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Parker Hannifin’s O-Ring Selector is an engineering tool which offers O-ring material and size selection combined in one software package. Both are interlinked, thus helping ensure the best possible combination of the calculated O-ring size and material choice. The O-Ring Selector covers both imperial and metric standards. The program lets users find the most suitable […]

Air knife systems controlled by automated valves offer significant benefits over complex and costly VFD motor controls. By Dan VanderPyl, President, Sonic Air Systems Variable frequency drives for electric motors have become a welcome addition to a wide variety of machinery for a long list of 21st century applications, but they are no longer the […]

At this week’s NFPA Annual Conference at the Four Seasons in Orlando, Justin Jacobi, Executive Chairman of SunSource, spoke to the association’s Future Leaders group. Jacobi was raised on a farm in Texas and later moved Wisconsin and eventually to Cleveland to work for Applied Industrial Technologies—a huge move (and risk) for him at that…

Edited by Mike Santora Bosch Rexroth, a drive and control solutions company introduced a new system concept of electro-hydraulic drives targeted at large civil engineering and infrastructure projects, such as ship locks and movable bridges. The system has a compact hydraulic cylinder with integrated servo-hydraulics. The new actuators use a closed loop system, which means…

When an application calls for high forces and heavy loads, hydraulics is usually the choice, but motion controllers provide the necessary precision and safety. By Richard Meyerhoefer, International Sales Manager, Delta Computer Systems, Battle Ground, Wash. Hydraulics is the go-to technology when applications demand high forces and equipment must lift heavy loads. But it is…

By Steve Sonner, Hyspeco Inc. When I first considered writing an article about a typical day in the in the life of a fluid power salesman, my first thought was, “It’s pretty boring!” But as I have dwelled on the idea, it is anything but boring. As I have dedicated over 40 years of my…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The Internet of Things has been touted for years, but how will it mesh with hydraulics and pneumatics? The world is full of uncertainty, and fluid power should be no different. We in the industry question our own relevance and capacity to exist in the future. Can the venerable fluid…

The recent announcement of $26 million in funding from the National Science Foundation for soft robotics research is welcome news for the fluid-power community. NSF’s Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation (EFRI) program plays a critical role in helping interdisciplinary teams push the frontiers of engineering research, and one area of key interest is compliant…

System-oriented thinking and analysis skills are required to keep your industrial hydraulics operations in good working order. By Carl Dyke, CD Industrial Group Inc. In a fluid power system, the source energy enters at one central point, just like an electrical system. The energy is distributed through control mechanisms and conductors to the final motion devices, just…

With issues such as temperature extremes, washdown capabilities and cleanliness considerations, components for this industry must be thoughtfully selected. By Richard McDonnell, Market Development Manager, Motion Systems, Parker Hannifin Corp. Recently, a food processing OEM was designing and installing a new line of extremely high-speed filling machines intended to deliver higher performance with a smaller…

By Ron Marshall A paint manufacturer had a small compressed air system consisting of four lubricated screw compressors feeding general plant compressed air flows.  As part of a compressed air assessment, the compressor operations were monitored and found that all four of the compressors were running during production but they were at reduced duty cycle.  […]

Piab is introducing a suction cup specifically designed to handle thin and brittle food items such as the sheets of pasta used in lasagna or very thin slices of cracker bread. A tailor-made solution, the food contact approved F-BXT cup is designed with an extra-long and thin lip enabling it to handle fragile pasta sheets […]

IMI announced that it has agreed to acquire Bimba, a market leading manufacturer of pneumatic, hydraulic and electric motion systems with an extensive distributor network principally servicing the North American Industrial Automation market. Bimba will become an integral part of IMI Precision Engineering and the acquisition represents a significant strategic step for the division. According […]

I had the chance yesterday to sit down with Mike Tuohey, Piab’s Sales and Marketing Communication Manager, in his office in Hingham, Mass. Tuohey’s name is one of the most familiar to me in all of fluid power—he’s been in the industry for 33 years now and has seen a lot of history. But the […]

By Josh Cosford Compared to many of you reading this, I am young in this industry, and as such, my fluid power career is sophomoric at best. Depending on your perspective, I am lucky (cursed) enough to experience the slow movement of time. Time does not fly for me, so the year 2006 seems a […]

Researchers at the Technical University (TU) of Munich have developed a new test stand for examining the behavior of concrete bridge beams. To better calculate the load-carrying capacity of these beams in future constructions, six hydraulic cylinders from Liebherr Components, Nussbaumen, Switzerland, are used to press down with full force until the element breaks. The…

Hydrodynamic torque transmission of fluid couplings protects belts, motors and drives. Contributed by Kyle Kluttz, Director of Mining and Minerals Div., Voith Turbo, York, Pennsylvania Conveyors used in surface and underground mines, mineral-processing facilities, harbors and ports routinely move hundreds if not thousands of tons per day. The growing worldwide demand for natural resources has…

The “less is more” trend seems to be prevalent in the pneumatic actuator market, as real estate on OEM equipment is at a premium. Compact air cylinders go back to the late 1950s, and satisfy the need for short stroke, low profile, compact actuators that have to fit in very tight spaces. In fact, this […]

Hydraulic accumulators are pressure vessels that store and discharge energy in the form of pressurized fluid. In essence, potential energy is stored in a compressed gas and released on demand to force oil from the accumulator and into the circuit. Here are some important benefits accumulators provide, and how they make hydraulic systems better. Energy […]

Several technologies exist to provide position feedback or data of a cylinder’s position. Linear position sensors convert the position into a proportional analog or digital signal. LVITs—Linear Variable Inductive Transducers—are contactless position sensing devices, with sensing ranges up to 30 inches or more. Most designs feature an inductive probe surrounded by a conductive tube. This is […]

Elopak equips fully aseptic filling machine with robust pneumatics. By Xavier van Aelst, Director Food & Beverage and Christian Broich, Sales Engineer, AVENTICS GmbH, Laatzen, Germany Machines for filling consumer-friendly containers with milk or juice have to work around the clock, and disruptions and downtime are not at all welcome. For this reason, availability plays […]

Integrated hardware and software replace traditional mobile-hydraulic control systems. Today’s mobile-equipment manufacturers, for the most part, face a number of common challenges. OEMs want to streamline engineering and production processes yet build machines that are highly efficient, reliable and productive. And, increasingly, their customers want to monitor and track how these products operate—to ensure they […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Out of any topic under the patio-sized umbrella of fluid power, hydraulic symbology garners the most requests from those wishing to learn more about fluid power. Reading any schematic with more than three symbols can be daunting if your experience is limited. But it’s not impossible to learn. In fact, […]

Hydraulic accumulators are energy storage devices. Analogous to rechargeable batteries in electrical systems, they store and discharge energy in the form of pressurized fluid and are often used to improve hydraulic-system efficiency. An accumulator itself is a pressure vessel that holds hydraulic fluid and a compressible gas, typically nitrogen. The housing or shell is made […]

Reciprocating hydraulic pressure intensifiers generate higher pressure from a low-pressure hydraulic power source, helping to conserve energy, cost and space. By Anders Levinsen, Sales & Marketing Manager, ScanWill Hydraulic pressure intensifiers, sometimes referred to as hydraulic pressure boosters, generate a higher pressure from a low-pressure hydraulic power source. They always work powered by a pump, which is operating at a set…