A scrap processing company has a large rotating drum that pushes scrap aluminum components into rotating hammers to pulverize the scrap parts into small pieces. They then press the scrap into large bales for easy shipping. The attached circuit is one of the hydraulic systems that runs three functions on the machine. They had problems…

Last week, Festo Didactic Learning Systems North America and its partners gathered to announce new plans for the Mechatronics Apprenticeship Program (MAP) at its Regional Service Center (RSC) in Mason, Ohio. Industry, education, and government came together to strengthen workforce development for Industry 4.0 careers. Guest speakers included representatives from the Lt. Governor’s office and…

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…

Mobile material handling machines rely heavily on hydraulic technologies which pair well with the robust, sometimes challenging environments these machines work in. By Josh Cosford • Contributing Editor Material handling machines are some of the most widespread hydraulic applications developed. Where you must move product or material, a hydraulic machine is available to help. Industrial […]

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…

Contributed by Amit Patel • Senior Marketing Manager, Digital Transformation at Emerson Digital technologies along with pneumatics automation can transform a facility’s efficiency, productivity, and versatility. The digital transformation of processing and packaging operations is well underway. Manufacturers are integrating connected technologies into their operations and seeing significant results. Digital technologies have the power to […]

Mechanical engineers at Rice University’s George R. Brown School of Engineering built a pneumatic arm-like device that can grasp and carry small objects using a textile-based energy harvesting system. This lightweight robotic limb is intended to assist individuals with limited mobility and is tough enough for everyday use. The pneumatic “arm” consists of heat-sealable fabrics stacked together […]

Hybrid systems bridge the road to electrification with small batteries and readily available components. Electrification aims to eliminate vehicle emissions that degrade air quality and negatively impact public health. From a technical standpoint, electrification makes sense for light- and medium-duty vehicles, such as cars and small construction equipment. However, electrification is more complex for larger […]

SMC recently updated the pneumatic system on the Boilermaker Special VII, the official mascot of Purdue University. According to the Reamer Club that cares for the train, the Boilermaker Special is the world’s largest, fastest, heaviest, and loudest collegiate mascot. Some of these accolades can be attributed to the train’s extensive pneumatic system, which controls […]

Danfoss Power Solutions has secured a grant worth approximately $450,000 from the U.K. government to accelerate the electrification of construction machinery. The U.K. Department for Business Energy and Skills awarded the grant through its Red Diesel Replacement competition, which seeks to accelerate the transition to electric off-road vehicles such as excavators and wheel loaders. While […]

This article was updated on November 10 with the solution to this challenge. By Robert J. Sheaf, Contributing Editor The advantage of using load-sense pumps is that they greatly reduce the pressure drop across flow control devices resulting in less heat buildup. The attached circuit is a good example of a simple cylinder circuit that…

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…

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…

Nearly 30 years ago, the late Bob Koski of Sun Hydraulics made a provocative presentation titled “Fluid Power Education – What went wrong?” He noted that every mechanical and electric engineer learns about electrical power actuation and motion control, but only about 5% of mechanical engineering graduates learn about fluid power actuation and control. The […]

Terzo Power Systems will supply its cutting edge Hydrapulse steering units to commercial eMobility leader SEA Electric. Electro-hydraulic technology manufacturing company Terzo Power Systems, has partnered with SEA Electric, a global leader in the electrification of commercial vehicles, to provide the hydraulic steering solutions to accompany the SEA-Drive power-system. Terzo Power Systems specializes in compact, […]

The extreme pressures and volatile environments in oil & gas require all that hydraulics has to offer — precise control and safety at high pressures. By Josh Cosford, Contributing Editor I love the town of Ithaca in upstate New York. We discovered it years ago in a casual drive in and around the Finger Lakes.…

What if there was a robot that was easy to operate, did not require a safety fence and was also attractively priced? That would introduce a whole new era in human-robot collaboration. This new era is now dawning – with the world’s first pneumatic robot from Festo, which was announced by Festo at Hannover Fair […]

Understanding the hydraulic system is critical when choosing work tools and attachments for mobile machines. George MacIntyre and Ted Polzer, Product Managers, Case Construction Equipment, Racine, Wisconsin Skid steers and compact track loaders (CTLs) are two of the most useful pieces of mobile equipment, and adding attachments makes them all that much more versatile when […]

Early in my engineering career, the fluid-power company where I was employed received a request from the U.S. Navy for seven hydraulic fittings made of the superalloy Inconel. Fulfilling the order would be a major headache. Purchasing a single bar of the exotic material, much of which would go unused, would be incredibly expensive. Add…

By John Joyce, Marketing Director, Brennan Industries Inc. The best way to avoid potential problems with your hydraulics system is to take proper measures to prevent them. The easiest way to do that is by looking at the manufacturer’s recommendations, along with the working environment. But it may not be that easy, which is why…

Elevāt, a global IoT connected machines SaaS innovator, announced that Versatile, a division of Buhler Industries Inc., deployed the Elevāt Machine Connect platform across its entire tractor line for Model Year 2022. Since starting tractor production in 1966, Versatile has remained a leader for articulating four-wheel drive tractors. “We manufacture all our tractors in our […]

A wide range of industries is showing significant supply chain issues. However, the Michigan-based manufacturer of Gemco linear position sensors, AMETEK Factory Automation, has proven they can still deliver in a timely manner. In the past couple of years, an increasing supply shortage due to various factors has caused manufacturing and on-time delivery issues. On […]

Updated July 4, 2022 with the solution below: I was asked to troubleshoot a system where the customer was complaining about a slow hydraulic motor that drove a thread rolling machine for a “U” bolt they manufacture. The system had a pressure-compensated, load-sense, Rexroth pump with volume adjustment. They did not have any hydraulic drawings…

Danfoss Power Solutions and RISE Robotics announce they’ve signed a collaboration agreement to jointly validate and test a key innovation that has the potential to transform the heavy machinery market through electrification. Danfoss and RISE Robotics, a zero-emission heavy machinery company, have formalized their collaborative relationship. The two businesses have signed an agreement to work […]