When Should You Use a Hydraulic Pressure Intensifier Instead of Increasing System Pressure?

Increasing Hydraulic Force Without Redesigning the Entire Hydraulic System

One of the most common engineering challenges in hydraulic system design is generating greater force without completely redesigning the hydraulic power unit.

When a hydraulic cylinder does not produce sufficient force, many engineers immediately consider increasing the operating pressure of the entire hydraulic system.

Although this solution may appear straightforward, it often creates additional technical challenges.

Increasing the pressure of the complete hydraulic circuit may require:

  • a larger hydraulic pump;
  • stronger valves;
  • higher-pressure hoses;
  • reinforced fittings;
  • more expensive hydraulic components.

In many applications, only one hydraulic cylinder actually requires the additional force.

A real engineering case handled by the Vega Technical Department demonstrates why, in these situations, a hydraulic pressure intensifier may represent a far more efficient engineering solution than increasing the pressure throughout the entire hydraulic system.

The Customer’s Requirement

A customer was designing a hydraulic application that required a 63 mm bore hydraulic cylinder with a 50 mm stroke to operate at approximately 400 bar.

However, the available hydraulic system delivered only 140 bar.

Instead of redesigning the complete hydraulic power unit, the customer proposed using a pressure multiplication ratio of approximately 1:3, allowing the cylinder to reach the required operating pressure while leaving the rest of the hydraulic system unchanged.

The customer also requested:

  • an inlet pressure regulator;
  • a pressure reducing valve;
  • a pressure gauge capable of reading at least 450 bar.

This request illustrates a common engineering problem.

How can additional hydraulic force be generated only where it is actually needed?

More Pressure Is Not Always the Best Solution

When additional force is required, increasing system pressure is often considered the simplest approach.

From an engineering perspective, however, this is rarely the most economical solution.

Raising the operating pressure of the entire hydraulic installation affects every component in the circuit.

This may require replacing:

  • pumps;
  • valves;
  • seals;
  • hydraulic hoses;
  • connectors;
  • pressure control devices.

As a result, a relatively small increase in force for one actuator may lead to substantial increases in system cost.

For this reason, engineers frequently look for localized solutions rather than redesigning the entire hydraulic installation.

What Is a Hydraulic Pressure Intensifier?

A hydraulic pressure intensifier is a device that converts hydraulic energy from a lower-pressure circuit into a smaller volume of hydraulic oil at a significantly higher pressure.

Instead of increasing pressure everywhere, the intensifier raises pressure only within the circuit supplying the selected hydraulic actuator.

This allows a hydraulic cylinder to develop substantially higher force without increasing the operating pressure of the complete hydraulic power unit.

For many industrial applications, this represents an elegant and cost-effective engineering solution.

Engineering Begins by Selecting the Right Components

Rather than attempting to design a pressure intensifier internally, the Vega Technical Department adopted a practical engineering approach.

After receiving the customer’s request, the engineering team contacted a supplier specialized in hydraulic pressure intensifiers to identify the most appropriate solution.

The request specifically referred to a pressure intensifier similar to the Scanwill MP-T-P-3.4-G, together with the associated pressure regulator and pressure gauge required for the application.

This illustrates another important engineering principle.

Successful engineering does not always mean designing every component from the beginning.

Sometimes the best solution is selecting proven technology already available from specialized manufacturers.

System Integration Is More Important Than Individual Components

The supplier confirmed that the requested pressure intensifier, together with the inlet pressure regulating valve and the pressure gauge, could be supplied as a complete solution.

The proposal also included installation recommendations and delivery information.

This highlights an often-overlooked aspect of hydraulic engineering.

A pressure intensifier should never be considered an isolated component.

Reliable operation depends on the correct integration of:

  • the pressure intensifier;
  • pressure regulation;
  • pressure monitoring;
  • hydraulic connections;
  • the hydraulic cylinder itself.

Only when these elements are properly matched can the complete hydraulic system operate safely and efficiently.

Local Pressure Increase Versus Global System Redesign

One of the greatest advantages of a hydraulic pressure intensifier is that it increases pressure only where additional force is required.

The remaining hydraulic system continues operating at its original pressure.

This offers several engineering advantages:

  • reduced investment in new hydraulic equipment;
  • lower stress on the main hydraulic circuit;
  • simpler installation;
  • improved flexibility for future machine modifications;
  • optimized use of existing hydraulic infrastructure.

Instead of redesigning an entire hydraulic installation, engineers can concentrate additional hydraulic energy exactly where the application requires it.

Engineering Means Finding the Most Efficient Solution

One of the most interesting aspects of this case is the engineering philosophy demonstrated by the Vega Technical Department.

Rather than assuming that increasing the pressure of the complete hydraulic system was the only possible solution, the engineers evaluated alternative approaches capable of solving the customer’s problem with fewer modifications to the existing installation.

