Industrial ProductsConnective Industries

The Tsuchiura Works of Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd. has launched the operation of Workplace E-Powering (WEP) as an initiative to reduce CO₂ emissions through electric vehicle (EV) commuting. WEP encourages employees to adopt EVs by installing EV charging infrastructure at the workplace, facilitating adoption by employees who do not have EV charging facilities at home. This helps the company because the resulting reduction of CO2 emissions counts under Category 7 "Employee Commuting" of the Scope 3 standards when calculating the emissions reduced by businesses in their supply chain. When building the WEP facility where a large number of EVs will be parked for a relatively long time, the large-capacity multi-port EV charger of Hitachi Industrial Products was installed, and Hitachi also developed and deployed a multi-connector charging stand (25 kW) to effectively utilize this equipment. The charging stand has charging cables that can be connected to four EVs, and is capable of charging four EVs while automatically switching the charging target. When used in combination with the 20-port multi-port EV charger, an EV charging parking lot for up to 80 vehicles can be built.

While leveraging the technical and institutional know-how gained from this project, Hitachi plans to expand operations in the future both inside and outside the Group.

(Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd.)

Hitachi delivered a variety of equipment to the ventilation station of the Tsukiji-Toranomon Tunnel on the Tokyo No. 2 Loop Road, including two exhaust fans (variable blade axial flow fan) with a diameter of 3,000 mm, a set of electrostatic precipitators, tunnel internal jet fans, and a set of measurement equipment.

The Tsukiji-Toranomon Tunnel was partially opened in March 2014, and after the completion of the Tsukiji ventilation station all lanes were fully opened in December 2022. The Tsukiji-Toranomon tunnel cuts across the heart of Tokyo, an area home to a wide array of buildings, including public, medical, and commercial facilities. The purpose of installing the ventilation equipment was to protect the environment near the tunnel entrance. Information from inside the tunnel is constantly monitored by the measurement equipment, and centralized ventilation is performed at the Tsukiji ventilation station to prevent vehicle exhaust gas from escaping untreated outside the tunnel. The exhaust gas in the tunnel is purified by the electrostatic precipitators in the ventilation station and then travels through the exhaust fans before being discharged to the outside from the ventilation tower.

In the future, Hitachi Industrial Products will continue to supply tunnel ventilation equipment that takes into account the safety and comfort of automobile travel while also considering the environment around tunnel entrances.

(Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd.)

Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd. received an order for a modification project to strengthen the processing capacity of existing compressors at Braskem S.A., a Brazilian company. This was a part of Braskem's plan to increase production capacity at their green ethylene plant* by about 30%. Hitachi's proposal contributed greatly to the 5Rs (Repair, Reuse, Rebuilt, Remanufacturing, Recycle). Most of the existing compressor parts and auxiliary equipment were reused, and Hitachi only delivered newly manufactured parts for the internal compressor parts that were modified. The modified internal compressor parts were replaced at the customer's plant, and now commercial operations have started.

Through this modification project, the environmental impact has been reduced, while also cutting costs, increasing plant productivity, and helping the customer to achieve business targets. By providing this kind of solution in addition to products and services, Hitachi will continue to contribute in the future to achieving a sustainable society and increasing social, environmental, and economic value.

(Hitachi Industrial Products, Ltd.)

(Start of commercial operation: April 2023)

*

A plant that produces ethylene using ethanol derived from sugarcane as its raw material, which is more environmentally friendly than the naphtha that is used as the raw material in the conventional production method.

Hitachi has started to provide a "Smart Maintenance Service" that uses remote monitoring to save labor and increase efficiency in inspection and maintenance work for power distribution equipment when providing electricity to factories, buildings, or other facilities. Recent years have seen an increase in power demand due to the proliferation of EVs and the growth of data centers built to power the expansion of generative AI, among other reasons. But this has led to the challenge of labor shortages, as it becomes difficult to find staff for the periodic inspection of power distribution equipment or maintenance staff for maintenance work.

