The DT6 articulated dump truck from Hydrema, based in Støvring, Denmark, marks the company’s first foray into the electric vehicle segment. The completely new design, showcased at Conexpo 2023, combines an electric direct drive with on-demand hydraulics. Among the key features: quiet operation and zero emissions. The machine has an articulated chassis with a center […]

The Manitou Group, with North American headquarters in West Bend, Wisc., is a long-time manufacturer of equipment like telehandlers, lift trucks, loaders and work platforms. Recent R&D and commercialization efforts have included electrification of numerous models. This includes the introduction of new electric rotative telehanders that are offered in six versions. The MRT 2660e, for […]

Gradall has unveiled an electrified concept model of its multipurpose, highway speed wheeled excavator, powered by Volvo Penta’s electric driveline. In a nearly decade-long partnership, Volvo Penta has been an exclusive supplier of 5- and 8-liter Tier 4f engines for Gradall’s diesel-powered telescopic boom excavators. The companies are now taking the first step into electromobility. […]

Customer interest in more-productive and sustainably focused construction equipment is certainly on the rise. To help address the growing market for alternatively powered machines, John Deere showcased new E-Drive (hybrid-electric) and E-Power (battery-electric) machines at Conexpo 2023. “As a leader in the construction industry, John Deere is committed to helping decrease contributions to climate change […]

Liebherr has expanded its portfolio of piling and drilling machines for deep foundation applications with the LB 30 “unplugged” drilling rig. The battery-powered drive concept offers the same performance as the conventional diesel version and with the advantage of zero emissions. While the diesel LB 30 is powered by a Liebherr D936 StageV/Tier4f engine rated […]

Wacker Neuson, Menomonee Falls, Wisc., aims to help construction contractors meet their daily job-site challenges, whether the task demands conventional equipment or alternative-powered battery electric machines. A central focus of the company’s booth at Conexpo 2023 was the EZ17e 1.7-ton battery-powered mini excavator, essentially an electric analog of the company’s proven diesel-powered EZ17 excavator. The […]

LiuGong exhibited its newest battery electric wheel loader for the North American market at Conexpo 2023. The 856H-E MAX wheel loader is part of the company’s range of electric construction vehicles available worldwide. “The industry is talking about battery electric vehicles at a greater volume than in years past, particularly going into Conexpo,” said Andrew […]

At this year’s IFPE 2023 show, Liebherr Components presented its expanded line of axial piston pumps — including two new pumps with nine nominal sizes — along with a range of complementary high-speed hydraulic motors. First, the Bulle, Switzerland company is enlarging its product portfolio of variable displacement open-circuit pumps with the DPVO 550i, a […]

Mini excavator demand continues to grow exponentially (more than 400% overall growth since 2011) thanks to strong demand in sectors like landscaping and underground utilities. To address that need, CASE Construction Equipment is developing a diverse and comprehensive mini excavator lineup ranging from 1.5 to 6 metric tons. This includes diesel-powered units, and the launch […]

Volvo Construction Equipment has been offering electric machines for several years, including small and medium-size wheel loaders, mini excavators, and now an electric road asphalt compactor. Earlier this year, the company also announced it was testing an electric version of its 24-ton EC320 excavator, which was on display for the first time in North America […]

Komatsu showcased several hydraulic-electric machines and related battery technology at Conexpo 2023. The goal, said company officials, is to develop the technology and equipment to help customers reduce their carbon footprint and plan for implementing sustainable solutions, including electrification, and to make fleet management more efficient. One featured product was the 20-ton PC210LCE electric excavator. […]

Increasing concerns over climate change has put a heightened focus on reducing CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles and mobile equipment. Two ways to lower emissions from construction and agricultural machinery, according to most experts, are to minimize idling periods and to embrace demand-based control of auxiliary actuators. According to engineers at Bucher Hydraulics, Grand Rapids, […]

