Plus+1 is a hydraulic machine control system developed by Danfoss. If you want to achieve highly specialised control over the hydraulic components of any mobile machine, Danfoss Plus+1 technology allows you to do it. 

HOW DO DANFOSS PLUS+1 MACHINE CONTROL SYSTEMS WORK?

Danfoss Plus+1 technology features programmable microcontrollers linked to different parts of a hydraulic machine to allow intricate and customisable actions to be performed. It is primarily designed and used for mobile hydraulic applications such as excavators, loaders and other machines. However, it can also be used in other applications such as fixed plant systems where machine control is required. This is becoming more commonplace as people discover the power of the system. 

Microcontrollers are the secret ingredient and the central nervous system of the Plus+1 platform.  You can think of these microcontrollers as little computers that perform specific tasks. They are compact integrated circuits designed to govern a specific operation in a system. Each one has a processor, memory and input/output (I/O) peripherals on a single chip - all in one. These small, robust electronic components can be stacked, paired and configured in a variety of ways. 

Using Danfoss’ proprietary software, the engineer programs each microcontroller with a certain set of instructions to be executed at a given signal, or at a certain time or sequence etc. In other words, the engineer tells the microcontroller what to do and when to do it. 

Microcontrollers can be used to send signals to virtually any part of a machine. It can tell an engine to change speed, tell a transmission to go backward or forward, or actuators to extend or retract - depending on the action that needs to be performed. Which means controls can be simplified and machine operation can be customised to perform any function with much greater accuracy and consistency. 

This makes Danfoss Plus+1 a very powerful solution that allows skilled engineers greater freedom to be creative and design elegant control systems for anything from custom drilling rigs, to specialised agricultural tools, or the high precision cutting machines used in manufacturing or anything else that needs customized control. There really is no limit to how Danfoss Plus+1 can be applied. 

The benefits of Danfoss Plus+1:

Flexibility: 

The system is highly modular. Allowing microcontrollers to be arranged and programmed to perform an infinite variety of actions. And there are many options for displays, computer inputs, joysticks, etc. Danfoss Plus+1 control platform is a powerful technological solution offering incredible opportunities to improve countless applications. 

Reliability: 

The system is very robust and dependable. Each microcontroller is self-contained in a rugged casing to protect it from extreme environments. It eliminates the need for delicate motherboards or sensitive connectors which are vulnerable to dust or moisture. In addition, each microcontroller is only executing on a simple set of instructions and doesn’t rely on an operating system, so there’s less chance of anything going wrong. This makes it perfect for use on mines, farms, industrial sites and other extreme environments. 

Simplicity:

The system allows machine control to be achieved in a very efficient manner, without occupying a large amount of space in the system. Before, engineers would probably need to use a large number of relays to achieve the machine control they desired - and this would often mean a big panel with multiple inputs. With Plus+1, the system can be simplified and  tucked away. Allowing for more freedom to design the rest of the machine and optimise it for the task without compromising.

Lower cost machine control:

The Danfoss Plus+1 system is opening many doors and lowering the barrier to entry for people who want more advanced machine control for their hydraulic equipment. In the past, if you wanted a machine to perform a specialised action, the hydraulic system would usually need to be custom-designed with a high level of customisation. Necessitating a long and costly design process. 

The simplicity and ease-of-integration offered by programmable microcontrollers along with the integration capabilities of other modern hydraulic components means upgrading to modern machine control systems is now a much less costly exercise than in the past. Engineers no longer need to custom-engineer everything from scratch. Instead, they can build it up and use Plus+1 guide software to adapt the system to their needs. 

This is opening up a whole new world of machines that can now benefit from better machine control. Companies and plant managers are starting to realise the possibilities. It’s now much easier and affordable to upgrade or replace archaic systems and replace these with more modern, more reliable and easy to use machinery that makes work more efficient and less frustrating. 

If you want more information about the Plus+1 System, contact our engineering team at Berendsen Fluid Power.