Pioneers in hydraulics: How Domin manufactures revolutionary valves with the micrometer precision of the S33

At the Domin Technology Centre (DTC) outside Bristol in England, the smell of innovation is in the air. The atmosphere is characterized by concentrated energy, because this is where the future of motion control is being shaped. The bright, tidy halls are home to state-of-the-art 3D printing systems, EDM, and milling machines—and, most recently, a S33 cylindrical grinding machine from STUDER. These are tools for young, talented professionals who are united by a common mission: to wake an entire industry from its technological slumber. With its 85 highly qualified employees, Domin is one of the most innovative companies in the UK.

Hydraulics is the technology that uses pressurized fluids to precisely control force and movement even with the heaviest loads with seemingly effortless ease. Hydraulics systems have become an indispensable part of our modern world, whether in excavators moving tons on construction sites, in aircraft for the extension of their landing gear, or in cars executing braking commands in fractions of a second. But it is also true that, compared to other industries, there has been relatively little innovation and progress in this field since the 1950s.

High-tech Valves and Pumps are Advancing Hydraulics

“Traditional hydraulics are incredibly powerful, but also notoriously inefficient. Conventional systems can waste up to 70 percent of their input energy,” explains Cameron Adams, Manufacturing Engineering Manager at Domin. He and his team have therefore made it their mission to take this key technology for virtually every modern industry into the next era, so that more can be achieved with less. Domin aims to achieve this with its core products: extremely responsive servo valves and ultra-compact high-performance pumps.

The company is leveraging the design freedom of metal 3D printing to manufacture novel components with complex, flow-optimized internal structures. Such complex channel structures would be unthinkable with conventional subtractive manufacturing. The result is digitally controllable hydraulic systems that enable efficiency gains of up to 90 percent over conventional solutions. For example, a single modern valve from Domin reduces costs by around $400 per year, which leads to significant savings in large systems. Domin’s customers are found in industries such as aerospace, automotive and motorsports, industrial manufacturing, robotics, shipping, and energy.

Scalable Production Thanks to the STUDER S33

Domin manufactures its products from extremely hard, durable, and corrosion proof / resistant maraging steel using 3D metal printing. The additive process is followed by post-processing of the surfaces and fine geometries, known as edge matching. This involves aligning the control edges of the valve slide with the windows of the valve housing with an accuracy of a few micrometers. This alignment is crucial for the overall performance of the valve.

Until now, Domin has performed edge matching using wire erosion (EDM). This is a process that delivers high accuracy but is comparatively slow. “We were faced with the problem of scaling an extremely precise but slow process for our growing production,” recalls Adams. To do this, Domin needed a machine that would reliably guarantee the highest precision and also offer the flexibility to combine different machining operations. After an intensive evaluation, the choice fell on the S33 CNC universal cylindrical grinding machine from STUDER.

High Expectations for Precision Exceeded

Domin now uses the S33 for high-precision grinding of the diameters and fine control edges of valve spools for key products such as the S4 Pro, S6 Pro, and S10 Pro series valves. The accuracy requirements for this are extremely high. For example, the S6 Pro valve requires a diameter tolerance of just three micrometers (0.000,12 inch)—a value that is twenty times smaller than the diameter of a human hair. “The precision and reliability of the STUDER machine exceeded our expectations. During the acceptance test, the deviation across 50 components was only 0.0006 mm (0.000,024 inch) thanks to in-process measurement – and no, that’s not a typo,” says Adams.

This is made possible by state-of-the-art grinding technologies and high-quality components with which the Swiss quality manufacturer, with over 113 years of tradition, equips its cylindrical grinding machines. The S33 features the revolutionary C.O.R.E. hardware and software architecture, whose large touch display not only ensures intuitive operation but also smart visualization of relevant production data. And with features such as frequency-controlled motor grinding spindles for external and internal grinding, as well as a machine bed made of Granitan® S103 mineral cast for the necessary thermal stability and vibration damping—reliable, precise results are achieved.

Five Minutes Instead of an Hour: Higher-level Production Thanks to STUDER

Overall, the S33 has enabled Domin to raise its production to a higher level. Thanks to the extremely low tolerances, the hydraulics specialists can now produce their valve spools and blocks as fully interchangeable components in series production. The manual pairing of components that was previously necessary is no longer required. For Domin, the decisive technological advantage of the S33 was its configuration with two grinding wheels. “The ability to grind both the diameters and the shoulders of the spools in a single machine is a game changer for us,” says Adams, explaining: “We know that if there is a possibility for errors, they are likely to occur at some point. To reduce this risk, we designed the process so that grinding wheel changes or tailstock movements are not necessary. This approach not only reduces setup time, but also minimizes the costs typically associated with errors. In addition, the transition from EDM to cylindrical grinding on the S33 for the S6 Pro valve has led to a dramatic improvement in efficiency—machining time has been reduced from nearly an hour to just five minutes.

Domin and STUDER also enjoy a trusting working relationship. “Communication between our specialists and the excellent engineers at Domin worked very well right from the start. Together, we were able to identify the S33 as the optimal machine and configure it for the specific production requirements,” recalls Michael Läuffer, Area Sales Manager UK/Ireland and Benelux at STUDER. This advice and mutual trust were key for Domin. “We didn’t just get a machine; we got a well-thought-out solution. The technical support and ability to respond to our wishes were first-class and made the entire implementation process much easier,” confirms Adams.

Looking to the future, Domin is clearly focused on growth. Production volume is set to increase exponentially in the coming years. To cope with this, the next step has already been decided: automating part loading is the next milestone on the road to highly efficient series production. This is another reason why the S33 with its smart and future-proof automation options was chosen. “With STUDER, we have a partner at our side who will accompany us through these development steps and help us realize our vision of a fully automated, intelligent manufacturing process,” summarizes Adams.

The Advantages of the S33

• Maximum precision and process reliability thanks to the perfect interaction of hardware and software
• Short machining times thanks to complete machining
• Intuitive operation and smart features with C.O.R.E. OS and StuderPictogramming
• Easy to automate thanks to standardized interfaces for loaders and periphery units, peripheral equipment

Do Visit – https://www.studer.com/en/

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