This paper presents the construction, mathematical modeling and testing of a scaled universal hydraulic Power Take-Off (PTO) device for Wave Energy Converters (WECs). A specific prototype and test bench were designed and built to carry out the tests. The results obtained from these tests were used to adjust an in-house mathematical model. The PTO was initially designed to be coupled to a scaled wave energy capture device with a low speed and high torque oscillating motion and high power fluctuations. Any Energy Capture Device (ECD) that fulfils these requirements can be coupled to this PTO, provided that its scale is adequately defined depending on the rated power of the full scale prototype. The initial calibration included estimation of the pressure drops in the different components, the pressurization time of the oil inside the hydraulic cylinders and the volumetric efficiency of the complete circuit. Since the overall efficiency measured during the tests ranged from 0.69 to 0.8 and the dynamic performance of the PTO was satisfactory, the results are really promising and it is believed that this solution might prove effective in real devices.

Several vehicle platforms involving the hot stamping of manufactured parts are launched every year. Mass production represents a key step in the manufacturing process of an actual hot stamping part. In this step, the cycle time (consisting of cooling time (t₁) and handling time (t₂) components) must be optimized. During t₁, the stamping tool (punch and die) is closed, for cooling of the part. The t₂ components (i.e., inlet transfer time, press forming time (closing and opening), and outlet transfer time) define the production output that ensures process performance. However, cost is the main driver in automotive applications. Here, a cycle-time calculation based on the design of experiments (DOE) is proposed for formulating cost-effective formulas. An iterative one-dimensional heat transfer model for each DOE step is set up to simulate 10 hot stamping cycles; the part temperature after quenching in cycle number 10 (where steady conditions are achieved) was selected as the process output variable to be controlled in the DOE. Several DOE variables were considered. The DOE results were employed for the proposal of a simplified formula, which helps in assessing the cycle time with its excellent trade-off between calculation cost and reliability. The formula was validated by laboratory tests.