Cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel are among “the electric 18” critical materials needed for clean energy production, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Average consumers driving EVs, installing solar panels on their roofs, and coordinating their lives via smartphones may not connect the dots as they oppose mining operations in the U.S. But the…

Will hydraulics ever get past the leakage issue? I’ve heard people discuss this question countless times over the three decades that I’ve worked in and written about the technology. Time and time again, people bash this useful technology because of perceived problems with leakage. I have encountered this negative talk on factory floors, in educational…

Over the weekend, I attempted to repair my seven-year-old’s battle-smashing toy. Though it’s designed to withstand rough handling and abuse, one of the key features stopped functioning, which degraded the toy’s allure. However, there was no way I would surrender my investment and chalk it up to, “Well, honey, that’s what happens when we play…

I recently asked ChatGPT what “intelligence” means. It told me that intelligence is a complex and multi-faceted trait, generally consisting of three key aspects: cognitive abilities (learning, reasoning, and problem-solving), emotional intelligence (empathy, self-awareness, and emotional regulation), and practical intelligence (street smarts or common sense). It also informed me that since its last knowledge update…

Engineering is a never-ending problem-solution spiral. That’s honestly one of the things I love about it. Solutions adapt proactively and reactively as the world evolves and technologies and materials advance. There’s always a new challenge, a new regulation, a new crisis, or a shift in human perspective or behavior that prompts change. I recently interviewed…

This biennial event returns to the Las Vegas Convention Center on September 11–13. Pack Expo Las Vegas 2023 is pegged as “the most comprehensive packaging and processing event in North America this year.” And as part of its commitment to sustainability, show producer PMMI (the Association for Packaging and Processing Technologies), its partners, vendors, and…

NFPA’s annual International Economic Outlook Conference, held in suburban Chicago this week, provided an overview of the current economic landscape, exploring both U.S. and global macro trends and the ramifications for fluid power manufacturers. Here’s a breakdown of some of the main ideas from this week’s event: U.S. dominance: With a quarter of the global…

As a natural-born tree-hugger, some wonder why I’m an editor for fluid power and manufacturing publications. Wouldn’t a person who values environmentalism participate in more “green” efforts? Yet, I cover mobile machines that cut down trees, hydraulic systems that rely on oil rigs, and automation equipment that expedites manufacturing (and subsequently creates more stuff that…

Every year, the NFPA holds a Fluid Power Vehicle Challenge for engineering students who attend universities around the U.S. The competition combines two technology platforms not normally associated with one another — human-powered vehicles and fluid power. Teams are tasked with designing and building their own fluid power vehicles over the course of a school…

One of the things I love about the triennial IFPE Show in Las Vegas is that I always get new insights on component manufacturers, even ones I thought I knew well. Such was the case this year in talking to Matt Grussing, Director of Sales – Western Region & Key Accounts, at Bailey International. I’ve…

As a new editor of Fluid Power World, I’m granted the privilege of meeting people and attending industry events with fresh eyes. I’ve heard stories of this tight-knit fluid power community and how passionate everyone is about the industry. Though I arrive with an open mind and eagerness to learn, my expectations continue to shatter…

We’re all looking forward to the IFPE show next month, but the show’s operator, the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), has also been busy with other matters. This past October, the association surveyed 179 equipment manufacturing executives to find out their thoughts on supply chain disruptions and bottlenecks — and the impact it has had…

The triennial fluid power megashow returns to Las Vegas from March 14-18. The fluid power industry’s biggest event returns to the Las Vegas Convention center this March, with 375 component manufactures expected on the show floor. Exhibitors will include those focused on electrical & mechanical power transmission, industrial hydraulics, mobile hydraulics, pneumatics, and water hydraulics.…

A lot has changed in the Nevada desert since the last show took place in March 2020 — here’s what to expect for 2023 show attendees The last incarnation of IFPE was certainly a weird one; I was one of the few who made it to the triennial fluid power event, just ahead of the…

By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor Many unique hydraulic applications offer the power and reliability needed by CNC machines. Hydraulics provides an invaluable tool for machine tool designers to perform powerful and practical functions to improve the performance and reliability of their CNC lathes, mills and other machines. A machine tool is a machine that cuts,…

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…

Soon after I began to cover fluid power back in the mid 1990s, I heard the drumbeat from many worried hydraulic component manufacturers — the electrics are coming to get us. There was a lot of fear (as well as a lot of doubt in some corners) that someday, electric actuators would replace hydraulic cylinders.…

History and baseball are intertwined at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Whenever a Phillies’ player hits a home run or the game is won, the iconic Liberty Bell swings and chimes. But getting fans excited with this experience was a bit of a struggle in recent years, as the bell’s hydraulic control system was older…

At a recent user conference put on by Bosch Rexroth in suburban Chicago, the company presented specifics on some of its latest components designed for use on mobile machinery. Specifically, we learned about products that, more than ever, incorporate hydraulics with electronics and software. This will lead to easier user experiences, additional flexibility in the…

Jon Hirschtick, the general manager of Onshape at PTC, spoke recently at the Robotics Summit in Boston, and he had a lot to say about the technology that is shaping our future. Hirschtick, who is well known as the fellow who developed Solidworks, was also a member of the famed MIT Blackjack Team, which was…

At this month’s NFPA Annual Conference, bestselling author David Burkus spoke to the attendees on “Leading high-performance teams from anywhere” and provided a lot of great advice for anyone in a management position. He acknowledged that Covid had forced many companies to rethink policies for remote work for eligible employees. And now employees expect more…

At the NFPA’s recent economic update meeting in Cleveland, Jim Meil of ACT Research Co., LLC talked to attendees about what’s ahead for the industry, from an economics perspective. Meil sees a COVID recovery through 2021, and “into 2022-2023 and beyond,” which is good news for fluid power manufacturers. Meil sees some definite problems in…

Sooner or later, many companies will tell their remote workers to learn to live with Covid, and that it’s time to return to the office. Few are counting on a different kind of virus — ransomware — being part of the back-to-normal routine. As the pandemic forced employees to work from home, their laptops, smartphones…

The Hydraulic Infinite Linear Actuator offers a new way to generate mechanical linear motion. Contributed by Magnus Landberg, Landberg Solutions AB and Magnus Sethson, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden In the forestry industry, robust and power-dense hydraulics have long played an important role in successful and cost-effective operations. Today, there is also a trend towards larger timber […]