Visitors to Conexpo 2023 had the opportunity to view Caterpillar’s concepts of total site solutions for energy transition, including four battery-electric machine prototypes on display at the company’s Sustainability Hub. These machines are powered by Cat-designed lithium-ion batteries with a modular design that offers flexible configurations across multiple applications. The company has designed its own […]

New Holland Construction, a unit of CNH Industrial, has launched its first commercially available EV machine – the E15X electric power mini excavator. “This is New Holland Construction’s first step into EV, a segment that’s going to continue to evolve and grow over the next decade not only for the industry, but for New Holland […]

Lightweight construction is considered an important trend and driver as OEMs strive to make off-road machinery more efficient and productive. It’s also becoming more significant in many stationary applications. In mobile equipment, for example, weight savings can increase operating speeds, allow for larger attachments and booms, and raise payloads. And, of course, it often reduces […]

Upwards of 100,000 visitors at this year’s Conexpo/IFPE will get a close-up look at hundreds of new and forward-looking construction and mining machines, along with the latest products and systems from fluid power manufacturers large and small. To better understand what the future of the mobile-equipment industry holds, and how it will impact fluid power, […]

Variable-volume reservoirs (VVRs) are compact hydraulic reservoirs that can often replace conventional hydraulic reservoirs, with benefits to users that include lighter weight, smaller size and lower costs, as well as addressing potential safety, oil contamination and environmental issues. They’re similar to bootstrap-type reservoirs that have been used for decades in aerospace applications. In a classic…

Bucher Hydraulics is expanding its portfolio of safety valves with a new load-control valve for winches, as well as additional sizes of other load-control valves and pipe-rupture safety devices. When a crane must position enormous wind-turbine rotor blades or entire building roofs with millimeter accuracy, valves from Bucher Hydraulics are often used — especially when […]

Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) is building its exhibition space at Conexpo/IFPE 2023 around the theme “Change Starts Here. Be Ready For It.” The 55,000 square-foot Volvo booth, F8926 in the Festival Grounds, will feature the company’s newest products, cutting-edge services and technology offerings in a dedicated Solutions Hall, and areas where attendees can test […]

There is no problem, goes the current wisdom, which some federal program won’t try to solve by throwing money at it. That is, unless it means devoting dollars for research on traditional manufacturing processes. Take, for instance, the National Science Foundation, a government entity that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields…

Jacking and equalizing cylinders on NASA’s crawler transporter hold steady the massive launch vehicle. Contributed by Ingo Rühlicke, Head of Project and Export Depts., Walter Hunger GmbH and Co Kg Artemis I is the inaugural moon rocket mission in a program that aims to one day return astronauts to the lunar surface. Perhaps unnoticed, but…

Every type of hydraulic pump has a certain degree of delivery irregularity, causing pressure ripple in a system. Unfortunately, the fluid-borne pressure ripple can travel throughout a circuit and generate unwanted vibration and noise far from the pump. That can lead to problems ranging from excessively loud operation that is annoying to nearby workers to…

Classic hydraulic cylinders equipped with force-sensing elements allow precise and dynamic measurement of static and dynamic tensile and compressive loads. Indirect force-measurement via strain offers a smart alternative, according to engineers at Liebherr Components, Nussbaumen, Switzerland. Increasingly, mobile and industrial equipment manufacturers are focusing on sensor solutions and their efficient use in hydraulic cylinders. One […]

The National Science Foundation has announced $26 million in funding for a new Engineering Research Center dedicated to developing and commercializing revolutionary, intelligent autonomous manufacturing systems, as well as educating a future manufacturing workforce. Fluid power technology promises to be an important contributor to the overall success of the program. The Hybrid Autonomous Manufacturing, Moving…

Offshore supply chain snarls, national-security concerns and the pandemic have all heightened the focus on domestic manufacturing capabilities. A new concept that is currently under development — metamorphic manufacturing — may usher in the capacity for local, flexible production that is especially suited for rapid and economical fabrication of small batch, complex, customized parts with…