Published in the December 2005 American Longwall Magazine

“I think we’re answering something that the industry has been wanting,” said hose products division product manager Gary Gleich. “It’s an industry-driven product.”

Parker Hannifin has a history of answering the call of need from an industry. The company Arthur Parker established in 1918 now meets needs in the fields of industrial, aerospace, automation, climate and industrial controls, filtration, fluid connectors, hydraulics, instrumentation and seals.

Publicly traded since 1964, Parker Hannifin is an $8 billion company with a staff of 48,000 worldwide and a name nearly as well known underground as it is above.

“People know our name. We are the global leader in motion control and hydraulics,” Gleich said.

Parker’s hydraulics expertise has paid off with the new CM2TC, which could very well turn the hydraulic hose sector on its ear – the product is off the shelf, requires no skiving and can be assembled underground using a portable crimping machine. Assembly time will be significantly reduced.

Skiving, where wire reinforcements must be manually exposed in order to attach a hose fitting, is often a time-consuming and sometimes dangerous task. When a hose is overskived, the wire reinforcement becomes exposed to the elements, causing early failure due to moisture, rust or other contamination.

In addition to a shorter life expectancy, overskiving errors can lead to weakening of the wires inside and/or the eventual inability to hold the hose. Under-skiving on the other hand can create an unsafe connection where the wire reinforcements and the fitting will not mate properly, possibly creating a potential “blow off” situation.

Safety, among other factors, was examined closely when developing the CM2TC, which evolved from Parker Hannifin’s designs for the industrial market and re-engineered for the harsh coal mining environment. It uses what Gleich calls “the simplest crimping design on the market”, so that workers can be trained to use it efficiently and effectively error-free.

The latest addition to the Coalmaster line, the CM2TC has a laundry list of benefits expected to have a significant impact on production time and expense. Gleich estimates an average of 30 seconds can be shaved from fitting by omitting the skiving process.

In addition, manual skiving creates an environmental hazard through the airborne particles of the removed hose, something that simply doesn’t exist with Parker’s CM2TC product. Also, virtually no tooling is involved.

Parker’s crimping equipment requires no manual calibration of the crimp specifications, eliminating potential error. An alignment feature of the die sets called Parkalign ensures proper placement of the shell in the die to remove all guesswork for proper crimping. Since the hose is “no skive”, no extra equipment has to be hauled to the work location since the hose assembly can be done on-site underground with one machine.

“It doesn’t take any additional tooling to make the hose assembly,” said Gleich. “All it takes is the machine, the right die set, the fitting and the hose, and you’re ready to go.”

Not only is CM2TC a “no skive” product, it features a heavy duty, abrasion-resistant cover standard to allow for peak performance in an underground environment despite foot and machinery traffic, dragging and hose transport.

Sizes range from one-quarter inch up to two inches, which means Parker’s MSHA- and OSHA-approved hydraulic hoses can be made to suit the specific needs of an operation. In addition, a complete fitting line is offered to work in conjunction with CM2TC, including Stecko ends. Gleich anticipates the extended lifespan of the hoses will continue to attract mining operations to the technology but expects the demand from OEMs to increase also.

“We sell to the mine operations via our distribution network,” said Gleich. “but this product is not only for the mines. CM2TC will be of interest for the manufacturers of the mining equipment.

“Since the equipment is subject to the harsh working conditions of underground mining we expect to see more and more OEMs specifying the product on their machines. The same attributes that will benefit the mines will benefit the OEMs also.”

Gleich said that because this was a “global hose”, he looks forward to seeing even more of Parker’s name underground all over the world.

“With upgraded pressure ratings, tough cover and ease of use this product will meet worldwide demand,” he said.