New Air Dryer Represents Leap Forward in Performance, Product Life, and Serviceability
ELYRIA, Ohio – Oct. 30, 2019 – Delivering lower total cost of ownership through improved performance, longer product life, and easier serviceability, the new Bendix® AD-HF™ is the next evolution of full-function air dryer technology from Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC. Bendix will launch production of the AD-HF air dryer at several major North American commercial vehicle manufacturers beginning in early 2020.
“While the AD-HF builds on Bendix’s half century of leading commercial vehicle air dryer technology, make no mistake: It’s the purpose-built result of a major redesign with an eye on elevating the dryer for today’s environment and providing immediate benefits to fleets, owner-operators, and even truck builders,” said Richard Nagel, Bendix director of marketing and customer solutions, Air Supply and Powertrain. “At every step, with every component, we asked how we could make the best air dryers on the road even better.”
New Design, New Advantages
A robust, two-piece high-strength aluminum casting means the Bendix AD-HF is over 7 pounds lighter than its predecessor – the industry-leading Bendix® AD-IS® – which also facilitates remanufacturing in the future. It features an integrated purge volume reservoir, which eliminates the need for a steel tank. Extensive use of improved materials and surface treatments make the Bendix® AD-HF™ more corrosion-resistant to road treatments such as salt and chemicals, improving product life. Bendix also engineered the casting for better flow characteristics, which increases the AD-HF’s application capabilities through improved dryer air flow capacity. Finally, the new casting has an increased number of porting locations with optimized port spacing to help reduce installation time.
The standard AD-HF incorporates 200cc of integral purge volume. There is also an optional extended purge version with 300cc of integral purge volume.
Maintenance costs and uptime considerations were also key factors in developing the AD-HF. New pressure protection valves (PPV) are now cartridge style and can be replaced if they require service, as opposed to replacing an entire dryer. Replacement kits with factory-set valves will be available, and quick PPV swapping is enabled through use of just a single bolt and retaining plate.
“These new PPVs are also more resistant to corrosion,” Nagel said. “Additionally, the AD-HF uses the same purge valve, heater, and industry standard D2® governor as the AD-IS®, which reduces maintenance stocking requirements for fleets, as well as our aftermarket distribution outlets.”
Air Protection for the Future
The AD-HF is designed to work solely with a Bendix® PuraGuard® oil coalescing spin-on cartridge. During normal operation, a truck’s compressor passes small amounts of oil aerosols, determined by the compressor’s design, duty cycle, and life cycle. These oil aerosols are passed into the vehicle’s air system, where the first line of defense is the truck’s air dryer.
“A Bendix AD-HF air dryer equipped with a PuraGuard oil-coalescing cartridge will provide the industry’s most effective solution for removing oil aerosols from the compressed air system,” Nagel said. “While there are other oil-coalescing cartridges available, PuraGuard’s patented design includes an internal check valve that prevents oil removed by the coalescing filter from backflowing into the filter media – and also places the oil-coalescing filter media in an optimal location, ahead of the air dryer cartridge’s desiccant, which increases the effective life of the cartridge. Other coalescing cartridges are efficient when new but quickly lose their efficiency over time, while a PuraGuard removes significant amounts of oil aerosols and moisture for its entire service life.”
“Commercial vehicles are increasingly equipped with higher levels of automation that incorporate multiple solenoid valves, which provide precise control for safety systems – but also require cleaner air than traditional manual brake valves,” Nagel said. “Some Automated Manual Transmissions (AMTs) also rely on pneumatic controls, along with emissions equipment necessary to meet regulations. The quality of a truck’s compressed air supply has never mattered more, and the Bendix® AD-HF™ is up to the challenges of today’s trucks, while also designed to support challenges yet to come down the road. Bendix has always been an industry pioneer in air treatment. From being the first in our industry with the desiccant air dryer decades ago to the development of the AD-HF and beyond, our engineers continue to help shape tomorrow’s transportation.”
By providing that support, and delivering on safety, value, performance, and efficiency, Bendix aims to lower the total cost of vehicle ownership, strengthening return on investment in technologies and equipment that increase safety for drivers and passengers everywhere.
About Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC
Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group, develops and supplies leading-edge active safety technologies, energy management solutions, and air brake charging and control systems and components under the Bendix® brand name for medium- and heavy-duty trucks, tractors, trailers, buses, and other commercial vehicles throughout North America. An industry pioneer, employing more than 3,200 people, Bendix is driven to deliver solutions for improved vehicle safety, performance, and overall operating cost. Contact us at
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