Corrosion in steel pipes and storage receivers within compressed air systems is a common issue that can significantly impact system efficiency, safety, and longevity. This process is primarily driven by the presence of water and acid condensate, both of which are common byproducts in compressed air environments. Understanding how corrosion occurs can help in implementing […]

AutomationDirect has added NITRA CPS9E series cylinder position switches which are compact general-purpose switches designed to detect the position of a pneumatic cylinder’s magnetic piston. This feedback can be used by a control system to determine cylinder position, cycle count, and to confirm operation.   These switches are manufactured specifically to fit into extruded or […]

Dust collector reverse pulse cleaning is commonly deployed in any industry that creates powdered dust. Through the years, it is common to see expensive failures of these devices that consume excessive amounts of compressed air. Often times, these failures go undetected. Dust collector reverse pulse cleaning is a highly efficient method for removing accumulated dust […]

Holmbury Inc. recently hosted an open house, to highlight the growth the company has made in the past several years at its U.S. headquarters in Eastlake, Ohio. The manufacturer of flat face couplings has nearly doubled its space, expanding with two extra suites to the south and north of its original space. In the southern […]

Electro-pneumatic pressure regulation and flow control manufacturer Proportion-Air recently celebrated the completion of its new facility in Gulf Breeze, Florida, with a grand opening event last month. The event brought visitors from the community to see the company’s new 12,000 square foot building, which houses research and development, marketing and sales, and administration functions. Attendees […]

Air-cooled air compressors are crucial to keeping the production process running in many industries; they work by turning power into usable energy. Their performance, however, depends heavily on their ability to stay cool. If dust and debris clog up a compressor, it can overheat, work less efficiently, and cost more to operate. Fig. 1 and […]

Purdue University welcomes engineers and fluid power professionals to the 2024 International Maha Fluid Power Conference, held September 3-5, 2024, at the Stewart Center. The conference will include technical presentations, keynote lectures, and social events for attendees to network, exchange ideas, and discuss recent research trends in fluid power and motion control technologies. For the […]

Emerson has launched its Aventics series XV pneumatic valves. Series XV valves are designed with interoperability in mind to provide machine builders across multiple industries and factory automation applications with a flexible and cost-effective valve platform. The new valves are ideal for machine builders  and end users that operate across the globe, with universal threads […]

Tom, a diligent plant engineer at a mid-sized manufacturing facility, faced persistent problems with his compressed air system powering his crucial production lines. Despite repeated attempts to fix various symptoms — frequent drops in pressure, excessive energy consumption, and sporadic equipment failures — the problems persisted, causing costly downtime and frustration on the factory floor. […]

Compressed air systems classed as “best practices” have permanent monitoring systems installed that can automatically track the performance of the system. In this way, problems can be easily detected and dealt with quickly. Important variables like pressure, power, flow, temperature, and dew point are measured and sent to a central database, to be stored for […]

Added to the nEDC 300 pumps from Edwards Vacuum are the nEDC 65-150 models that completes its range of robust dry claw vacuum pumps for the lower pumping speed classes. With features such as robustness, efficiency and easy handling of contaminants, the smaller pumps are also ideal for applications in the areas of water and […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Counterbalance valves are an ingenious invention used to control runaway loads caused by mass or gravity attempting to push or pull outside of intentional movement. There are many ways to control a load or prevent it from moving, such as flow control valves or pilot-operated check valves. However, a counterbalance […]

A plastic products producer was expanding its business and installed a few new machines. There already were five small compressors installed to feed the production machinery and the maintenance personnel were experiencing low pressure occurrences. These events would pull plant pressure down and cause product rejects and production shutdowns. The plant manager concluded that the […]

Delta Motion has added an EtherCAT communication module to its flagship RMC200 Motion Controller family. This new module enables the RMC200 to efficiently connect to EtherCAT-enabled devices, and control electric motor drives and hydraulic valves over EtherCAT, reaffirming Delta Motion’s commitment to delivering high-performance technology solutions for servo-hydraulic and servo-electric motion applications. The new R200-ECAT…

Piab has launched its highly anticipated OVM Pro 3D, a cutting-edge on-line tool designed to transform the way vacuum systems are configured, simulated and optimized. “OVM Pro 3D represents a major leap forward for the design of vacuum systems,” said Josef Karbassi, Acting President of the Vacuum Automation Division. Ever since Piab assumed its leading […]

A good exercise for any compressed air system is to find and fix compressed air leaks. And if the system compressors are well controlled, some significant energy savings can be gained by doing leak audits and repairs on a regular basis; this is generally recommended quarterly. Some excellent tools to use in the process are […]

As of July 1, Frank Mühlon will assume the position of CEO at Bucher Hydraulics, succeeding Daniel Waller, who is retiring after 20 successful years in this role. Waller, who has led Bucher Hydraulics as CEO since 2004, transformed the division into a globally recognized player in the hydraulics industry. Under his guidance, the company’s…

The Filtration Division of power management company Eaton enhances their CCS 5 contamination control system with a new, optional thermal printer. The portable and rechargeable battery-powered thermal printer connects to the CCS 5 system via a USB port and allows operators to improve accessibility and archiving of measurement results with printed hard copies. Suitable for both pressurized […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor In Part 4 of the hydraulic oil analysis series, we will tackle one of the most essential qualities of hydraulic oil you must test and understand. Particle contamination, for example, may take months or years to erode critical components to the point of failure, but water infiltrating your pumps, valves, […]

Last week, Flowcopter participated in the inaugural Offshore Drone Challenge (ODC) taking place at the National Experimental Test Center of Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Cochstedt, Germany. Sponsored by energy giant EnBW in partnership with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the ODC has been created as an opportunity for leading drone manufacturers to showcase their aircraft…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Let’s be clear that pump selection is the quickest way to increase hydraulic system efficiency, as one can easily improve your energy ROI by 15% or more simply by upgrading from a gear to a piston pump, for example. But pumps aren’t the only way to increase your efficiency, thereby…

In 2019, COVAL launched its first CVGC carbon vacuum gripper, designed for collaborative robots, when the market was just beginning to exist. Today, in a market that is constantly expanding, COVAL is launching a second generation, optimizing its modularity and compatibility while simultaneously enhancing its performance. More than a simple update, COVAL has redesigned the […]

Danfoss Power Solutions today announced the launch of its DVG family of hydraulic valves, a new line of open-center directional control valves for mobile machinery. Currently available in North, Central, and South America, the valve group brings a new level of quality and performance as well as rapid and reliable delivery to a competitive market. […]

The CSG series air compressor boasts up to 16% more flow and as much as a 19% improvement in specific performance over the previous models, with a maximum operating pressure increased to 160 psig. The CSG series is available in five fixed speed models from 50 to 125 hp delivering flows from 184 to 563 […]

Contributed by Brian Krieger, North American VP of Sales & Global Marketing Manager, EIS- Engineered Inserts & Systems Inc. Over the years, sealing expansion plugs have evolved from the ball style expansion plug replacing standard threaded O-ring seals, to the rivet style and other adaptations. Unfortunately, all those offer only single tiered solutions.    …