler using J4 Plunger Switch – For this brand-new design, our manufacturer uses outriggers (or stabilizers) to insure stability of the extended platform. The critical safety related nature of this application, and the need to be small form yet durable made CPI the best choice. These plunger switches act as position sensors for the stabilizers with operating parameters held to +-1mm in the CPI switch design.

Agricultural Harvester using waterproof Limit Switch E1245-501 – In this value-add addition to a popular harvester model, our client ads our simulated roller limit switch to the side of the harvester. This sensor allows them to determine when the crop harvester head is in the locked or floating position. Key to this design win was the reliability and immunity to chemicals and high pressure water our switches exhibit.

Dump Body Detection using E1092  simulated roller bracket with B-Series Switches – Driving down the highway with the dump body raised is both comical and dangerous. The installation of a simple CPI limit switch like our 1092 simulated roller actuator is commonly used to make sure all kinds of things are closed, from dump truck bodies, to safety doors, to engine hoods, and submarine hatches. Switch closure parameters such as force and electromechanical endurance as well as extended temperature ranges can be specified. And no matter what you pick, its always sealed and completely waterproof. You can read more about this dump truck raised body application at this link.

Other applications for Construction vehicles Include:

Back-up Alarm Switch Brake Over-Temp Cab Closed Interlock Door Interlock Seat Position

Door Switch Dump Body Detect Switch Horn Switch Idle Validation Detect Lift Up/Down Control

Lift Up/Down Control Operator Presence Switch Park Brake Switch Remote Horn Signal Switch

For more information on any of these applications please call a sales engineer at 973-887-9400

CPI – We’re Different on the Inside

Inside our unassuming santoprene (or neoprene) sealed “pendant” switch, lies a world of experience and field proven technology in switching and sensing. Working for up to 1 million cycles in the environments we reliably operate in, takes a lot of careful thought in both design and manufacturing, and a lot of understanding about how small mods in materials and construction can make big changes in operating characteristics.

The other way we’re different on the inside is our company operating philosophy. With all our manufacturing, engineering and design done at a single USA based corporate campus, our ability to make changes, customize, consult, ensure quality and be nimble in delivery are unmatched by any offshore solution to high performance switching you will find anywhere else in the world. With our USA based operations, your supply chain will be unaffected by the policies and hostilities of foreign made products in unstable countries with ever changing export rules.

And in quantity, our pricing is usually competitive with those offshore products. But with CPI you will also get a reliable, accessible and incredibly responsive USA based supply partner. That’s worth something.

Call (973) 887-9400 or visit https://cpi-nj.com today to discuss your next limit switch design challenge.

This blog was originally posted at https://www.cpi-nj.com/defining-harsh-environments-for-commercial-vehicles/