For years, not enough attention was given to how pedals were designed, resulting in bulky products, now Caldaro has developed a radically new pedal that sets modern standards with sophisticated modern techniques. Old pedals used complex hydraulic systems. Was it possible to simplify the design? How much could we simplify it? In answer, we designed a completely electronic pedal.
“It turned out that we could reduce the number of mechanical parts, and use just one pivot axis with built-in sensor signals,” says Erik Kauppi at Caldaro. ”What’s the point of exposing the wires on the outside, if we could keep them inside the pedal housing?”
The result is the P09, a compact, electronic pedal that delivers higher precision and better ergonomics. It’s also a lot easier to install an electronic pedal than a hydraulic pedal. Hydraulics need long oil hoses, which in turn, require high maintenance and added costs.
The first hybrid reach stacker uses the pedal P09
Timothy Arnesson works as a Machine Safety Engineer at Konecranes Lift Trucks in Markaryd, Sweden. He assures that their machines live up to the safety standards wherever they will be used.
“My job is to analyze the design of our trucks and make sure we use the best components and systems to optimize productivity and uptime for the owner,” Timothy says. ”I have been the project leader for designing, and putting into production, a hybrid reach stacker that runs on both diesel and electricity. I searched for a brake pedal that could fulfil a safety-critical function, and most companies couldn’t meet the specifications I needed. At Caldaro, I met a sales engineer, who was competent, interested, and willing to work with us to find a way to fulfil our needs.”
Timothy was pleased to learn that Caldaro delivered 3D models to use in their own construction drawings and also prototypes that could be adjusted by hand, then mounted in the machines for testing. The hybrid reach stacker SMV 4531 TC5 HLT is the first of its kind with combining diesel and electricity.
“We needed an electronic brake pedal because we saw the benefits of electrification of the brake system. When the machine brakes or lowers the loads, the energy is stored for later use. This saves a lot of diesel for the owner.”
Mining is a challenge for pedals
The culture at Caldaro is to work very closely with customers and learn about the working environment as well as special needs.
“I was visiting a mine and got the opportunity to study the pedals in a mining machine that had been used for just three years. The pedals were practically eaten up by the environmental conditions containing moisture, salts, minerals, and high acid content in the water,” explains Claudio Talamo, the CEO of Caldaro.
“Understanding that our pedal needed to endure such extremely harsh environments, we used an anodizing surface treatment to obtain super durability and resistance to outside conditions.We also added a layer of powder coating to make the pedal even more resistant.”
The P09 is available with different activation forces, allowing it to be used as both a throttle and a brake pedal.
“The pedal was put through a 10-million cycle test. After that, testers were blindfolded and asked to feel any distinction between the tested pedal from a new pedal. They couldn’t tell the difference.”
For safety reasons, it’s important that the brakes have redundant output signals. That’s something the P09 pedal also addresses.
Another new feature of the P09 is the low pivot point. Traditionally, pedals have a high pivot point. Caldaro disrupted that idea and came up with the P09.
“When you think about it, a low pivot point gives better ergonomics and better control for the driver,” asserts Erik Kauppi.