Engineering Basics

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor There are no secrets here, but installing metric hydraulic fittings depends on the type of fitting being used. You will need several tools to install them. Generally, you will need various wrenches, a hose cutter (if you’re making metric hose assemblies), a deburring tool, and, in some cases, thread sealant. […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Hydraulic oil contamination may cause significant damage to hydraulic systems and components, leading to reduced performance and productivity and increased maintenance and repair costs. Therefore, it’s crucial that you identify the symptoms of hydraulic oil contamination to prevent further damage and ensure optimal hydraulic system operation. Regular readers know how […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I vividly remember visiting my stepfather’s auto shop as a kid, where he’d worked on what was primarily American iron. Being the 80s, most vehicles were American-made, so his familiarity with imperial nuts, bolts and tools was understandable. When Japanese cars permeated the market, he was ill-prepared in both knowledge […]

Learn how three manifold designs — the common hydraulic integrated circuit, stackable bar designs, and simple passageways for pressure or return — are manufactured for hydraulic designs. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor When discussing manifolds, your mind will go to one of two places — bar manifolds with sandwich valves mounted atop or integrated circuits with a…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Although pneumatic cylinders operate in many conditions, their capacity to withstand the pitfalls of those conditions often comes down to the chosen sealing technology. The performance and longevity of pneumatic cylinders depend on the quality of their seals. A seal’s primary purpose is to contain the compressed air within the […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor No matter how well engineered or manufactured, no product has infinite reliability, including hydraulic valves. Valves are critical components in hydraulic systems, responsible for controlling the flow, direction, and pressure of the hydraulic fluid circulating to transmit work. When a valve fails, it can cause system downtime, decreased productivity, and […]

Hydraulic hoses are critical components of any hydraulic system, and their lifespan is essential for the system’s efficiency and longevity. Several factors impact hydraulic hose life, from environmental conditions to maintenance practices. If you heed the tips below, you can enjoy long life from your hoses. One of the most critical factors impacting hydraulic hose […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Pneumatic systems are common in various industries, including automation, food & beverage, and packaging. They’re preferred over other systems for their simplicity, efficiency, cleanliness and versatility. Pneumatic systems rely on hoses to transport compressed air from the compressor to the devices that use it. There are many types of hose, […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I’ve seen many pneumatic cylinders in my fifteen years in fluid power. From pancake to ISO and from NFPA to compact round line, there are as many types of air cylinders as there are applications for them. With so many cylinders and ways to use them, there are many ways […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor It would be easy to assume all cylinders fail in the same fashion — that hydraulic cylinders bypass and air cylinders experience bent rods. However, it’s a false assumption because the nature of their operation and intended application differ. Sure, a hydraulic cylinder can bypass but not as easily as […]

Learn how to reduce the damaging side effects of noise and vibration caused by hydraulic power units in industrial settings. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor There’s nothing quite like the high-pitched racket emitting from a hydraulic power unit. The combination of noises originates primarily at the hydraulic pump, but secondary harmonics and reverberations contribute to…

By Ron Marshall Compressed air is one of the most expensive ways to supply energy to facility tools and equipment. This is due to the inherent inefficiencies in the process of compressing air — the biggest product is heat and the secondary output is compressed air. While this is disappointing, there are still things that […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Some objects are universal by their very nature, mattering not where you reside or if you’re part of a colonial legacy. No matter where you travel, a wheel is a wheel because it’s so absolutely perfect for the job that it leaves any other method of moving heavy objects obsolete. […]

Risks versus rewards of complete hydraulic drive maintenance practices Contributed by Timothy McCrea, market segment manager, aftermarket, pulp & paper, Hägglunds – Bosch Rexroth Corp. Hydraulic direct drive systems are a crucial part of industrial recycling operations. Engineered for reliable performance under demanding conditions, recyclers and other users of these systems will sometimes postpone critical…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Encoders are electronic devices manufactured to relay movement and position. For example, for fluid power applications, the decoder relays an electronic signal to a PLC or other electronic device for the positional measurement of hydraulic cylinders or motors. In most cases, encoders use a light shone through a coded plate […]

Question: I need your advice about how to adjust the dew point for the dryers which are equipped with a dew point controller. Also, for those not having a controller, how can we determine which dew point is the best setting — -40 or -70? Answer: This is a complicated question. The method for adjusting […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor The venerable return filter is just as crucial to your hydraulic system as your kidneys are to your body. Could your hydraulic system survive with no return line filter? Sure, I suppose in the same way you could survive without kidneys if you strapped on the dialysis machine for five […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Most variable displacement hydraulic pumps create and use internal leakage. The leakage is a function of the pump, designed from the factory to lubricate wear components, provide hydrostatic bearing pressure and offer pilot energy to critical functions like pressure compensators. Without controlled leakage, a variable pump would stop working at…

Today’s hydraulic fluids are forced to operate in hotter environments. But the right formulation can help reliably moderate temperatures, creating significant operational benefits for end users. By Blayne McKenzie, Technology Development Manager, Industrial Products, The Lubrizol Corp. Mobile and stationary hydraulic systems have gone through major changes in recent years. Widespread efforts toward higher efficiency […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor How long is a piece of string? So what? Did you think you’d get a straight answer on a subject like “what is the best cylinder piston seal?” There is no best piston seal, just like there is no best car (it’s the Mazda Miata, by the way). If you’re […]

A hydraulic pump is literally the heartbeat of your hydraulic system. If you’re new to hydraulics, you’d be surprised at how many ways you can push fluid under pressure. The rotating and/or reciprocating of gears, vanes or pistons offer a designer constrained by any performance or budget envelope the options to best suit any application, […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Nobody’s perfect – I certainly am not. It takes a level of self-awareness to admit you’re not perfect but exponentially more self-awareness to do something about it. Try as I might with my nutritional plan; I regularly fall short of perfection. But even if perfect was possible to manifest, even…

What should you do when it comes time to decide if you should repair or replace your aging air compressor? There are a few things you should consider. Air compressors are like motor vehicles — if they are used continuously, hardly shutting down, they should not be expected to run for a long time without […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor “Fluid power” is the all-encompassing term to describe how we achieve work through pressurized matter pushed through enclosed circuits. In short, fluid power is hydraulics or pneumatics, sometimes simultaneously (hydropneumatic accumulators, for example). Inherently, we know they’re different because one uses oil and the other air, but what else is…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Hydraulic power units are both the source of hydraulic energy and fluid conditioning. The hydraulic reservoir provides a mounting surface for the hydraulic pump and its prime mover while offering up real estate to mount filters, coolers, valves and accessories. In addition, the reservoir stores the hydraulic fluid, providing a […]