The Smart Maintenance Service of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. conducts continuous monitoring of equipment using insulation monitoring and sensors for temperature, humidity, and other conditions. It also uses the platform of FitLive, the proprietary equipment monitoring service of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems, to check operation conditions in real time. For example, continuous measurement of insulation deterioration trends can be used instead of checking insulation resistance values, helping to lengthen the interval required between insulation resistance measurement tests. A lineup of two types is provided to respond to diverse customer needs. The package type provides a kit of the devices required for monitoring, which makes deployment work easy, while the order-made type provides customization options.

(Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.)

The alternating current (AC) servo AD7-MEGA series consists of new model servo amplifiers that meet even higher performance and more diverse market needs in applications such as machine tools, industrial robots, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. This new series provides products in the 200 V class and a range of 2 kW up to 45 kW. The main features are as follows.

1. Provides the EtherCAT* open network as standard, which enables high-speed synchronous control, and increases communication cycle speeds^*) to deliver more precise operations.
2. Provides universal contact input and analog voltage input as standard to enable the connection and use of external sensor input and other resources.
3. Expands the encoders available for communication to enable combination with a wide range of motors.
4. Improves the operation software to shorten equipment setup times*).
5. Improves the STO (Safe Torque Off) functionality [changed compliance from EN (European Norm) / ISO 13849-1 Cat. 3 PL d, EN 61800-5-2 SIL 2 (STO) to EN / ISO 13849-1 Cat. 3 PL e, EN 61800-5-2 SIL 3 (STO)].

(Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.)

(Start date for receiving orders: July 2024)

• * See the list of “Trademarks”.

*)

Compared to current model of Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems.

Hitachi's Gravis UX2 Series industrial inkjet printers provide a diverse lineup of inks with different properties such as high adhesion or fast drying to suit various print objects or applications. In recent years, regulations for the safety of chemical substances and reducing their environmental impact have been strengthened worldwide in order to improve work safety and prevent damage to user health, and in consideration of the global environment. In this context, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. developed an ink that responded to market demand for minimized use of substances regulated under the Ordinance on Prevention of Organic Solvent Poisoning (Organic Solvent Ordinance).

The 4158K regulated organic solvent-free ink launched in December 2023 features the use of natural raw materials, and it does not contain the solvents that are regulated under the Organic Solvent Ordinance. Furthermore, the ink has been highly praised for its high functionality, including a long service life of 2,400 continuous hours, low solvent volatility [2.0 ml/h (20°C)], high adhesion performance on the normally difficult to adhere materials of polypropylene and polyethylene, and resistance to disinfectant ethanol.

(Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.)

In the past, most heat generated by air compressors during operation was released to the atmosphere, and it was difficult to make effective use of this waste heat.

In July 2023, Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd. launched a waste heat recovery unit for oil-lubricated air compressors that can be connected to Hitachi's HISCREW NEXT II series and G Series 55-75 kW oil-lubricated screw air compressors. This product can be used to combat rising energy costs and help achieve carbon neutrality. The main features are as follows.

1. Recovers heat from the hot lubricating oil of the compressor to supply hot water up to 70°C^*1.
2. Enables close-fitting installation on the left side of the compressor to respond to demand for installation in a small space.
3. Includes a water supply failure detector inside the unit to enable continuous supply of compressed air even if the water is cut off.

In the future, Hitachi plans to expand the series to other models.

(Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.)

*1

Depends on certain conditions, such as use of a circulation heating system.

Air compressors are a vital component in the energy supply of factory equipment, and they are said to consume about 20% of the total power at a factory. Stable operation and energy saving for air compressors have become pressing concerns in factory management, especially during the peak summer months as the power used by the air conditioning rises in tandem with the temperature. Labor shortages for equipment management has also increased in recent years, resulting in demand for labor savings and increasing awareness of the Internet of Things (IoT) as a possible remedy.

In response to these needs, Hitachi launched the Oil-free BEBICON R Series (1.5, 2.2, 3.7 kW). The most notable feature of this series is its support for high ambient temperatures. By installing the newly developed heat shielded piston, the maximum installation temperature has been raised from 40°C for the previous model to 50°C for the new tank mounted type.

From the perspective of energy saving and IoT utilization as well, the adoption of a new control method reduces power consumption by up to 15% in the package type, and the workload for managing equipment is reduced by transmitting and sharing operation information to the cloud server via a smart device app.

(Hitachi Industrial Equipment Systems Co., Ltd.)