Marzocchi Pompe S.p.A., a leading company in the design, manufacturing, and marketing of high-performance gear pumps and motors, announces the granting of a new patent for the reversible version of the Elika family of pumps.
The patent was granted by the UIBM – Italian Patent and Trademark Office of the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy – and the European portion under EP24711633.8 is currently being issued.
The studies, simulations, prototyping, and testing that led to the definition of the patent application were conducted by Marzocchi Pompe’s R&D team, with longstanding collaboration from the Engineering Department of the University of Bologna.
The inventive concept relates to a bilateral hydraulic compensation system ensuring full axial force balancing on a reversible machine with helical-toothed rotors featuring conjugate profiles, without fluid entrapment, usable both as a pump and as a motor operating in clockwise or counterclockwise rotation.The project aimed to develop a hydraulic machine that is versatile, efficient, reliable, cost-effective, and simple to manufacture.
Tech Specs
The primary objective of the new patent is to develop a new subfamily of pumps within the Elika line.The new pumps will be external gear pumps for non-traditional profile reversible applications, featuring helical gearing with a reduced tooth count and involute and other circular sections, whose characteristics enable smooth motion, absence of trapped volume (zero overpressure and negative flow rate), reduced vibration, and lower operating noise versus standard solutions. Specifically, the patent enables the development of a new subfamily of reversible pumps or motors, i.e. capable of operating in both directions of rotation, an option that was not previously achievable in the state of the art.
The technical solution enabled by this patent resolves the technical issues that currently prevent the reversible operation of “four-quadrant machines”.
Market and competitive advantages
Due to the growing adoption of hybrid and electric operating machines and transportation vehicles, demand for low-noise hydraulic and electrohydraulic actuators is increasing, as the elimination of the typical noise of the internal combustion engine makes the noise generated by hydraulic components predominant.
Some of these applications require reversible pumps, for which a viable technical solution is currently not available. Typical examples of reversible applications include hydrostatic transmissions or certain steering systems. Similarly, reversible hydraulic motors are beneficial in applications where it is necessary to reverse the direction of torque available at the hydraulic motor output shaft.
The target market for the technological innovation developed by Marzocchi Pompe – operating machines and hybrid and electric public transportation – is expanding worldwide. This market is continuously evolving and increasingly focused on improving product performance by introducing essential features such as high quietness and the elimination of vibration transmission to other system components.
The development of the new product and its subsequent marketing are therefore expected to generate additional and incremental revenue for Marzocchi Pompe, with a shift in production toward products with higher added value.
In the words of Gabriele Bonfiglioli, CEO of Marzocchi Pompe: «Obtaining this significant patent demonstrates Marzocchi’s continuous commitment to technological innovation and excellence in the products and solutions offered to customers.
Elika pumps and motors, which until now could operate only in a single direction of rotation – clockwise or counterclockwise – will now be capable of bidirectional operation. These new Elika products, Marzocchi Pompe’s flagship family, expand and complement an already extensive portfolio and reinforce the Group’s global positioning.
Through this product, we will be able to respond even more effectively to the needs of a rapidly evolving market, addressing in particular the growing demand arising from increasingly widespread electrification-driven applications, both in the Automotive sector and in the Mobile sector more broadly, as well as in industrial applications.
In summary, the new patent will allow Marzocchi Pompe to market reversible pumps and motors characterized by high performance in terms of volumetric and mechanical efficiency, as well as low noise and vibration emissions. This will generate a highly significant competitive advantage, with the opportunity to sustain it over time and protect it through the patent coverage obtained.»
