Continental’s Shop In A Box provides operators with a turnkey solution for hydraulic and industrial hose crimping
Continental’s Shop In A Box was a highlight of this year’s National Diesel Dirt & Turf Expo (DDT) due to its ability to conveniently replicate a hydraulic and industrial hose crimp shop for operators.
This turnkey solution is sold as a total workshop solution with everything needed to produce quality hose assemblies. Depending on the operator’s needs, they can choose from four different crimper models to accompany the Shop In A Box.
Modern day hydraulic systems require hoses to withstand very high pressures of up to 6,000psi – requiring a high level of maintenance and repair to prevent accidents and ensure uptime is maximised. With the Continental Shop in a Box, everything is on hand to quickly repair hoses whenever needed.
Multisolution tool
Continental industrial solutions head of sales distribution – Australia and New Zealand Lee Cranswick says the Shop In A Box will have three main types of users that will all use the turnkey solution differently to each other.
Occasional users will probably be crimping smaller hoses while moderate commercial users may be crimping larger hoses and will use the crimper more often.
“We also have industry ready to go users who will use a crimper every day, using it for assembly work,” Cranswick says.
“They will be building hoses all the time, five or six days a week, and it’s a big part of their business.”
Cranswick says the Shop In A Box provides a range of different benefits for operators, depending on the type of user.
“It’s a turnkey solution, so it’s a ready-made workbench with a crimper,” he says.
“Operators have the equipment there with them with the Shop In A Box. They’ve got the fittings and the hose and they can do their own repairs in the convenience of their own location.
“It’s a cost-effective solution to any breakdown that they may have on site or off site.”
Crimper models
The Shop in a Box comes with four crimper models for different hose sizes. They are characterised by their crimp capability, which Cranswick says is measured in an industry standard language encompassing a dash before a number.
These dash measurements describe the internal diameter of the tube in a hose.
For example, the PC125 crimper has a crimp capability up to -20 (1.25 inches/31.75mm) for 2-wire braided hoses and up to -16 (1 inch/25.4mm) for four-wire spiral.
Cranswick says the difference between 2-wire braided hose and four-wire spiral is the way the reinforcement is laid onto the hose.
The PC150 has crimp capability of up to -24 (1.5 inches or 38.1mm) for 2-wire braided hose and up to -16 (1 inch/25.4mm) for four and six-wire spiral hoses. The PC150HD has the same crimp capability for 2-wire braided hose but has a higher spiral hose capability of up to -20 (1.25 inches/31.75mm).
The fourth crimper model, PC200i, can crimp 2-wire braided hose up to -32 (2 inches/50.8mm) and up to -32 for 4-wire and 6-wire spiral hoses.
However, the PC200i’s greater crimp capability isn’t the only difference between it and its counterpart models, with Continental also integrating its smart CrimpIQ technology.
“We call the PC200i our IQ crimp because it’s hooked up to the Cloud and Bluetooth,” Cranswick says.
“This technology updates crimp specifications and can keep an eye on your crimp speed so you can see how many crimps the machine has done.”
Operators don’t have to look up crimp specifications with this technology and remote maintenance is also enabled, so it can be monitored from afar.
Having crimp specifications regularly updated through the cloud, Cranswick says the IQ technology can reduce downtime and improve safety for operators.
“When an operator inputs data (hose and fitting types), the correct validated matched crimp spec will be supplied,” he says.
“Incorrect crimp specs can lead to hose failure on site, resulting in downtime.”
The CrimpIQ technology prevents operators from guessing crimp specifications and therefore avoids a hose being over or under crimped – potentially causing serious injury in application.
This technology assists operators by presenting the correct crimping dies to be used, which Cranswick says can prevent safety hazards such as pinch points and blow outs.
With Cloud and Wi-Fi connectivity, the technology can also make crimping faster and easier by saving your preferences and user settings.
A 10-inch (25.4cm) touchscreen controller is also included with the PC200i that enables digital crimping and remote maintenance of the crimper.
Initial feedback has been positive for the Shop In A Box, with Cranswick saying customers are loving its capabilities and the way it works.
For more information on Continental’s Shop In A Box visit www.continental-industry.com/en