This approach reflects an important principle of modern hydraulic engineering.

The best engineering solution is not always the one that generates the highest pressure.

It is the solution that delivers the required performance with the lowest overall complexity, cost and technical risk.

Pressure Intensifiers as an Engineering Solution

In Part 1, we saw that increasing the pressure of an entire hydraulic system is not always the most efficient way to obtain greater force from a hydraulic cylinder.

The engineering case handled by the Vega Technical Department demonstrated that, when only one actuator requires higher pressure, a hydraulic pressure intensifier can often provide a more practical and economical solution.

The real value of a pressure intensifier lies not in producing the highest possible pressure, but in applying higher pressure only where it is needed.

A Pressure Intensifier Optimizes the Hydraulic System

One of the biggest advantages of a hydraulic pressure intensifier is that it allows engineers to keep the main hydraulic circuit operating at its original pressure.

Instead of redesigning the hydraulic power unit, the additional pressure is generated locally for a specific actuator.

This engineering approach offers several benefits:

  • lower investment costs;
  • fewer modifications to the hydraulic power unit;
  • reduced stress on pumps and valves;
  • simpler machine upgrades;
  • greater flexibility for future projects.

In many industrial applications, this solution is considerably more efficient than increasing the pressure throughout the entire hydraulic installation.

Pressure Multiplication Must Be Properly Controlled

Increasing pressure also means increasing responsibility for controlling it.

For this reason, the customer’s request did not include only the pressure intensifier itself.

The application also required:

  • an inlet pressure regulator;
  • a pressure reducing valve;
  • a pressure gauge rated for at least 450 bar.

The supplier confirmed the availability of these components as part of the proposed solution.

This illustrates an important engineering principle.

A pressure intensifier should never be installed without the appropriate pressure control and monitoring equipment.

Reliable hydraulic systems always combine pressure generation with pressure regulation and pressure measurement.

Selecting Proven Components Reduces Technical Risk

Rather than attempting to design a custom pressure intensifier, the Vega Technical Department evaluated commercially available technology from a specialist manufacturer.

This approach provides several engineering advantages.

Using proven components:

  • reduces development time;
  • minimizes technical uncertainty;
  • simplifies maintenance;
  • ensures availability of replacement parts;
  • relies on products already tested in industrial applications.

Professional engineering is not about designing every component internally.

It is about selecting the most appropriate technology for each application.

Pressure Is Only One Part of the Design

This case also highlights another important engineering concept.

Generating 400 bar at the hydraulic cylinder is only one aspect of the project.

Engineers must also evaluate:

  • hydraulic flow requirements;
  • cycle time;
  • oil volume;
  • heat generation;
  • pressure losses;
  • installation space;
  • maintenance accessibility.

A successful hydraulic system is always the result of balancing all these variables rather than maximizing a single performance parameter.

When Should a Pressure Intensifier Be Used?

Hydraulic pressure intensifiers are particularly suitable when:

  • only one actuator requires higher pressure;
  • the existing hydraulic power unit should remain unchanged;
  • machine modifications must be minimized;
  • available installation space is limited;
  • upgrading the complete hydraulic system would be economically unjustified.

In contrast, if an entire hydraulic installation requires permanently higher pressure for multiple actuators, redesigning the hydraulic power unit may be the more appropriate long-term solution.

Engineering is always about selecting the solution that best matches the application’s technical and economic requirements.

Engineering Means Evaluating the Complete Hydraulic System

One of the strongest lessons from this case is the methodology adopted by the Vega Technical Department.

Rather than simply searching for a higher-pressure cylinder, the engineering team evaluated the complete hydraulic system.

The analysis considered:

  • required operating pressure;
  • available system pressure;
  • pressure multiplication ratio;
  • pressure regulation;
  • pressure monitoring;
  • commercially available components.

Only after evaluating the complete application was the most suitable engineering solution identified.

This systems-based approach is what distinguishes professional hydraulic engineering from simply selecting individual components.

Conclusion

This engineering case demonstrates that obtaining greater hydraulic force does not always require increasing the operating pressure of the entire hydraulic system.

The Vega Technical Department evaluated the customer’s requirement for a 63 mm bore hydraulic cylinder operating at approximately 400 bar from a 140 bar hydraulic supply and investigated the use of a pressure intensifier together with the necessary pressure regulation and monitoring components.

Instead of redesigning the complete hydraulic installation, the proposed approach concentrated the higher pressure only where it was required, reducing costs while maintaining the existing hydraulic system.

Ultimately, this case reinforces one of the most important principles of hydraulic engineering:

The best hydraulic solution is not always the one that produces the highest system pressure, but the one that delivers the required force in the most efficient, reliable and economically sustainable way.

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