The mining specialist Tamrock – later known as Sandvik Tamrock – has cooperated with various institutes at TUT for over thirty years. Sandvik Tamrock and the Institute of Hydraulics and Automation IHA– a Centre of Excellence in Research appointed by the Academy of Finland – have become each other’s most important partners.
"Sandvik Tamrock brings its input to basic research initiatives concerning improvements to the operational efficiency of mobile machines, the control of movement, and free piston technology. We also cooperate in many application projects", says head of IHA, Professor Matti Vilenius.
"Since this cooperation is long-standing and extensive, the management of research resources is unproblematic. Without Sandvik Tamrock, the IHA Centre of Excellence would not exist as we know it today", states Vilenius.
According to Sandvik Tamrock’s General Manager of Research Rolf Ström, industry perceives the University particularly as a channel to new knowledge and expertise. Industry expects the University to have a vision of development trends over a time span of three to five years.
"It’s important that our partner university is of a world-class standard in the core fields of our operations. An international company cannot be involved in this kind of research in very many locations, so we have to find partners who are pioneers in their own fields", comments Ström.
In Ström’s view, the research fields of IHA closest to Sandvik Tamrock’s research and development are fast hydraulics and the optimisation of mobile hydraulics. Free piston technology is of interest to the company due to the synergy its valve technology offers for percussion drills.
"Virtual technology enhances and accelerates development and research. At Sandvik Tamrock, various equipment – from percussion hammers to mining machines – is simulated with software developed by IHA", says Ström.