Josh Cosford

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?…

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…

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…

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,…

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…

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 […]

Some inventions are just so damn good that no matter how much AI and data centers you throw at bettering them, modern technology simply cannot replace the simple, legacy equipment we enjoy today. There will be no better method to close your pants than a zipper, nothing superior to an umbrella for a sudden shower,…

When a pneumatic system suffers a catastrophic failure, such as a blown seal, a ruptured airline, or a seized cylinder, the maintenance team must respond instantly to treat it. These unexpected ailments reduce productivity, increase costs, and work your millwrights ragged. Many pneumatic systems experience chronic unwellness, much as we humans do with cardiovascular disease; […]

Pretty much every fluid power industry meeting I’ve been to in the past decade included at least some mention that we are stirring the embers of the final hearth of knowledge, which will die with the wave of upcoming retirements from Boomers and Gen X. From the IFPS to NFPA to CFPA, round table discussions…

When I first got my start in hydraulics some twenty years ago, I thought the priority-type flow control was the bee’s knees. It’s pressure-compensated on the priority port and can dump any remaining unused fluid to tank or to an auxiliary hydraulic function through the bypass port. Priority-type flow controls are sometimes referred to as…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Hydraulic hose assemblies are critical components in fluid power systems, responsible for transferring pressurized fluid as a force transfer method to and from components such as pumps, cylinders, valves, and motors. Understanding the fundamentals of hydraulic hose is essential for ensuring system reliability, efficiency, and safety in both industrial and […]

This guide breaks down budget, midrange, and premium test kits to help technicians quickly pinpoint losses in pressure, flow, and efficiency in hydraulic systems. Hydraulic troubleshooting requires a fundamental understanding of thermodynamics, experience with various machine types, as well as years of familiarity with various hydraulic schematics. In some ways, it’s like being a doctor…

I’m not out here trying to be a climate denier, but I’m also not going to deny that these past few winters and springs have been absolute trash. There’s been too much cold, too much snow, and too much rain. Yes, yes, I’ve heard that places like the Southwest have been extraordinarily hot on occasion,…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Hoop stress. It’s a real term, and it’s not discussed nearly enough in fluid power. Hoop stress describes the circumferential stress against a tube, cylinder or circular wall caused by internal pressure acting outward. If you visualize the steel bands that circle a wine barrel, you get the idea. But […]

When I write my commentary pieces, I’m always trying to find unique subjects to discuss, since you can only address the importance of filtration so many times. And despite the threat of actual nice weather looming, it was only last month that I wrote about meteorological patterns, so I’ll leave that to the old men…

Imagine driving your car around with fixed wheels and no suspension. If it weren’t for the pneumatic tires, it would feel like riding across the grocery store parking lot in a shopping cart. Not only would the ride quality shake the stones from your kidneys, but it would also shake the nuts from your Johnson…

Noise is often inevitable in hydraulic systems, but discovering its sources can help you to better design your systems to alleviate some of it. Monday morning traffic, lineups at the Krispy Kreme drive-through, and teenagers; all crap we just put up with every day with nary more than a shrug. I’m officially adding noisy hydraulics…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Let’s be honest, there hasn’t been much change in the fundamental nature of hydraulics in the past couple of decades. Discoveries regarding how we control or operate hydraulics are few and far between. We’re unlikely to see another breakthrough like post-pressure compensation or horsepower control, because it’s just so much […]

Over the course of the trade show week, I averaged almost 17,000 steps per day. Indeed, the 2026 CONEXPO/CON-AGG exhibition was absolutely massive, but I took advantage of their (slow and infrequent) lot shuttles. In most cases, it would have been faster to walk, but I made the rookie error of wearing dress shoes on […]

I have an embarrassing admission: I haven’t been to the CONEXPO-CON/AGG trade show since 2017. In fact, at the 2017 show, when it co-hosted with IFPE (The International Fluid Power Exhibition), I represented Canada at the IEOC (NFPA’s Industry & Economic Conference), where, as the Director of Communications for the Canadian Fluid Power Association, I…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Seals are often an afterthought when it comes to designing fluid power systems, which makes sense for the majority of applications where off-the-shelf is good enough. Designers select pumps, valves, and actuators based on criteria like flow rates, valve configurations, and pressure capacities, but most of those primary components are […]

Combining air and oil on modern automation machinery helps to balance force, speed, precision, reliability, and cost. I know what you’re thinking – “forget it, just use electronic components for automation instead of hydraulics or pneumatics.” Well, you can put the brakes on that idea, fella, because this is Fluid Power World, and I pushed…

My priority when visiting the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2026 next month is to learn about advanced new technologies, especially those related to fluid power and its machinery. This, despite my desire to find the management team at AEM and convince them to change the show’s name, which has all the appeal of trans-fat-laden square tubs of oleo […]

I once configured a hydraulic power unit for an automotive customer that had so many components attached and installed that it looked like the engine bay on a new BMW M5 with the plastic cover removed. I used the word “configured” rather than “designed” because the end customer had a Functional Requirements Specification document that…

Directional control valves are the traffic police of pneumatic systems, charged with diverting, directing, and reversing airflow to manage the operation of actuators. A fluid power designer must first understand valve functions, flow rates (and the resulting sizes), and the construction materials best suited to their application before sending out requests for quotes. This designer’s […]