By Eric Bucci, Oil & Gas Segment Manager, Trelleborg Sealing Solutions and Beth Figliulo, Fluid Power Segment Manager, Trelleborg Sealing Solution The tensioner cylinders used to support subsea production risers where they connect to the rig are the size of an 18-wheeler. These components are in motion 24/7, and must accommodate 50-foot strokes during storms.…
Hydraulic motion system tames rough seas through active heave compensation
Active heave compensation uses proven technologies and components for safe positioning during complex offshore activities. Contributed by Parveen Gupta, Director – Sales, Production Machinery, Bosch Rexroth Safely moving heavy loads from ship to sea floor is a basic requirement in the offshore industry. Undersea work of this type is common in the oil and gas…
Mentoring: the power of connections
Engineers and others working in fluid power understand the importance of connecting with their peers. This is especially true for those younger individuals just entering the field. Fluid power is a technology that many (myself included) admit they “just fell into.” Very few actually enter it intentionally (apart from those involved in family businesses, I…
Making that human connection stronger
At the last FPDA Industry Summit, attendees heard Tim David speak about human connections, something that is increasingly overlooked in today’s technology and social media-soaked world. He explained how research has shown that the more real, physical, in-person connections you have in your life, the better. And that means not just at home, but at…
Environmentally friendly plug-and-play electrohydraulic braking system
Plug-and-play electrohydraulic braking systems from Dellner Brakes were introduced to the US market at this year’s International Workboat Show in New Orleans. Combining the very best of Swedish and German engineering from Dellner Brakes and sister company Pintsch Bubenzer, the new BUEL STL system provides a compact, self-contained solution for stopping, turning and locking ship…
Improving the reliability of hydraulic cylinder sensors
How to maintain uptime in difficult conditions. Contributed by Chris Heberlein, Sales Director – Machine & Plant Engineering, Balluff Inc., Florence, Ky. Reliability is always important in the hydraulics industry and maintaining uptime can be especially challenging in the rugged and hostile applications typical of sawmills, foundries, steel mills and mobile machines. For fluid power…
Are acquisitions killing fluid power innovation?
Fluid power experts and casual observers alike can’t help but notice the steady stream of mergers and acquisitions affecting our industry. For instance, over the last year we’ve seen: Danfoss buy Artemis Intelligent Power. Des-Case acquire RMF Systems. Festo make a deal for Fabco-Air. IMI purchase Bimba Manufacturing. Michelin take over Hallite and Fenner. Monnier…
LunchBox learning about fluid power
In 1999, Carl and Lenore Dyke launched an industrial education and consulting business in Calgary. Carl took his earliest career experiences as a millwright in the sawmill industry and his seven years of teaching welding/fabrication and electronics/robotics at the high school level and sought to create a unique enterprise to help solve learning problems in…
Tackling HR questions, old and young
At the recent FPDA Summit in Lake Tahoe, Calif., HR expert Pam Krivda of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP moderated a fascinating panel on human resources issues that manufacturers and distributors may face. Here were two of the topics discussed, on opposite ends of the age spectrum. What to do about older employees who might…
Hydraulic control block ensures safety in marine winches
Winches are used for many applications on vessels both large and small, such as anchor hoisting, mooring of the vessel, and subsequent holding of the ship against the quay. To this end, Bosch Rexroth introduced the HIWCB, a control block developed specifically for high-pressure hydraulic winches, intended for deck mounting. Its modular design enables interoperability…
Don’t leave humans out of the Industry 4.0 equation
At the recent Integr8 conference in Detroit, a panel of five speakers from Bosch Rexroth discussed how to successfully implement Industry 4.0. Key to connected industry, they all agreed, was ensuring that people are at the center of decision-making. Rodney Rusk, the i4 business leader for Bosch Rexroth, kicked off the talk by saying, “In…
How to use hydraulics in machine tools
By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The machine tool is a machine that uses a guided tool for the shaping of materials, typically by cutting, grinding, drilling, boring or forming, etc. As opposed to hand tools, which require the operator to be fully in control of the metal shaping, a machine tool uses one or more…
The reality of women in engineering leadership
Last month, I wrote about the need for mentoring to get more young people — young women, in particular — studying engineering and entering the field. There’s a reason for this. Despite strong recruiting efforts, women just aren’t entering the engineering space. According to research by the Society of Women Engineers, while more women are entering…
How do you ensure accumulator safety?
Accumulators are pressurized vessels that hold fluid under pressure. This stored energy can be called upon to boost energy to a system when needed, then recharged to store it again. This stored energy can be dangerous; proper care should be taken to ensure pressure and temperatures are kept under control. Several small yet critical accessories…
How to achieve safety in industrial hydraulics
The history of labor unions dates to the late 1800s when employees worked in often wretched conditions with little or no regard paid by employers for safety, fair wages and reasonable workaday hours. It’s hard to argue the level of productivity achieved prior to the amelioration of unions, and some would wager the great railroads…
Hydraulic hybrid powers fuel-efficient tug
Engineers take a novel, low-risk approach to marine propulsion with a hydraulic hybrid design. Much like the trend in mobile-equipment markets over the last decade, shipbuilders and their suppliers have made steady, incremental improvements in terms of vessel performance, fuel efficiency and lower emissions. Many in the marine industry are now pushing the next wave…
Electrohydraulic control smooths sawmill performance
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…
Fluid power continues to evolve
Fluid power has somewhat of a reputation for being mature and unchanging, but at least from a corporate perspective, changes do happen and sometimes they can happen fast. After covering this industry for more than two decades, it’s amazing to think of the brand names that have come and gone. As part of a new…
Integrating IoT with fluid power
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…
Simplifying manifold design with software
Manifolds are unique to each machine they run, making designing and building the right manifold a complicated task. Ask any manifold designer or distributor – there’s no such thing as building the right manifold on the first try. Consider the design process. An original equipment manufacturer (OEM) would approach a manifold designer, looking for a…
Automation will spur fluid-power job growth
A new report making headlines says that as many as 800 million workers, worldwide, will lose their jobs by 2030 as a consequence of rapid advances in automation. One envisions food lines, homelessness, rioting and government upheaval. But a closer read shows while many low-skill jobs might disappear, around the same number of desirable, higher-paying…
New spool valve line offers versatility, flexibility
Wandfluh has completely reworked its range of NG10 spool valves and has launched a new portfolio of high-performance products onto the market. They feature an optimized cast body, which has improved performance-to-weight ratio, ΔP values, and maximum flow. Direct-operated valves The range is based on a cast body design, which is used both for direct-operated…
How to choose pneumatics in food and beverage processing
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…
Fluid couplings ensure smooth conveying
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…
How can hydraulic pressure intensifiers improve your system design?
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…