By Ron Marshall Jeff had been a maintenance technician long enough to know that low-pressure complaints rarely arrived alone. When one operator reported sluggish pneumatic cylinders, others usually followed with complaints about weak air tools, slow actuators, and inconsistent machine performance. That was exactly what happened one Monday morning in the assembly area, where production […]

ControlAir LLC has released its type 625 volume booster, a compact pneumatic relay designed to improve the speed and performance of pneumatic control valve actuators. These pressure regulation devices use pilot pressure rather than a spring or adjustment thread to provide force balance when opening the supply valve. Installed between a valve positioner and pneumatic […]

I’ve just returned from two intensive days at the Danfoss Distributor Meeting, where I had the opportunity to learn what Danfoss Power Solutions is homing in on with its distribution customer base. And while it was interesting and informative to learn about its updates to its industrial lines or electrification solutions, I was hit with…

If you’re tired of my missives about cars, this is your chance to click away. Conversely, if you enjoyed my article on enshittification (see our October issue and live link here), this example will make you pine for the good old days of automotive technology. “But Josh, what does hydraulics have to do with cars?…

New year-round initiative unites a dedicated news desk, a flagship conference, original research, and an advisory board, grounded in the engineering community’s most trusted editorial brands Arrowfly, the award-winning B2B media and marketing parent company of Fluid Power World, today announced the launch of AI for Engineers, a year-round resource for engineers and technical leaders…

At the Danfoss Distributor Meeting earlier this month, I had the opportunity to sit down with Daniel Winter, president of Danfoss Power Solutions, for the first time since he took the helm in January 2025. Read on to see where he says Danfoss will continue to grow, what its strategic advantages are, and how it’s…

By Ron Marshall, Contributing Editor Fred had been the plant engineer at the packaging facility for nearly ten years, and he thought he understood his compressed air system well. The compressors ran, the machines worked most of the time, and whenever there was a moisture problem someone usually changed a filter or drained a receiver […]

For the first time in its history, Alkon has tapped an outsider to lead the company. Fluid Power World’s Mary Gannon sat down with Alkon’s new CEO Rahul Deshmukh, to see where he will be focusing as he takes the helm at the company. Known for its pneumatic fittings, tubing, cylinders, and valves — for…

Hose safety is critical in our industry, as it accounts for some of the most dangerous and life-threatening injuries in industrial operation. In the U.S., OSHA reports that approximately 600 hose injection injuries occur every year. And in its Accident Investigation Search, a variety of hose whip, injuries due to hose failure and more are…

A note from the editor In our September issue of Fluid Power World, we concentrate on how digital technology, connectivity, electrification and smarter controls are being integrated into systems. Our cover story from Bosch Rexroth looks at how construction machinery is embracing connected systems, while our Design Notes feature explores HeavyTech’s ground-up approach to hybrid…

If you’re a longtime reader, you know I’m a car guy. I love the look and smell of a hot rod, but I grew up on Japanese hot hatches and eventually developed a taste for the power and refinement of German luxury brands. I love discovering great new music while still keeping the soundtrack of…

AutomationDirect has added Metal Work 12 mm dual guide rod cylinders to its guided actuator lineup for packaging, material handling and industrial automation applications. Available with stroke lengths from 10 mm to 250 mm, the double-acting cylinders include dual guide rods for stability, a magnetic piston for position sensing and integrated sensor slots for switch […]

Sensors are not as talked about as some other Internet of Things technologies, despite their critical role within the Industry 4.0 community at large. Sensors are technologies in fluid power that read, interpret, and transmit data based on one or more criteria important to observe: pressure, temperature, flow, contamination, water saturation, and vibration, to name…

As many know, there are few ways to improve upon pneumatic and hydraulic technologies. They already offer high pressures that are unmatched by competitive technologies, reliability, precision and much more. While efficiency gains are always needed, an area where the industry is seeing improvements is with connectivity. On both the mobile and industrial side, connected…

At the NFPA’s IEOC back in August, the association brought together leaders from OEMs and market intelligence for a panel discussion on what the future holds for mobile machinery and the part hydraulics will play. Integrated systems were a huge part of the discussion, but where this discussion led revealed that OEMs are not really…

Hydraulic systems are a fundamental technology in manufacturing and industrial operations. Widely used in applications such as metal forming, plastics processing, heavy equipment, and automated production lines, hydraulics are valued for their high-power density, robustness, and reliability. As energy efficiency becomes an increasingly important consideration across industries, attention is turning toward how hydraulic systems can…

An actuator is any device that converts one form of energy into physical, linear force. From a fundamental definition of the word, one could assert that motors are also actuators, but from a practical perspective, the machine world agrees on the linear definition. The primary source of energy can be pressurized air or liquid, electricity,…

Donaldson Company Inc. has introduced the Donaldson Hy-Pro Reservoir Headspace Dryer. The Reservoir Headspace Dryer (RHD) removes free, emulsified, and dissolved water from hydraulic and lubrication fluids in their reservoirs by generating dry air and circulating it through the headspace. The process enables moisture to transfer from the oil to the dry air stream. The […]

Contributed by Xing Hong, Founder, WRKR Seal Hydraulic systems depend on reliable sealing at every connection point. When an O-ring fails in a hydraulic circuit, the consequences range from minor fluid weeping to catastrophic pressure loss, environmental contamination, and unplanned downtime that costs thousands of dollars per hour in heavy industry. Yet a significant share […]

Bladder accumulators are an industry-standard choice, as commonly available as D03 valves or NFPA-style hydraulic cylinders. Your outside sales team is always happy to see them in a factory, because everyone offers an option to either repair or replace them. The big names all make them (or bought companies that make them), but there are…

Versa Products Company Inc. released the C5 NAMUR lockout valve, a compact, direct-mounted solution designed to provide positive actuator isolation during maintenance and shutdown procedures while delivering dependable performance in demanding industrial applications. Designed for direct mounting to pneumatic actuators, it can be mechanically locked in either the energized or de-energized position. When unlocked, the…

As automated machines become more capable, increasing amounts of decentralized I/O are needed. Conventional approaches often rely on multiple dedicated input and output modules, increasing hardware, commissioning, and additional components that machine builders and system integrators must engineer, stock, and support. Festo addresses this challenge with a new configurable digital I/O module for the CPX-AP-I […]

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I’ve been in the fluid power industry for over two decades, and I’ve made precisely one hydraulic tube, which was an assignment for one of my hydraulic classes at Mohawk College. Despite my personal lack of man-hours bending tubes, every hydraulic professional should understand the principles of tube bending. I’m […]

Stewart Hunt is proud to celebrate its 70th anniversary, marking seven decades of helping manufacturers and industrial businesses across New England and Eastern New York solve complex fluid power challenges with dependable products, technical expertise, and responsive service. Since its founding in 1956, Stewart Hunt has operated with a simple philosophy: every customer has unique…

Bosch Rexroth celebrated the grand opening of its expanded Industrial Hydraulics warehouse with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 11, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The expansion will support Bosch Rexroth’s efforts to consolidate operations through a 50,000-square-foot, one-campus concept to streamline production and logistics, while reinforcing the company’s continued commitment to the Lehigh Valley. “Bringing our operations…