Kawasaki to Launch K8V Series Closed Circuit Swash Plate Axial Piston Pump

Tokyo, September 28, 2015 - Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. announced today that it will launch its K8V series of swash plate type axial piston pumps designed for closed circuits*1 on October 1, 2015.

The K8V series is optimally designed for various types of closed circuit systems, including rotary motors and HST*2 drive systems for industrial vehicles like construction or agricultural machines and more. It can be combined with any of the newly released M7V/M7X series swash plate type axial piston motors.

Kawasaki leveraged its vast experience in the market for excavators and other construction machinery while employing the fluid dynamics technology it cultivated through aircraft and rolling stock R&D to develop new rotary components for the K8V series such as pistons and cylinders. As one of the most efficient pumps ever made, the K8V series not only improves vehicle fuel economy, but also reduces pulsation for quieter operation. These features make a significant contribution to meeting the needs of highly efficient, energy-saving, low-noise construction and agricultural machinery.

Equipped with a charge pump, relief valve, cut-off valve, and other parts integral to a closed circuit system, the K8V series makes designing and assembling industrial vehicle transmissions simple. In addition to electric and hydraulic pilot controls, Kawasaki's proprietary mechanical feedback regulator ensures highly accurate control characteristics regardless of pressure, rotation speed, and other operating conditions.

The K8V series includes the K8V90 (with a displacement of 90 cm3) and the K8V125 (with a displacement of 130 cm3), which are slated to be released on October 1, 2015, as well as the K8V71 (with a displacement of 71 cm3), scheduled to debut in the summer of 2016.

[*1]

In a closed-circuit system, oil discharged from a hydraulic pump flows through an actuator such as a hydraulic motor and returns to the hydraulic pump inlet without the use of a hydraulic tank.

[*2]

HST (hydrostatic transmission) is a type of transmission mechanism that transmits power from an engine by adjusting displacement from a hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor to make continuously variable transmission possible.