Frequently Asked Questions

General

These are questions that are commonly asked by our customers when they try out our services. Our goal at ServoCon ALPHA is to make it “easier for you to do business with us;” that is why we provide our customer with services that they can access 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You benefit because our inside account specialists are able to work with you to make sure that you get the parts you need when you need them. Because of the efficiencies gained by using our web services, our highly trained sales force will be able to better provide more personal attention to solving your specific problems; this will in turn enable you to provide better value and service to your customers and organizations.

Here is a list of common questions that customers who are currently using our system asked when they start using our services. See also Glossary.

• What information do I need before calling Technical Support? [answer]
  
  
• I have a servohydraulic machine or component that is over 10 years old. Will ServoCon ALPHA be able to continue to support the products on it? [answer]
  
  
• What oil shall I use in my HPU System? [answer]
  
  
• The 3-phase motor on a hydraulic testing frame will not operate is there anything I can check? [answer]
  
  
• What are some of the reasons for incorrect hardness readings? [answer]

  Facility start up (system dirt problems)

• Why are my valves sticking when this is a new system? [answer]

  Valves Sticking

• Every so often I have a problem with valves sticking. When I remove the top cover I find the piston stuck down about 30% of its stroke. I remove the piston for inspection and really don't find anything that should cause the valve to hang-up. Before I put the valve back together, I go over the bore with a polishing pad to remove anything that might cause the piston to hang. When the valve is put back in service it seems to work fine for a couple of days, then it hangs up again! Why? [answer]

  Repairing Valves Verses Replacing

• Replacing an old wornrather than rebuilding is always my first choice, but in today's economy, more and more customers opt for rebuilding. In the area of rebuilding, I've had mixed results. Valves with identical service life on similar applications have yielded very different results when rebuilt! Example: I recently rebuilt a couple of valves used for head pressure control. Both valves had pistons, modulating plugs and springs, diaphragms and all gaskets replaced. The valves were back in service for no more than 10 minutes before one of the two caused a high head pressure alarm to sound. I opened the valve using the manual stem and the head pressure dropped like a rock! The valve was disassembled and inspected for anything that could have caused the failure, I found nothing. The valve was reassembled and again head pressure skyrocketed! I opened the valve with the manual opening stem and ordered a new replacement. I replaced all of the internal components, yet only one of the two valves worked afterward! What am I missing? [answer]

  Parts for Older Valves

• I have several old valves installed in a system that date as far back as 20+ years. My problem is parts or finding a valve that is by the manufacturer called "obsolete". One example is the packing, glands and seals look very different today than they did 20 years ago. Do I need to know how old they are when ordering parts? Does the current style packing fit in valves made 20 years ago? Do I need to replace the whole valve, or can I replace the assembly with the newer model? [answer]
  
  
• Do you have new parts for repairing servovalves and components? [answer]
  
  
• How long have you been in the servocontrols business? [answer]
  
  
• Are you certified to service and rebuild servovalves? [answer]
  
  
• What is the experience level of your servocontrol engineers and technicians? [answer]
  
  
• What is your warranty on new and used servovalves and servocontrols? [answer]
  
  
• What condition are the used servovalves and servocontrols that you sell? [answer]
  
  
• Do you do all of the work on your servovalves and servocontrols in-house? [answer]
  
  
• Can you provide service to maintain our servovalves and servocontrols and evaluate them regularly? [answer]
  
  
• Do you provide a servovalve and servocontrols recovery program? [answer]
  
  
• Do you offer emergency servovalves and servocontrols repair services? [answer]
  
  
• Can you provide training on the servovalves and servocontrols and systems that you sell? [answer]
  
  
• How can I get a quick overview of the products, services and capabilities offered by ServoCon ALPHA? [answer]
  
  
• How can we be sure ServoCon ALPHA is qualified and capable to handle our fluid power product needs? [answer]
  
  
• Industrial Repair Emergencies do occur. How fast is your typical response time? [answer]
  
  
• Does your company have insurance to work on-site in our plant? [answer]
  
  
• Do you charge anything to pick up and deliver? [answer]
  
  
• Do you offer any kind of classes on servocontrol hydraulics? [answer]
  
  
• How and when can I place an order? [answer]
  
  
• Where do I call for answers to my non-order questions? [answer]
  
  
• What payment options are available? [answer]
  
  
• How do I establish an account? [answer]
  
  
• I'm not in the United States. Can I order from your company? [answer]
  
  
• How will my order be shipped? [answer]
  
  
• How long will it take to receive my order? [answer]
  
  
• Is expedited shipping available? [answer]
  
  
• Do you accept job postings from recruiters? [answer]
  
  
• How do I get a password if I do not already have a password? [answer]
  
  
• How can I track my order after it leaves ServoCon ALPHA? [answer]
  
  
• Can I see what I have ordered in the future after I have ordered? [answer]
  
  
• What about viewing past purchase history? [answer]
  
  
• How does a nuclear power plant work? [answer]
  
  
• Where does a power plant get the water used in their operations? [answer]
  
  
• How safe are nuclear plants? [answer]
  
  
• Who regulates or oversees the operation of nuclear power plants to make they are safe? [answer]
  
  
• What kind of maintenance is done on plant equipment? [answer]
  
  
• What kind of security is in place to protect the plants? [answer]
  
  
• Do power plants communicate with other law enforcement agencies? [answer]
  
  
• How do nuclear power plants test their security programs? [answer]
  
  
• What physical barriers and emergency equipment protect the nuclear reactors? [answer]
  
  
• What is the definition of hydraulics? [answer]
  
  
• What is a hydraulic-mechanical press brake? [answer]
  
  
• What is the torque valve on the bolts to mount a 15 GPM servovalve? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Closed-Loop Control System? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Servomechanism? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Servovalve? [answer]
  
  
• What is an Electrohydraulic Servovalve? [answer]
  
  
• What is an Electrohydraulic Flow Control Servovalve? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Hydraulic Amplifier? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Stage? [answer]
  
  
• What is an Output Stage? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Port? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Three-Way Valve? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Four-Way Valve? [answer]
  
  
• What is Flow Force Compensation? [answer]
  
  
• What is Load Compensation? [answer]
  
  
• What is a Torque Motor? [answer]
  
  
• What is an Input Current? [answer]
  
  
• What is Rated Current? [answer]
  
  
• What is Quiescent Current? [answer]
  
  
• What is Electrical Control Power? [answer]
  
  
• What is the Electrical Null? [answer]
  
  
• What is Coil Impedance? [answer]
  
  
• What is Coil Resistance? [answer]
  
  
• What is Coil Inductance? [answer]
  
  
• What is Dither? [answer]
  
  
• What is Control Flow, also called Load Flow or Flow Output? [answer]
  
  
• What is Rated Flow? [answer]
  
  
• What is No-Load Flow? [answer]
  
  
• What is Deadband? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Bias? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Shift? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Pressure? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Pressure Gain? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Flow Gain? [answer]
  
  
• What is Null Leakage? [answer]
  
  
• What is Frequency Response? [answer]
  
  
• What is Amplitude Ratio? [answer]
  
  
• What is Phase Angle? [answer]
  
  
• What is considered a standard design configuration of a servovalve? [answer]
  
  
• What is the standard for servovalve construction and workmanship? [answer]
  
  
• What are the standards for servovalve installation and envelope details? [answer]
  
  
• What are the servovalve standard mounting configurations? [answer]
  
  
• What is the Centering Adjustment? [answer]
  
  
• How does a servovalve get lubrication? [answer]
  
  
• What types of seals are used in servovalves? [answer]
  
  
• What is a general life of a servovalve? [answer]

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