Technical Innovation in the Processing of Components of the Hydraulic Cylinder Rod Head: Improving the Sealing Reliability through the Integration of Multiple Processes

Recently, a precision machining enterprise has broken through the technical bottleneck in the processing of hydraulic cylinder rod head components. By integrating turning, grinding, and laser quenching processes, the surface quality of the products has reached the mirror level, and the sealing performance has been improved by 60%. This technology has been applied to the hydraulic systems of construction machinery such as excavators and loaders. "The core of the processing of hydraulic cylinder rod head components lies in the coordination of multiple processes," the technical director introduced. Traditional processing is prone to cause stress concentration and micro-cracks. The new solution adopts a three-step method of "rough turning + fine grinding + laser strengthening". First, the contour machining is completed by a numerically controlled lathe, with a grinding allowance of 0.3mm reserved. Subsequently, a centerless grinder is used to achieve a surface roughness of Ra0.2μm. Finally, a 0.5mm hardened layer is formed on the surface through laser quenching, and the hardness reaches HRC62. To solve the problem of clamping deformation, the team has developed a floating fixture system. By using the principle of hydraulic expansion, the clamping force is evenly distributed, reducing the vibration during the processing. "This is equivalent to providing an 'insurance' for the parts." The test data shows that the new process can control the cylindricity tolerance of the rod head within 0.005mm, which is five times higher than that of the traditional process. A construction machinery manufacturer has feedback that the leakage of the hydraulic cylinder with the new components has decreased by 80% during the 2000-hour durability test. "Especially the stability under high-load working conditions, the customers are very satisfied with it," the quality director said. The products have been exported to the European market as supporting components. The enterprise has established a complete processing parameter database, covering hydraulic cylinder rod heads of different materials and specifications. The technical team revealed that they are developing a process optimization system based on machine learning, which can realize the AI prediction of processing parameters in the future. "This will promote the intelligent transformation of the processing of hydraulic cylinder rod head components." With the maturity of this technology, the independent supporting capacity of high-end hydraulic components in China is expected to be significantly improved, providing more reliable precision component support for fields such as construction machinery and special equipment.